2023 Dodge Hornet & 2023 Kia EV6 GT

Hi, I'm John Davis and this is MotorWeek !

We're buzzing by the camera in the compact Dodge Hornet.

Then, we'll get our hands dirty with some DIY car care.

We'll wash up for a cruise in a classic Alfa Romeo coupe, then jump off the line in the souped-up Kia EV6 GT.

So come drive with us, next!

Closed Captioning provided by Maryland Public Television.

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First, there was the wheel.

Then, the tire.

"We'll call it TireRack."

Forty years later, we're not slowing down.

JOHN: Dodge prides itself in being America's performance-first brand.

But as we all know, performance is going through a lot of changes these days.

For Dodge, that means entering the small crossover segment and doing it the way only Dodge can!

♪♪ If you don't remember the Dodge Caliber, that's okay; Dodge would probably rather that you didn't.

So, let's just say this 2023 Dodge Hornet is the brand's first serious entry into the ever-growing small crossover field.

Dodge claims it's the quickest, fastest, and most powerful compact utility vehicle you can buy for less than 30-grand; and indeed, you'd have to look European and spend a lot more money to match the Hornet's numbers.

It starts with this base Hornet GT which outpowers anything else in the segment with a 2.0-liter turbo-4 outputting 268-horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque.

It comes with standard all-wheel drive.

Arriving not long after, will be the Hornet R/T with a smaller 1.3-liter turbo-4 engine, but gets a unique all-wheel drive setup with a 90-kW electric motor powering the rear wheels for a combined 383 pound-feet of torque.

And it's a plug-in hybrid with a 15.5-kWh battery providing more than 30-miles of strictly EV driving.

The PHEV gets a true 6-speed automatic transmission, while this GT works with a 9-speed.

To create the Hornet, Dodge did indeed begin in Europe, borrowing the Alfa Romeo Tonale's chassis.

But Hornet is mostly wrapped in its own bodywork, including an aggressive face with lots of air flow, a wide stance, functional hood vents, and a full width tail lamp with an illuminated logo.

And, as with the Hellcat, they've created a unique Hornet mascot to adorn the front fenders.

The interior is driver-focused, with tasteful amounts of chrome trim; and well outfitted with a 12-inch digital cockpit, and 10-inch touchscreen for Uconnect 5 both standard.

"Plus" trim adds navigation, sunroof, and leather; while an optional Track Pack spices things up with red accents, Alcantara sport seats, aluminum trim, and a unique steering wheel.

Those front sport seats are plenty comfortable, rear seats feel adequately spacious for a small crossover, and cargo space at 27.0 cubic-feet in back and a seats folded max of 54.7 cubic-feet is certainly on par for the segment.

Despite all of that, this Hornet's real mission is to deliver a true sting of performance to small utes, so a trip to Mason Dixon Dragway was in order.

Our GT didn't feel overly strong off the line, but once this Hornet got moving, it really flies.

We hit sixty in just 5.8 seconds.

Expect the R/T to be a second quicker.

The 1-2 shift was strong, but then they seemed to lag a little more as we revved higher.

The engine sounds very aggressive the whole time, and it was a speedy 14.5-second quarter-mile, finished at 95 miles-per-hour.

But Dodge didn't design Hornet to be a straight-line, one hit wonder.

So, Alfa's athletic chassis was a great starting point.

From there, they made Koni shocks standard.

Plus, the available Track Pack adds upgraded brakes and 20-inch wheels.

Now, it does take some effort to find the right tech settings, as initially, the stability systems were really holding us back.

But once dialed in, the Hornet easily handles among class leaders.

Steering was light, turn-ins were quick, and torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive effectively managed power distribution to allow us to throttle steer our way through the cones.

Away from the track, the ride is definitely Euro-firm with the Track Pack's 20's, but nothing unreasonable.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings with the 2.0-liter are 21-City, 29-Highway, and 24-Combined; we saw a good 25.2 miles-per-gallon average with Regular fuel.

Factor in destination charges and you're slightly over that $30,000 mark, with the base GT coming in at $31,590, Plus trim takes it to $36,590, and the R/T starts at $41,590.

Why a compact SUV?

Well, that's where the sales are these days, and if you're Dodge and want to expand your lineup that had only 3 models, that's where you need to be.

Fortunately, Dodge did it in a way that's totally jives with their performance first attitude.

It may not have a HEMI, but this pint-sized performer truly delivers the muscle car vibe to the small crossover segment, and anyone in this HEMI-sphere can appreciate that.

♪♪ In the 137 year history of the automobile, there have been many that both captured our attention, and progressed to legendary status.

But then there are others that, while coveted when new, are less well known to collectors of today.

Now one such car recently caught the eye of our own Roger Mecca, who decided this particular Italian coupe deserved a return to the spotlight.

♪♪ ROGER MECCA: For many devoted gearheads, there's that one car classic car they yearn for, endlessly scouring websites, auction catalogues and local car shows looking to find that pristine example or restorable project, that Holy Grail to make their car dreams a reality.

For these fanatics, just mentioning that particular make and model can induce regret-filled stories of missed opportunities or a longwinded discussion on why it's the ultimate in driving excellence.

Once such example is the Alfa Romeo GTV, produced between 1965 and 1974.

It was a designed to be the great balance between a family car and something you could rip down any tight Italian road.

And while it's flown under the radar for a lot of car fans, most Alfa enthusiasts will tell you this is what made the brand so iconic.

Richard Garre owns this 1971 Alfa Romeo GTV 1750, a car he's loved for 50 years.

In 1973, a college roommate who owned a GTV tossed Richard the keys and they went for a drive.

Within moments, he had an epiphany.

RICHARD GARRE: I was in the car for about 10 minutes and I go, 'I need to own this car!'

It had everything.

It had the looks, it had the sound, it just it- it had just such a great visceral experience.

I go, 'this is it.

I gotta own this car!'

The GTV, after driving it and owning it, it really did kind of change my life, especially towards being in the car business.

I realized after working on cars for a while, that uh, I think this is a business that I'm gonna be in.

So, the start of my senior year, I was... looking for... employment either, you know, twisting wrenches or working for a car company or a dealership.

ROGER: Which he did from then on, including once having his own shop that specialized in, you guessed it, Alfa Romeos, and other high-end European brands.

There were four main variations of the GTV, based on the displacement of the 4-cylinder twin cam aluminum engine.

The 1300, the 1600, the 1750, and the 2000.

Now, while each has their own followers, most Alfa fans, including Richard, will tell you the 1750 is the sweet spot.

It gives you the best balance of power and finesse.

Delivering 130 horsepower and 125 pounds of torque, the 1750 redlines at 7000 RPM.

And when you get there, the little 1.8 liter starts to sing.

Downshifting and throttling into a corner, it sounds and feels like you must be going 80, though you're barely doing 30.

In fact, it takes almost 10 seconds to reach 60.

But trust me, when everything feels and sounds this good, you don't care.

The five-speed doesn't like to be rushed, but it's velvety smooth.

The feather-light steering provides intuitive feedback and the cornering grip and stability encourage you to go harder and faster.

The GTV is so much fun to drive, you almost forget just how great it looks, even 45 years later.

It was the first model designed by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro, created when he was just 22 years old.

Known for such icons as the Lotus Esprit and BMW M1, he never liked the GTV.

Though it's hard to understand why.

Simultaneously masculine and elegant, one look and there is no mistake what the GTV was designed for: driving fast and having fun, but still being refined and exotic.

Now, if you'd like to own a GTV, you are in luck because they made more than 40,000 of these over the years.

The challenge, however, is finding one that's in really good shape.

These were notorious rust buckets, and a lot of people didn't treat them very well, so finding one that's in excellent condition, that can be a hassle.

Finding one that's in perfect condition?

That can cost you $100,000.

But if you do find one to make your own, please do yourself and every GTV lover like Richard a favor: don't keep it safely tucked away like a museum showpiece.

Drive it as often as you can, just like Alfa Romeo intended.

But I have a feeling that once you get behind the wheel, that won't be a problem.

JOHN: Cars are complicated, but there's still a fair bit of maintenance you can do yourself.

So, here's Audra Fordin with tips on DIY car care that'll leave you feeling like a pro, on MotorWeek's "Your Drive."

♪♪ AUDRA FORDIN: With a little practice and instruction, you can do most minor item services on your car yourself.

Although you don't have to: Any auto shop can do it for you, but they charge you a lot more money than if you would have bought it online yourself.

With us today is our online parts expert, Tom Taylor.

Welcome back, Tom.

TOM TAYLOR: Thanks for having me.

AUDRA: Of course.

We're so glad to have you here and talk to us about some do-it-yourself items.

TOM: Yeah, one is the cabin air filter.

It's, uh, if you can change... the bag in your vacuum cleaner, you can change the cabin air filter.

And there's several choices: filter out just the basic dust and dirt, and then there's if you want to filter out odors, there will be a carbon material or electrostatic material that will get out the odors and and gasses.

And then you can get one that does all that plus it has super-fine filtering for getting mold spores and bacteria.

And, you can see this- this, uh, one was pulled out of this Honda here and it-- it started... it started out white, it's starting to get the... the black film that shows it doesn't need to be replaced yet, but it's getting there.

AUDRA: Sure And inside of all those fins, you can see where it's trapping all of that dirt in there.

Changing your cabin air filter is such a great thing to do for the environment inside your cabin.

It feels better, it smells better, and it's easier to breathe, especially if you have allergies.

Number one reason for sneezing in your car is from the cabin air filter.

You know, if you can read about in your owner's manual, most likely you can do it yourself.

And, cabin air filter is one of those items, it's hiding in the cabin, behind the cabin air filter.

Once you- behind the glove box- once you pull down the glove box, there's a little clip in there to remove the door to access the filter.

And the most important thing I think you need to know is that on the filter, it actually says which direction the airflow is, so that it can trap all of that dirt and debris.

TOM: Right, yep.

Another surprisingly easy-to-do repair is to fix your windshield washer pump.

You may be like, concerned "oh, I have a rear windshield washer.

I have an SUV with a windshield wiper and washer in the back and a windshield washer in the front, none of its working, oh my gosh, it must be a complex problem."

But it could just be the windshield washer pump, that runs both the front and back.

The pump just has dual nipples that, with hoses running front and back, you snap this one part into your reservoir and suddenly everything works again.

The reservoirs are often located down under the... behind the front bumper cover, where you go underneath and it's easily accessible.

AUDRA: Sure, the hardest part about it, which isn't so difficult, is just prying it off, changing the connector, reclamping or re-putting on the hoses, and back together.

TOM: Yup-- yeah.

It's a simple job, and... an amazing result.

It's like "hey the system went from not working to working and I did it myself."

AUDRA: And the best way I find to diagnose that is it's audible, by listening.

When you spray your windshield washer fluid, if you don't hear that pump going, it's typically the pump that's going bad.

TOM: Sure.

AUDRA: And if you have any questions or comments, reach out to us, right here at MotorWeek.

JOHN: If you're like us, you'll never turn down a chance to go for another Quick Spin!

♪♪ JESSICA RAY: We were blown away by the GMC Hummer EV Pickup, making it an easy win as one of our 2023 Drivers' Choice Awards Best EVs.

Since then, we've eagerly awaited the sequel: This 2024 Hummer EV SUV.

We flew out to Northern California with high hopes and we were not disappointed.

Part of that is thanks to all of the carryover between Pickup and SUV.

They both share GM's Ultium platform, a modular chassis that can be tailored for different battery-electric powertrains.

In the case of this Edition 1 model, that means a 170 kilowatt-hour pack energizing a three-motor e4WD system.

They combine for a total output of 830 horsepower and 1,200 pound-feet of torque.

Max range is estimated over 300 miles, and the 800-volt architecture is capable of 300-kilowatt charging, recouping 100 miles in 14 minutes.

Other carryovers include the incredibly fun "Watts to Freedom" mode, enabling a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds, Adaptive Air Suspension, and of course, Crab Walk.

While slightly less extreme than the Pickup, the SUV certainly stands on its own, equally impressive and even a little more manageable for daily use.

So, one of the biggest differences about the GMC Hummer EV SUV compared to the pickup is that this SUV is twenty inches shorter in length.

That's almost two feet!

And it's also nine inches shorter in wheelbase and it's very apparent once you get behind the wheel.

It feels just better to merge in traffic, it's much more nimble and easy to manage on-on tighter roads and on city streets.

So, while nothing changes in the width, this SUV's gonna be a little bit easier to navigate in a parking lot.

The 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV Edition 1 arrives in dealers soon starting at around $105,000, followed by the EV 3X and 2X later this year.

The base EV 2 arrives in 2024, starting around $86,000.

We'll have more on this incredible utility and plenty more Quick Spins, soon.

JOHN: Now, lets head over to Stephanie Hart for all the latest Motor News!

♪♪ STEPHANIE HART: The 2023 International New York Auto Show saw some exciting new vehicle reveals.

Jeep showed off their refreshed 2024 Wrangler, with a tweaked seven-slot grille, a larger infotainment screen, and two new models: the Sport S 4xe and Rubicon X. Subaru unveiled the 2024 Crosstrek Wilderness, with more ground clearance, retuned components and all-terrain tires.

And, Ram released range numbers for the 1500 REV all-electric pickup: up to 500 miles with the optional battery pack.

After the formal auto show, Volkswagen unveiled their all-new ID.7 electric sedan.

Built on VW's MEB platform, its maximum range is estimated at 435 miles.

Standard is a 15-inch infotainment system and augmented reality head-up display.

It goes on sale here next year.

Back to internal combustion, Acura debuted the 2024 Integra Type S. This performance liftback packs 320 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, a little more than its Civic Type R cousin.

Buick revealed an all-new model, the Envista.

Replacing the Encore, this sub-compact utility has a sportier design outside and a bigger screen inside.

Available this summer, the Envista will start at under $24,000.

On a sad note, land-speed record icon Craig Breedlove has passed away.

Breedlove was the first person to exceed 500, then 600 miles per hour, doing so in a series of vehicles, all named Spirit of America.

He was 86.

His legacy lives on.

And that's it for this week's Motor News.

JOHN: No doubt about it, last year's Kia EV6 was a true game changer for mainstream battery electric vehicles.

And no wonder it won our 2023 Drivers' Choice Award for Best of the Year!

And, we all knew the story wouldn't end there, as Kia is set to unleash all of the EV6's performance potential with this EV6 GT.

So, let's see what happens when the EV6 is cranked up to 11.

♪♪ When you've got a good thing going, you can either stand pat and just ride it out, or you can go back to work and attempt to turn something good into something great.

After one drive in this 2023 Kia EV6 GT it was obvious to us that Kia has done just that: made a truly good car into a truly great one.

For starters, the EV6 GT's dual-motor setup has a 160kW front motor paired with a 270-kW unit in the rear for a total output of 576-horsepower and 545 pound-feet of torque.

Moreover, it's not all about just more power, there's a full performance upgrade with lowered suspension with a completely different front setup, stiffer chassis, 21-inch wheels with sportier rubber, and it's hard to miss the new neon brake calipers which clamp down on larger brake rotors both up front and in back.

The ride is noticeably firmer, especially when Sport mode meets rough pavement, and a quicker steering ratio lends a heightened sense of performance intent that we even found a little twitchy at times on our test track.

But, the car feels light and tossable with very little body roll, and truly wants to be pushed hard.

Kia has even added a Drift Mode into the mix which prioritizes rear-motor power, dials back stability control, and allows the electronic limited-slip differential to send heaps of power to the outside rear wheel in turns to trigger as much oversteer as you can handle.

Acceleration insanity is accessed through a new GT button on the steering wheel, and there's plenty of all-wheel drive grip for steady hooking and booking off the line.

We hit 60 in 3.5-seconds.

Unlike many EVs, there's no tapering off of power delivery as you work your way down the track, no getting off this freight train at any time during the full quarter-mile which we finished in 11.8-seconds at 118 miles-per-hour.

Top speed increases from 117 to 161 miles-per-hour.

Legit sport seats are manually operated and do sacrifice a little comfort, but keep you locked in and loaded for whatever fun you plan on getting into.

The GT uses the same 77.4-kWh battery as standard all-wheel drive EV6s, so range is rated at just 206-miles down from a max of 282.

But we saw as many as 217 available in the display and we're on pace for about 215-miles taking it almost down to zero.

That also moves the efficiency rating from good to fair at 42 kWh/100 miles.

But don't forget, 350-kw DC fast charging means it charges faster than most EVs too.

The EV6 was already a good looking machine, but with the GT's more aggressive front and rear fascias; it looks sleeker, and even more like a modern performance machine, rather than a family ute.

And, just to put an exclamation point on the GT's purpose, you will have to give up a few luxury items like ventilated seats, but all the necessary tech for staying connected is still here, along with splashes of neon green to add a sporty flair to the interior.

Sure, there are higher performance EVs out there, but none priced anywhere close to the GT which starts at $62,925; just 4-grand over an all-wheel drive GT-Line.

The 2022 Kia EV6 did indeed change the game for mainstream EVs, and now with the 2023 EV6 GT, Kia proves that humble platform is more than capable of hanging with the high-dollar big boys when it comes to performance.

This Kia does indeed go to 11, so plug it in, and crank it up!

Well, that's our show, I hope you enjoyed it.

Now, for more MotorWeek , including daily news updates, podcasts, and even complete episodes, cruise on over to PBS.ORG/MOTORWEEK.

And I hope you'll join us next time... For an outing in the overachieving Aston Martin DBX.

Then, we'll upsize into the latest Toyota Sequoia.

Until then, I'm John Davis.

We'll see you right here on MotorWeek !

ANNOUNCER: To learn more about MotorWeek ... Television's original automotive magazine, visit... To order a DVD of this program, call... MotorWeek has been brought to you by... ANNOUNCER: For more than 30 years Lucas Oil products has helped people tackle mechanical problems in the automotive, marine, and industrial fields.

From our original four core products... Lucas Oil has developed over 400 custom products to help both professionals and do it yourselfers.

To learn more visit Lucasoil.com.

Lucas oil, keep that engine alive!

MotorWeek is proudly sponsored by Auto Value and Bumper To Bumper, featuring major brand auto and truck parts, and service from coast to coast.

Learn more at AutoValue.com and BumperToBumper.com.

TireRack.Com is proud to support MotorWeek .

First, there was the wheel.

Then, the tire.

"We'll call it Tire Rack."

Forty years later, we're not slowing down.

♪ ♪ This program was produced by Maryland Public Television, which is solely responsible for its content.

(car engine revving) ♪ ♪ You're watching PBS.