Asheville, North Carolina — The Dodge Challenger and Charger are being put out to pasture, but their muscle car DNA lives on.
With half the cylinders.
Dodge on Wednesday unveiled a lower, louder, and bolder R/T GLH Concept version of the plug-in hybrid Hornet compact SUV — GLH for “Go Like Hell.” Loaded to the gills with all of Dodge’s Direct Connection goodies — including lowered suspension, black hood, dual racing stripes, Track Pack, exhaust amplification, electronic control unit upgrades and more — the R/T GLH gives a glimpse at a fully-modified Hornet just like its gas-powered GT GLH Concept sibling, which was unveiled at M1 Concourse last August at the Hornet’s debut.
Similar to aftermarket parts but installed by approved Dodge Power Broker dealers, the Direct Connection features are covered by the factory’s three-year/36,000-mile vehicle warranty. Direct Connection offers the only factory-backed performance upgrades in the compact SUV segment.
The $41k Hornet R/T is already a hatchback hellion without the available Halloween wardrobe. Featuring Dodge’s first plug-in hybrid powertrain, R/T marries an electric motor turning the rear wheels with a turbocharged, 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine driving the fronts to produce a gob-smacking 383 pound feet of torque — just shy of the 5.7-liter, V8-fired Dodge Charger R/T’s 395 pound-feet of torque.
Starting at 10 grand below the R/T, the base Hornet GT is stuffed with a 295-torque turbo-4 producing 268 horsepower. That’s best-in-class for a gas engine. Best-in-class is just the starting point for the Brotherhood of Muscle brand. Dodge pioneered the concept of direct dealer parts to modify its vehicles in the 1970s, and Hornets can be upgraded feature-by-feature or in the Full Monty GLH package.
The GLH pays homage to the high-performance, mid-1980s Dodge Omni GLH developed with racing legend Caroll Shelby. Expect both GLH models to enter the lineup soon. Fully outfitted, the R/T and GT GLH Concepts boast:
1) A lowering kit for better handling that drops the Hornet to six inches off the ground with new front and rear springs.
2) Direction Connection-branded GLH 20-inch machine-faced wheels
3) Unique GLH stripes, logo and red Hornet badging
4) The GT gains a dual exhaust (already standard on the R/T), but both badges gain a black-chrome-tipped, less restrictive pipe with a more macho performance note.
The Hornet GT arrives in dealer lots this spring with the R/T due by early summer. Direct Connection parts are available for online purchase through dealers and at DCPerformance.com.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.