Whenever a great-looking coupe drops, many of us go through the same cycle: From drooling over the look and some of the performance hardware, the pragmatic parts of our brains raise concerns over rear seat space and whether or not there’s enough cargo room to do an airport run or pick something up from IKEA. So, does the new Honda Prelude have enough space to be someone’s only car? Let’s find out.
Ever since the Prelude concept dropped at the 2023 Tokyo Auto Show, enthusiasts have been anticipating this sleek hybrid coupe, and it’s almost here. While the example that rocked up to the Goodwood Festival of Speed isn’t a full-on production-spec Prelude, it is finalized enough to have a VIN, which means don’t expect any big changes.


Indeed, we’re looking at a three-door liftback, a bodystyle critically underserved in the marketplace, especially at a reasonably affordable price point. A quarter of a century ago, you could take your pick of an Acura Integra, or a Toyota Celica, or a Hyundai Tiburon, or a Mitsubishi Eclipse, and so on and so forth. Now though? If you want a three-door liftback coupe under $100,000, your choices are the Dodge Charger Daytona EV and, well, that’s pretty much it. At least, it is until the Prelude arrives by the end of this year.

Pop the hatch of the new Prelude, and you should be sufficiently whelmed by the available room. You won’t see big open wells to either side of the opening like you would in a Civic Hatchback, but the surface is still long, wide, and deep enough to be genuinely usable. Enough that swallowing a set of luggage for one shouldn’t be a hardship, and it comes with an elevated liftover height that isn’t absolutely bearishly high. There’s a wafer-thin concealed storage space underneath the cargo floor, but beyond that, you’re looking at dropping the rear seats if you want some serious space.

Unlike many liftback coupes of old, the new Prelude features a split-folding rear seat with backrests that fold pretty much perfectly flat. Releases are easily reached from either inside the cabin or in the cargo area, and integrated headrests mean they likely won’t get in the way of the front seats when you’re going for maximum cargo room. Sure, the latch receivers on either side may get in the way of loading super-wide cargo, but this is a setup that should work great for a lot of people.

Oh yeah, the rear seat. Sure, cramming into the back of a coupe isn’t particularly glamorous, and passenger space is generally somewhat restricted, but a coupe with a rear seat has an edge in daily driver material over one without. As you can probably tell, we crammed five-foot-five-inch Jason Torchinsky into the back of this Prelude and found that while space is a little on the tight side, it far exceeds what you can get in a Subaru BRZ. Sure, the rear seat of this particular example was upholstered in cheap cloth and only has space for two, but you can make that work in a pinch behind a tall driver, provided your rear passenger isn’t particularly tall.

Unsurprisingly, behind Adrian’s six-foot-two-inch driving position, Jason didn’t have much legroom. Okay, it wasn’t quite I-can-feel-the-seat-frame-in-my-knees tight, but denim definitely got friendly with the seatback map pocket.

However, I’m shorter than Adrian, and there’s actually solid rear legroom for Jason behind my five-foot-ten driving position. The main concern is headroom, with Jason’s head coming quite close to the glass in the liftgate. At the same time, the C-pillar is quite thick, meaning the view out the side window isn’t brilliant for adults in back.
[Editor’s Note: I’d actually go a bit further and say you really can’t even see out of 80% of the back window because of that C-pillar. It’s right next to your head, and if you turn to look out the window, you’re actually greeted by just a mass of gray headliner and plastic. It’s a bit disconcerting. – JT]
Still, it’s far more commodious than the rear seat of a Subaru BRZ or Toyota GR86, and I’d put it in the same league as the rear seat in the Ford Mustang.

So, if you’re curious about the new Prelude but have concerns about whether the rear seat will be good for occasional adult use or whether the cargo area would end up being tiny, here’s some good news: Provided you aren’t constantly driving around three tall passengers, things should be good.

Top graphic image: Thomas Hundal
Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.
They need to give this the Type-R drivetrain but with subtle bodywork, and then I’d be interested.
I enjoy my coupe-friendly lifestyle and actually prefer NOT to have four doors. The big hatch on makes packing for a trip so much easier.
If this Prelude sells, I’d be shocked if they don’t bring out an Si in a couple of years.
Subtle, as in, not make it look like an anime mecha robot.
The spirit of the Cadillac ELR lives on!
I can’t be the only one who is going to compare this to a Prius (not just because this looks like a Prius coupe). For me, it’d also be replacing a Prius for commuting.
From these early looks, it is going to have to come up big somewhere in order to get me to forget how much utility I am giving up choosing this over a Prius. I doubt it will get better fuel economy, or be cheaper, so it is going to need to nail fun to drive or something.
They’re not at all comparable. This has a lot of performance suspension/brake stuff, a transmission tuned for performance, etc. It’s intended to be an actual sports car – this has nothing in common with a Prius outside of a mild resemblance in the front end and a hybrid drivetrain.
Sure, I’m just saying it needs to deliver on the “sports car stuff” for me. No CR-Z situation where it just ends up being a hybrid that doesn’t do much of anything that well.
I think my Bolt has less legroom in the back, and probably a lot of sub compact cars in that size. The main issue looks to be headroom but it’s a coupe but I feel we need a lot more of those so it gets a pass.
Also not to get image heavy but could use a couple more pictures of the whole car, even if just press photos.
What was the VIN? Curious what the chassis code for this is.
Looks to end in 00029 based on the tag in the door jamb in the photo they provided. Likely a pre-production prototype that’s not long for this world. Actual chassis code *looks* to be BF1, which is neat.
I am legitimately interested in this car. It would actually tick a lot of my boxes for a primary vehicle. Will definitely be worth looking at when my lease is up.
Limited space aside, it sure is unattractive!
This is a good test – but it is worth noting what boots Adrian is wearing and adding to his 6′-2″ driving position. A sensible 2″ lift for walking a festival?
Box fresh pair of Air Max 90s for the last two days, as we were on our feet all day. Think we are going to meet the Duke today, so something smarter will be required.
The 5th gen Prelude had a pair of cupholders in the back seat, so it was more practical LOL
Also, the not-Toyotas should’ve both been liftbacks (the 86/BRZ and the Z4 Supra)
I’m still very surprised a new Prelude is coming out, but even as someone who doesn’t want to buy it, I’m happy it exists.
Adrian! you fool! You turned to sneer at the camera just as the model for the dashboard hula girl was looking at you longingly!
I’m curious to find out how these drive. This looks to be a solid daily choice so far, for folks with 1 kid or none.
As a zero-kid owner of a Civic HyHB, I’d predict it will probably drive about the same but with 2 fewer doors, slightly nicer interior and probably some suspension tweaking. If so, that’s not a bad thing at all.
I still think the 5th gen Prelude is one of the most beautiful 2-doors of the last 4 years. It still looks good today.
until you look at the headlights
It had better have better performance than that or it’s DOA.
I’m partial to the 2nd and 3rd gens because that was during my younger years. FWIW, those were the best-selling generations, but not the fastest. For the time they were aspirational, slightly expensive, but attainable and well made. The later ones somehow became darlings of the yo VTEC crowd and the Prelude got inflated into a different car that it started as (and really expensive), and the sales reflected that.
As the owner of an 86, I can assuredly tell you the backseat is almost pointless. We have taken three people on short trips in it. My wife is short and my 13-year old son is only slightly taller so they can fit on the passenger side with only moderate discomfort. At 6′, I cannot put anyone behind me in the driver’s seat. No one should ever consider the back seat of the 86/BRZ twins to be “useful” for more than storage and in a pinch to transport a 3rd person.
The rear seats in either my 911 or 912 are FAR more useful if that says anything.
Yes. It says I HAVE A 911 AND A 912!!!
LOL, well you got me on that one.
Went 200 miles in my BRZ with 2 adults and 2 teens when a nail ruined a tire on our Odyssey as we hit the interstate. Worked with my short wife driving, my 6’1″ son in the front with her and 5’11” me and my other son in the back. Much compromise and several rest stops were required, but we did it.
The longer Honda waits to announce pricing on this, the more nervous I get. With tariffs, I’m guessing it’s going to be a ~$40k base price out the door.
I assumed that before tariffs
There was a rumor going around it was going to start around $35k and have a Touring spec that was over $40k. I’m assuming if that was ever true it’s out the door now.
You mean non-zero legroom? More rear legroom than the BRZ is the same case for me with a standard 3dr-Mini.
The front seat is moved until in contact with the rear seat, and then squished a little further if possible.
What does that grille nose piece look like in person? It appeared a little tacked on in other pics, and this real-world shot does exactly zero to settle my concerns that it looks oddly out of place.
Probably because they stole it off a Toyota Prius and stuck it on with duct tape.
“Indeed, we’re looking at a three-door liftback, a bodystyle critically underserved in the marketplace, especially at a reasonably affordable price point. A quarter of a century ago, you could take your pick of an Acura Integra, or a Toyota Celica, or a Hyundai Tiburon, or a Mitsubishi Eclipse, and so on and so forth.”
As a multiple Firebird owner I do feel obliged to point out that a quarter century ago you could also still buy either a Camaro or Firebird with a liftback-style hatch.
yeah, and it had less space inside than a Miata despite being twice the size on the outside LOL
As well as a mustang, a celica supra, as well as the z’s and silvia family!
Yeah but the packaging in those cars was the typical GM shit show.
I owned a first gen Prelude XE when I lived in Tokyo – My boss had a 2nd gen Prelude.
Preludes never had much legroom – even the 5th Gen Prelude I test drove back in he states was tight in the driver’s footwell – but they had great headroom and excellent visibility front and rear, with a decent-sized secure trunk that was wide enough to hold golf clubs.
This looks and feels more like a Celica than a Prelude.
I always liked that the prelude was more squared off than the others in its class. This is not
Still looks like a Prius…with less rideshare-ability, I guess.
I was going to say that the front end at least was cribbing the Toyota design language.
The real test of any sporty 2+2 isn’t whether you can fit an adult in the back but whether the passenger seat is usable when a car seat is installed in the rear passenger side. After all, only a sadist would make friends contort themselves for a ride with; your offspring on the other hand can learn to suck it up.
Passing the “dad test” is harder than you would think, with how large and bulky child seats have gotten and how long it is recommend they be used. There is a YT channel “Dad Cars” whose entire shtick is testing enthusiast cars for live-ability. You’d be surprised with the results: eg, Lotus Evora is totally usable for 3.
“Only a sadist would make friends contort themselves for a ride …”
On the other hand it’s a good way to get out of having to cart a bunch of people around all the time.
As the lone sober in multiple of my friend groups this is something I hadn’t considered and will now consider. Sorry, can’t fit anyone in the *insert coupe here*. You’ll have to Uber, or simply not get drunk every time you’re out.
I saw designated driver duty as an opportunity! “We won’t all fit in my car so I’ll have to drive one of yours” got me wheel time in cars I wouldn’t have bought for myself. Several very nice German sport sedans, yes, but also a Honda Odyssey. Can’t win every time.
Bonus: If anybody throws up, it’s not my car.
This was my method back in the day. Only have a coupe and then also rip out the back seats as all my cars were “race cars” so gutted interiors. It was even better when I bought my galant vr4 which was previously a rally car so it had zero seats when I bought it. I promptly put a single race seat in it so it was a four door single seater for a long time. It had a full cage so no one could even try to climb into the back seat area. My LTD followed suit a few years later with a cage, but I did put a passenger seat in that one.
I knew a colleague who dailyed a old Ferrari GT4 2+2 with a kid-seats in the back.
It doesn’t always take a sadist. In high school gas was $4.50 a gallon and my K2500 got 10 MPG. Five of us were going to see a movie, but one of them invited a girl along without telling any of us, so there wasn’t enough room in the Grand Prix. I refused to drive myself, as that was not the agreement, so the friend who invited the girl VOLUNTEERED to ride in the trunk. The driver was so irritated by the events that he drove very quickly down the roughest road on the way there and made our friend regret life. To pour salt on the wound, said girl spent way more time with me because I was spoken for and therefore wasn’t interested in her in the slightest.
My brother and sister-in-law, both within an inch either side of 6′ tall, drove a 2005ish Civic coupe until my nephew was 4 for some reason. They certainly could afford a different car but I guess inertia is a strong force.
That’s why my BRZ works as a Dad car!
Now do the same thing in a sedan with a comparable length and wheelbase.
As a partisan from the sport coupe era, I love this. There’s something wonderful about a cramped back seat in a car that promises everyday driveability. Like it’s enticing you to buy something you really shouldn’t, but can’t resist b/c damnit I donwanna be gray crossover guy.
Memories…jammed in the back of a few Preludes when in college in the late 80s/early 90s. Especially the one time leaving a U2 concert at the Dean Dome heading back to Raleigh, stuck in traffic for several hours…
The Joshua Tree concert at Oakland Stadium was where I learned Bono was insufferable. I still like the music though.
You must not have known the back roads at all. I haven’t been stuck in traffic like that leaving the Dean Dome ever. Even Carter-Finley isn’t that bad, I saw Pink Floyd and the Who there while going to NC State, the Rolling Stones about 5 years ago. Metallica at the RBC was the worst recently, but mainly getting in because they made us do a full lap of the building before diverting us to the far lots.
Fun story about the Who concert. Drove there in my VW Beetle fully loaded with people. Parking at the time was in muddy clay field with different levels separated by small rises about 4-5 feet high. Each level had it’s own exit onto the main road. The level we were one was exiting very slowly, while the level above was almost empty. I said screw it, I’m going for it – we could always push the car back down if we got stuck. I revved up the dual carb, dual port 1600 and dropped the clutch. We scooted right up the rise, but could feel the belly pad scraping as we went over. A mighty roar of approval erupted from the crowd as we successfully made it bypassed a bunch of other cars!
Unfortunately I was just the passenger (admittedly it could have seemed a lot longer than it was). I was at the Floyd show in C-F too but lived at Westgrove so we just walked there. Great Beetle story!
The Rolling Stones story parking story is pretty good, too. I think it was the same lot as the Who concert, but now it’s flattened and gravel, and parking attendants guide you in and out. I was driving my BMW e38 740iL. As we were leaving, everyone was forming into columns, which went down and the attendants were letting each lane go to the exit. So you would sit for a few minutes, and then your entire lane would go.
Some lady is barrelling through the lot at a 90 degree angle from everyone else, trying to get to the first column closest to the exit. She’s driving a Sequoia, and stupidly, people are letting her through. I maintain about 1″ from the person in front of me, and refuse to let her through. She starts screaming at the top of her lungs about how were all supposed to care about each other, we’re in a society, something like that, and I reply that she’s the only one not following the exit procedure and can wait.
She slips behind me to continue her upstream fish tactics and makes it to the column closest to the exit, where she makes it to the very front, and gets stopped. I see and I laugh. Then they go through the columns, let me onto the exit lane, and it winds up she’s the car behind me. This enrages her. She’s flashing the lights, acting the fool etc. As we meander through the fairgrounds to Blue Ridge Rd, she tries to illegally pass me a couple of times, but traffic stops her. We turn onto Hillsborough St, she again tries to pass me, but can’t. Finally we make the turn onto the beltline on-ramp and she’s still right there behind me. We enter the beltline, and she floors it. Did I mention I was in a 740iL? I, too, punch it, and dust her. She tries to keep up for about a mile, but eventually gives up.
It’s nice to know that the back seat is good for occasional adult use.
Because Torch is, occasionally, an adult, and he should have a seat too.
So the backseat fits one Torch, good to know. I’m sure my wife will be grateful for this information when I inevitably ask her if I can buy one.
I mean, a Torch is a standard unit of measurement, is it not?
I thought it was a unit of luminosity, either actual or emotional, or both?
“The taillights light up approx. two Torch – solid visibility but not overwhelming the pleasing shape.”
How does one Torch convert to one Alanis?
Ironically?
We’re going to take a look at three different torches show you the different amounts of lumens and what that actually means.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EvBXK54HWZY&t=0s
Of course, he’s right up there with Football Fields, Olympic Swimming Pools, and Rhode Island!
Adrian is just a Metric Torch, you have to add 10%.
I’m guessing they could fit a second Torch but were limited by the Torch inventory on hand.
I think you just formally pitched a new AI-powered metric.
“Will it Torch?”
Just to clarify, are you going to ask your wife if you can buy a Torch or a Prelude?
The answer is obviously both!
Either way he gets burned?
Get both and try them out. Resale should be good on both for the next few years.
Who knows, you might like the Prelude and she might like the Torch, or vice versa.