The new Honda Prelude is pretty hot. After all, most cars have a wave of hype that dies down after the initial reveal, but it’s been almost two years since the Prelude Concept dropped at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, and we’re still stoked to talk about the production car. By now, we know about its Brembo brakes borrowed from the Civic Type R, about its clever suspension, about the way it fakes having a gearbox, and even what the rear seat’s like. However, a few unknowns still hovered, and some new figures are out there to clear the air.
We pretty much knew that the new Prelude would have around 200 horsepower, and indeed, that’s exactly what it makes. The spec sheet lists a peak electric motor output of 181 horsepower, same as our Civic Hybrid, gasoline engine torque clocks in at the same 131 lb.-ft. as the Civic Hybrid, and maximum output of 141 horsepower from the gasoline engine arrives at 6,000 RPM, precisely as expected. No alarms or surprises here. As for fuel economy, the new Prelude is good for 46 MPG city, 41 MPG highway, and 44 MPG combined. That’s noticeably lower than the Civic Hybrid’s rating of 50 MPG city, 47 MPG highway, and 49 MPG combined, but still exceptional for something sporty. An all-wheel-drive Toyota Corolla Hybrid is rated at 47 MPG city, 41 MPG highway, and 44 MPG combined, so on paper, the Prelude’s powertrain is a case of having your cake and eating it too.
Right, what about curb weight? While U.S.-spec figures haven’t been released yet, we do know what the Prelude weighs in Japan. The launch-spec JDM Prelude tips the scales at 3,219 pounds, a mere 11 pounds more than a U.S.-spec Civic Sport Hybrid despite the JDM Prelude coming as standard with bigger brakes, more sophisticated suspension, 19-inch wheels, and a Bose sound system. On creature comfort levels alone, it’s more comparable to the 3,252-pound Civic Sport Touring Hybrid, so Honda’s clearly been working hard to keep curb weight reasonable.
For greater perspective, the new JDM-spec Prelude only weighs 177 pounds more than a 2001 Prelude Type SH despite a quarter-century of advancements resulting in a safer crash structure, more amenities, and even electrification. Sure, horsepower output may stay about the same, but we’re looking at a huge increase in low-end torque over the last Prelude’s powertrain. Considering the current Civic Hybrid is good for zero-to-60 mph in the mid-to-low six-second range, that should be more than alright for a daily driver.
Mind you, we don’t yet know what the Prelude will cost in America, but things in that department are weird over in Japan. While Japanese market pricing isn’t directly convertible to U.S. market pricing, the launch-spec JDM Prelude starts at 5,618,000 yen if we exclude Japan’s consumption tax. That’s 1,075,000 yen (about $7,240 at current conversion rates) more than Honda’s real flagship, the Civic Type R.
Then again, if we do convert launch-spec JDM Prelude pricing out to greenbacks, we land in the neighborhood of $37,850. Still high, but not out of the question when a loaded U.S.-market Civic Hatchback Hybrid will run you $34,960 including freight. If Honda can keep U.S. Prelude pricing in that ballpark and it just turns out that we’re getting hosed on the Civic Type R, the new hybrid coupe should be dressed for success.
In any case, we won’t have to wait long to find out. The new Prelude arrives in American showrooms later this autumn, and given that the season will change to winter on Dec. 21, we should know exactly what Honda’s three-door hybridized liftback will run us before the holidays. It looks great, has some awesome handling hardware, and seems to hit a daily driver sweet spot of straight-line punch versus fuel economy.
Top graphic image: Honda
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I’m done being excited about the Prelude now. It has just about the same power output as all the other hybrids in the lineup, so what’s the point? Hopefully they don’t all look like a jet ski on the inside.
So far I’m not sure I see the value proposition over the Civic Sport Hybrid. Would have been nice to have it tuned for a bit more HP
The dual axis suspension in the Type R makes that car handle significantly better than the Si. I had to retrain how to drive fwd autocross fast when I went from the Si to the type R. Since this also gets that magical front end it should be great to toss in the turns. Shame its not available with the 1.5T from the Si or K20c1 from the Type R.
I never knew that. I had a ’22 Si and I loved the handling. The idea that this will be better than that is pretty tantalizing…
This car has been on my radar since it was introduced. I keep going back and forth on it, so I’m excited to read some actual reviews when the time comes. It seems like it’ll be more than just Honda’s version of the Prius, but I’m not quite convinced yet…
Well, Honda has my attention.
So they brought back the Civic Coupe but only as a hybrid? Ok, fine I guess. I really have not gotten the hype over this one, but I am glad to see a sporty coupe hit the market so I hope it does well.
As a former Prelude owner – While the specs are fine, I just wish it looked more like a Honda Prelude than what a Toyota Celica might be.
DUDE YOU NAILED IT! The aesthetics have been bothering me since I saw it, and I even ranted about it a couple posts up, but holy shit you’re dead on! It looks like a new Celica, NOT a new prelude!
looks a bit too GR86-ish. hopefully its bigger IRL.
I think it looks great but it needs more beans. Kind seems like a hybrid BRZ without a stick. Just not seeing $40k worth of reasons to buy here.
A hybrid BRZ would be pretty damn compelling
It sucks that they are releasing this at the peak of Hondas getting stolen/broken into /parred. I’ve genuinely been looking forward to this car but the last month of Crvs and accords on milk crates in NYC is enough to bow out
I posted this on Ye Olde German Lighting Site as well, but if you adjust for inflation to 2025 dollars, the 10th-gen Accord Sport 2.0T sold for around $35,000, and was both larger and faster.
I did a CPI adjustment compared to the 1990 Prelude and got: 36k for a base S, 43.5k for a Si, and 46.7k for a Si with 4WS. There seems to be a lot of knives out for this car from the “enthusiast” crowd but Honda will probably sell more cars by listening to normies. Gen1, 2, and 3 Preludes sold the most, then they got crazy expensive and complicated. I feel like the younger crowd elevated Preludes into some kind of supercars they never really were.
But the thing is, I honestly don’t know if “normie” Civic Hybrid buyers would go for this.
It’s a coupe, which means it’s less convenient for passengers.
The trunk space is probably smaller
The powertrain specs are exactly the same as a Civic, but the fuel economy is worse.
And it’s more expensive.
So who is this really for?
The Prelude of yore was a “nice” sporty coupe that young-ish people bought early in their professional careers. Maybe not their first-ever new car, but a step up. Or, maybe a single-occupant commuter car, that was part of a fleet that had vehicles more suited for family drudgery. Or rich-kid teens. Or, much to the dismay of the enthusiast crowd, an awful lot of women- either young and carefree ones, or older, single, financially secure professional ones. Now that the kids are going away, I foresee a few GenX folks dumping (one of) their SUVs and replacing it with something fun, capable of weekend road trips, but it is still financially responsible. Honda will sell a few on nostalgia alone (I’m sort of in that camp, got a Civic Hybrid Hatchback, first Honda since my ’91) but as much as I hope for a coupe revival, they’re a hard sell. I’m old enough to remember being able to walk into a Honda dealer and have the choice of 3 coupes (Civic, Accord, Prelude) and 2-door hatchbacks (C&A). Those days are gone, so it’s this or yet another SUV I guess. As noted, it’s largely bits and pieces cobbled from other Honda models, so the development cost wasn’t crazy and they can make enough of a business case to offer it.
This really feels like a dispatch from an alternate universe where cars still exist. 45MPG feels like it should be table stakes, except we all decided that once a year we all might want to drive on a gravel road for some reason and so half that’s just fine, thanks.
Somehow, I’ve never owned a Honda, despite having driven several and enjoyed most of them. I still kick myself for not buying a sun-baked but running old Prelude for just $250. years ago. The new Prelude looks pretty nice, but I’ve yet to come to terms with a ‘nice’ but ‘normal’ car costing the better part of $40K. But that’s on me.
On one hand, I am always happy to see another coupe. This essentially replaced the Civic coupe, so that’s rad. Part of me hopes for a hotter version though (with a manual).
I used to own a Prelude SH. I currently own 5 Hondas. I don’t own / do 4 door cars. I am the target buyer for this car. Lack of a stick shift makes it a non-starter for me. Still miss that SH…
Totally this. The Prelude is one car, like the Miata and Golf, that should be ALL manuals.
I wonder if this car will end up with a manual a few years after release, like the Supra and the new Nissan Z. I mean, the CRZ was a manual hybrid so it’s possible.
Has anyone ever said that the current Civic Hybrid’s brakes were crap and that Brembos would be better? No? Then why does this thing need them? Pumped in fake engine noise and simulated shifts don’t make for a fun time. I think that anyone who might be interested in this would be better off with a base model GR86 at probably a substantially lower price. The CR-Z was a dud from day one (look how low prices are on them now) and the Prelude won’t fare any better. At a minimum Honda should have just put the Si’s engine and transmission in instead.
I’m happy to see another 2-door hit the market, almost as glad as I am that there won’t be any more “teasers” for it. Honda is perhaps the most annoying at doing those nowadays.
But still can’t help but think that this was actually conceived as a new Integra first, before they realized a 2-door made more sense in the Honda lineup and they needed a 4-door at the bottom end of the Acura lineup in size and price.
Considering it’s a liftback coupe explicitly based on the Civic, I’m surprised more people haven’t made the Integra connection.
Confused. Is it the EXACT same engine from the Civic? If so, and it’s the same weight, why the discrepancy in economy?
Also, I think people will gladly pay a premium for anything that looks more “sporty” without any objective benefits. Look at every “coupe” version of luxury SUVs.
I’d guess wheels & tires would likely be the biggest factor between the two. With 19″ wheels and potentially higher rolling resistance summer tires, the Prelude could easily be missing out on a couple of MPGs vs the Civic.
It’s the same effect as optioning the big wheels on an EV and taking a double-digit hit to range. Rotational intertia is gnarly, since a bigger wheel is not only heavier but also has a greater radius to the barrel where much of the mass resides.
Ah yeah. Those thin spoke wheels also can’t be great for aero…
I was about to say the same. The Civics have 18″ wheels. It’s actually the same estimated rating as the hybrid Accords with 19s. Accord Hybrid with 17s gets 51/44/48.
But even on the Civic hybrid, the hatch is rated 2mpg lower highway than the sedan for whatever reason.
Its likely this, the Honda 19″ wheels are extremely heavy. I went to a lighter weight wheel but with a wider tire and still saw a 1mpg gain on my Type R.
Probably has a lower gear ratio to make the acceleration a bit faster, which would also lower MPGs. If the performance wasn’t noticeably improved from the Civic people would be rioting in the streets.
The Civic has fake vents and airblades. That’s got to account for the mileage discrepancy. Yes, it’s that. Gotta be that.
This is a very neat car and engineering exercise. I’ll be fascinated to hear how it drives. Honda knows how to do dynamics better than just about any mass market manufacturer. I couldn’t even begin to make a coupe work for my needs but if all of this kit found its way to a Civic or, dare to dream…an Integra I’d write a check tomorrow.
Meh, if you have the coins get a REAL integra (96-01). Go drive one. Seriously. Get back to me. Would love to hear your thoughts. WARNING: you may hate newer cars after this
I cannot do such things due to my lack of self control lol. I don’t test drive anything unless I’m ready to buy.
I feel like I’m in the minority here, but I just don’t think it looks “special” enough? I don’t think it’s ugly, I just think it’s kinda meh, especially from the front end (reminds me of the current camry).
However, I’m happy it exists, it does sound ok on paper, but I feel like it needs honda’s (very good) AWD system or at least the option of it.
That makes two of us in the minority. I think it looks unappealing and dull.
Seems like it could be another CR-Z situation for Honda.
But I do think it looks good from behind (insert joke).
The black wheels really do not do it any favors.
Bet you a set of Tri-bars would make it look much better.
Oh but the yoots love black everything. I miss the days when black mirrors, door handles, and wheels meant you were poor and got the base model.
Yeah, very appealing shape and form factor, but that front end just looks dopey to me.
Agreed, its face looks dopey & haven’t been a fan; I’m also not a fan of dash-top screens when integrated screens look so much better.
I tried fixing it by lowering the headlights, or raising the main grill to be inline with the headlights. Quick trackpad photoshop hack, but I think either would make a more cohesive design:
https://i.imgur.com/Z6dffyY.jpeg
Looks better! Helps it look less like a beak
Yeah, I just don’t know what they were going for with the (lack of) relationship between DRLs, headlights, and “grille” panel…
The front end is literally just a Prius, which isn’t a good thing. I’m surprised they cribbed Toyota so hard for that. The rear light bar also reminds me of the Prius, but everyone has a full-width taillight now it seems.
For my personal, deeply not-mass-market tastes, I really like this form factor. 2-door hatches that get good mileage are pretty much what I want in my next car. Sadly for the Prelude, I’m also pretty committed to the grid-charging lifestyle, so it’s going to be a pass from me on this. Also, I want ventilated seats. Give EVERY car ventilated seats. Civilization began to fall when crotch-vents fell out of common usage.
IMO, this will need to be a good bit faster than the Civic to gain traction. IDK that enthusiasts really want another mildly quick automatic sporty car. Brembos and suspension are cool, but, at the end of the day it’s an automatic hybrid that will have it’s lunch eaten by a base model Model 3.
Were the regular Civics brakes and suspension really a problem? This feels like a Civic coupe being called a Prelude when that’s never what a Prelude was. Maybe I am just getting caught up on a name, but, this feels kinda like, what’s the point.
Honda needs to look at the resale values of the Type R, Integra Type 2, and Accord 2.0T 6 speed to understand what people want. I don’t think people want this. the very notion of saying “it has the Type Rs brakes and suspension” is the proof. Just put a 2.0T in the SI for gods sake.
I’m always down for big brakes, but in this case I feel like getting some smaller wheels and a couple more MPG would be an acceptable tradeoff. IDK, maybe they are planning a hotter version and just want to keep brakes the same.
Of course. Nothing wrong with big brakes. Can’t really over do it on brakes. I guess it’s maybe a case of driving a slow(ish) car fast versus a fast car slow. But that went really well for the CR-Z. Which brings me to my opening point; are people going to pay significantly more for a negligibly faster car because it has big brakes and trick suspension but lacks any other enthusiast want, good power, manual transmission, rear wheel drive, etc.
Maybe somebody should bring back that supercharger kit! /s
I think the CR-Z failed because they didn’t copy the three tier approach of the CRX (HF, DX, Si) but maybe they didn’t want to take the hit on their CAFE numbers.
to your point, hopefully there is a 4WS of this Prelude with a motor in each rear wheel for more power and 4WS..
FWIW 18″ wheels fit over those brakes. It’s the standard fitment for most Type R owners.
I’d want 18s if I was going to track this (but probably very few will) and 17s for snow tires, but I guess I could live with shelling out for another set of 18s in the winter.
I think they are struggling with “what’s sporty enough?” to differentiate this car from being a less utilitarian Civic. But I think big brakes and wheels should be an option. I know the market for “looks sporty but really isn’t” is not very big, but the offerings are slim. They should offer the (as they used to say) “hairdresser’s car” spec. The one that my mom wants to drive. The one that was attainable when an SI or R isn’t.
It’s slower, smaller, and less powerful than an Accord 2.0T. The only reason it needs bigger brakes is to jack the price up.
I am mad I didn’t buy one of those years ago. Now they’re pushing a decade old and still $20K+. Post covid car prices suck!
The specs seem good and it’s unequivocally good that a car like this is still being built by a mainstream manufacturer, but I can’t help but find that design underwhelming. It looks like a bulbous evolution of the 9th gen Accord coupe. Just doesn’t seem befitting of a resurrected semi-legendary nameplate.
Nothing special in the looks department, really. Nice, but that’s it.
They’ll sell a few thousand in the first year and then sales will drop significantly with each year, just like for almost all other coupes in the last couple decades.
Is that the tiniest little mailslot of a rear opening trunk?
It’s a hatch, thank the gods.
How is the Prelude not just CRZ-2 hybrid boogaloo?
Because backseat and actually decent mpgs?
Yes it is. I dont understand why more people are not pointing this out. Sure its better MPG but not better than its civic counterpart. I like the car in theory, but still seems not special enough compared to Preludes of old, which would come with distinct features any not just rebadging of the civic coupe hybrid. I think it doesnt lean hard enough into the sporty GT that preludes used to. They had bigger engines that civics (think B20s, H22s) and had a more demanding presence. Again, I like this car, glad it exists but Honda could have done a bit more, it will fade in a few years as sales fall quickly.
It is, but the contrarians are excited because it’s different, and they’ll try really hard to justify the package as a whole. I don’t find this compelling, and I am a Honda fanboy