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Ever since the 1960s, Dodge has built cars that tried to cater to the performance-minded U.S. car buyers, and the string has been impressive, from the Trans-Am Challengers, to the Chargers, and then the popularity of the Dodge Caravan minivans, and the Ram pickup trucks saved the company, becoming a valid contender for Ford’s best-in-class F-150 pickups.

Stubbornly, Dodge kept making Challengers and Chargers, stuffing big engines into both to provide more than just nostalgic memories for the aging and dwindling number of muscle-car fanciers still out there. Their popularity attracted enough buyers to survive changeovers from various new corporate owners, including Mercedes and then Fiat.

Now the corporate name is Stellantis, which owns Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and their Italian cousins-by-marriage Fiat, Ferrari, and Alfa Romeo, among others. But while it appeared Dodge probably couldn’t simply keep building muscle cars and pickups, a new vehicle called the Hornet could save the nameplate once again.

The Dodge Hornet GT is, arguably, the most creative and futuristic vehicle Dodge has ever built, with surprisingly good quality control and attention to detail inside and out. The Hornet has more than just a passing resemblance, you should pardon the phrase, to the Alfa Romeo Tonale, an intriguing compact crossover SUV that can easily pass as a sporty sedan for those who don’t want an SUV.

The reason tells a lot about Stellantis and its objectives, because it, indeed, is sending the Tonale into the U.S. as the best-detailed and finished vehicle it has ever sent us, intending for it to make serious inroads into our crowded auto marketplace. Cleverly, and with very little alteration, Stellantis is still in the introduction  phase with the Tonale as a new 2023 vehicle and it has introduced the Hornet as a bargain-priced replica.

I’ve driven the Tonale and reviewed it, and it lives up to the standards superb handling and performance established by the Alfa Romeo Giulia compact sporty sedan and the Stelvio SUV, which might be the sportiest SUV on the market. The Tonale comes with either a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder Hurricane engine or a 1.3-liter turbocharged hybrid that is actually more powerful and quicker than the well-proven 2.0 turbo.

The most intriguing thing about the Hornet — aside from the striking appearance and design — is that you can get the same engine choices, soon. For the 2023 model, the 2.0-liter Hurricane is the only engine available on the all-wheel-drive Hornet, which is named “GT.” When it comes time for the 2024 models to be unveiled, you will find a second vehicle, a bit lower and better-handling, we’re told, called the “RT,” and it will have the 1.3-liter turbocharged 4 hooked up to a highly effective hybrid electric motor with its battery pack proving that hybrid technology can be engineered for high performance as well as economy.

But for now, we won’t take anything away from the Hornet GT. It is swift, fun to drive, and it was delivered wearing a new color, called “Blu Bayou,” which costs $495 off the option list. It is a stunning color and probably worth the money, if you like blue and intend to keep the car awhile. The base price is $34,995 and as-tested it was $40,710. If that seems like a lot, it’s substantially less than the Alfa Tonale, which is virtually the same  car, and if it’s a good version of Alfa engineering, the Hornet GT might be the best car Dodge has ever built.

Room in the rear seats is certainly adequate for two adults or three in a squeeze, and you can fold down the seats to expand the storage space under the hatchback. We had a good time with the Hornet, driving in and around the steep hills of Duluth for a week, and making good use to the 9-speed transmission through its steering column paddles. Downshifting holds, say, third gear while descending those steep hills, so you don’t use up your brakes as readily.

Fortunately, we had no need to exercise the all-wheel drive, but it’s reassuring to know it’s there when winter arrives. We also drove up on Hawk Ridge to take in the great vista of Lake Superior below, during the beginning of the annual hawk and raptor migration flight south. We also drove up the North Shore, past several state parks to get to Iona’s Beach, a hidden jewel just past Castle Danger that is comprised of a beach made entirely of small to medium stones. When the waves lap up onto shore, you can hear the rustling of the water carrying hundreds of stones back into the water, only to redeposit them on shore with the next wave. It is worth the trip 30 or so miles up Hwy. 61 from Duluth just for the solitude and the calming influence. It almost makes you wish you could stay there all afternoon — but then you’d be missing out on your spirited ride back down the Shore in the Hornet GT.

I can’t wait for the Hornet RT, because the two cars mean the Dodge can live on, happily satisfying those hot-car fanatics even if they carry through on speculation that the new Challenger and Charger will be electric powered only. They’ll still make the Ram trucks, the vans, the EV Chargers and Challengers, but it may not take long before the Hornets are the premier attraction under the Dodge marquee.