- The Hornet is back as a hybrid Dodge crossover
- Dodge will send Charger and Challenger out with a bang
- The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS is coming up fast
- Interior Review: 2023 Honda CR-V
- Check out Dodge’s all-electric Charger Daytona SRT concept
- Three-wheeled drunk driver damages Ontario highway
Welcome to our round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam.
Here’s what you missed while you were away.
The Hornet is back as a hybrid Dodge crossover
2023 Dodge Hornet GT GLH Concept Photo by Dodge
The 2023 Hornet debuted this week as Dodge’s first action in the compact crossover segment, and the first entirely new vehicle released by the brand in a decade. No wonder there’s a bit of a buzz around the thing.
It’s not remapping the brand’s design direction — indeed, you can see plenty of existing Dodge SUV features present on its narrow-in-light-and-grille front end, plus plenty of the Alfa Romeo Tonale, with which it shares much of its makeup.
GT trims are powered by a 265-horsepower gas-fuelled 2.0L turbo-four of Hurricane descent, while the R/T runs with a 1.3L engine paired with a rear-axle-mounted electric motor, belt generator, and 15.5-kWh battery good for a combined 288 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque. That PHEV setup should be good for 48 km of electric motoring per charge. Ordering for all trims has already begun online, with the first GT models expected to be delivered later this year.
Dodge will send Charger and Challenger out with a bang
2023 Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger Photo by Dodge
When a brand renowned for its muscle cars sunsets not one but two tire-murdering nameplates, it’s appropriate to do so with dignity, class, and a whole dump truck full of horsepower. That’s right — it’s Last Call for the Dodge Challenger and Charger, and the brand is planning on serving up the last of the few batches in style, with a bunch of special edition models, historic colours, and even one last 710-horsepower version of the Durango Hellcat SUV.
Those who have loved the beefy Dodge cars over the last 20 years will have one last chance at ownership, and maybe more options than ever with a handful of new trim options to be announced shortly. The Last Call is set to arrive in Dodge dealers all at once this October, with the special edition models going to the most special locations. Find out more here.
The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS is coming up fast
2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Photo by Porsche
Rear-engine speed has a new alpha at Porsche. The 2023 911 GT3 RS is built for the track with a rear-mounted 4.0L six-cylinder boxer engine that makes 518 horsepower, enough to push the car to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds and up to a top speed of 296 km/h.
The German brand’s engineers had some fun with the car’s aerodynamic design, adding new nostrils, ‘pull ins’ behind the front wheels, and a wing that eclipses that of any other 911, and, another first, a drag-reduction system that cues the wings to flatten and help decelerate.
The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS is priced in Germany at 229,517 Euros (CDN$301,000). Learn more about its interior options, engine specs, and performance here.
Interior Review: 2023 Honda CR-V
2023 Honda CR-V Photo by Graeme Fletcher
Sometimes to truly get to know a vehicle, you’ve got to get lost in the seats like a stray dime. Driving expert Graeme Fletcher recently dove deep into the inside of the 2023 Honda CR-V to review the upgrades and features added to the sixth-generation crossover. But you don’t really have to look that hard to spot the new-new, because the whole thing has been boosted up several notches in terms of quality and attention to detail.
There’s now a reconfigurable blended instrument panel in front of the driver and either a seven- or nine-inch multimedia touchscreen for Apple CarPlay and such. Honda has also done well to reorganize and simplify the infotainment menu to make it more intuitive.
As for the seats themselves, they’ve been granted a new Body Stabilizing feature that improves posture control on twisty roads, and rear seats now offer 15 millimetres more leg space thanks to the 41-mm increase in the wheelbase. Read the full feature to see how the 2023 CR-V’s interior stacks up against the competition.
Check out Dodge’s all-electric Charger Daytona SRT concept
Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept Photo by Dodge
The day is finally upon us. Dodge has unveiled its first electric vehicle, the Charger Daytona SRT Concept that bakes in heritage design cues with a powertrain that makes it “faster than a Hellcat,” which in 2022 SRT Super Stock guise makes 807 horsepower and can allegedly take the quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds. And you’ll have to make do with those scant power and performance details at the moment, because they’re currently all we have.
We did get a good look at it, however (and you can, too, right here), including a peek at the ‘R-Wing’ that acts as a spoiler on the car’s blunt front end, and the classic Fratzog logo that’s been out of major production since the mid-’70s but will now represent Dodge’s EV front.
Dodge boss Tim Kuniskis told reporters that this is a “concept car, not a science project,” hinting that its likeness could make its way to production models in the future.
Three-wheeled drunk driver damages Ontario highway
Police cruiser Photo by File photo
Police in Lampton, Ontario have charged a 20-year-old man with drunk driving and failing to report damage to property on a highway after he allegedly drove his vehicle on just three wheels for a distance of 80 km. That’s an awful long time to not realize you’ve blown a tire.
A stretch of Dawn-Euphemia road was damaged by the Port Rowan man’s stunt, according to police, who came upon the “broken down” vehicle on the side of the road early August 14 and administered a roadside screening to its driver before arresting him.
Keyword: News Roundup: The new Dodge Hornet, Dodge's EV muscle car, and more