Compare the2025 Dodge HornetVS 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser

The Hornet has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Hornet uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Land Cruiser uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Hornet and the Land Cruiser have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available around view monitors and driver alert monitors.

There are almost 2 times as many Dodge dealers as there are Toyota dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Hornet’s warranty.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Dodge Hornet is faster than the Toyota Land Cruiser:

On the EPA test cycle the Hornet R/T running on electricity gets better mileage than the Land Cruiser (77 city/77 hwy MPGe vs. 22 city/25 hwy).

On the EPA test cycle the Hornet running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Land Cruiser:

The Hornet R/T can travel with zero emissions for 33 miles. The Land Cruiser can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Both the Hornet and Land Cruiser have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The Hornet has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The Hornet has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Dodge Hornet, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Land Cruiser.

For better stopping power the Hornet R/T’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Land Cruiser:

The Hornet stops much shorter than the Land Cruiser:

The Hornet GT’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Land Cruiser 1958’s standard 70 series tires. The Hornet’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Land Cruiser’s optional 60 series tires.

For superior ride and handling, the Dodge Hornet has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Toyota Land Cruiser has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Hornet offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Land Cruiser’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Hornet R/T handles at .87 G’s, while the Land Cruiser pulls only .69 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Hornet R/T executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 3.2 seconds quicker than the Land Cruiser (26.5 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 29.7 seconds @ .55 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Hornet R/T’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Land Cruiser’s (37.9 feet vs. 39.4 feet). The Hornet GT’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the Land Cruiser’s (38 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

The Dodge Hornet may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1300 to 1650 pounds less than the Toyota Land Cruiser.

The Hornet is 1 foot, 6.4 inches shorter than the Land Cruiser, making the Hornet easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Hornet is 5.5 inches narrower than the Land Cruiser, making the Hornet easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The Hornet is 12.7 inches shorter in height than the Land Cruiser, making the Hornet much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Hornet’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Land Cruiser doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The Hornet has 8.7 inches more front legroom and 11.3 inches more rear legroom than the Land Cruiser.

The front step up height for the Hornet is 3.2 inches lower than the Land Cruiser (19.8” vs. 23”). The Hornet’s rear step up height is 4.8 inches lower than the Land Cruiser’s (19.7” vs. 24.5”).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Hornet easier. The Hornet’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 31.8 inches, while the Land Cruiser’s liftover is 35.6 inches.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Hornet’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Hornet uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Land Cruiser uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Hornet offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Hornet’s optional ParkSense Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer an automated parking system.