Production 2026 Honda Prelude Revealed With A Potentially Ideal Mix Of Efficiency And Driver Engagement

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Less than 2 years aft showing it successful "concept" form, Honda has officially revealed the 2026 Prelude, reviving nan nameplate for a caller two-door coupe pinch a hybrid powertrain, a liftback rear extremity and Civic Type R underpinnings. The creation of nan accumulation Prelude is precisely what we've already seen, some wrong and out, and we've already known a batch of mechanical specifications (or astatine slightest inferred a lot). Still, contempt location not being galore surprises to show you about, I deliberation there's a batch to get excited by, particularly aft I sewage to walk clip poking astir 2 2026 Preludes successful a workplace alongside examples of nan anterior 5 generations of Prelude.

Before you ask: Honda hasn't released substance system estimates for nan Prelude yet, and it besides isn't fresh to talk astir really overmuch it'll cost. But Honda says nan 2026 Prelude will scope dealerships precocious this fall, truthful we shouldn't person to hold long. 

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As we expected, nan Prelude shares its powertrain pinch nan Civic hybrid. It pairs a people aspirated 2.0-liter inline-4 pinch 2 electrical motors, 1 a generator centrifugal mated to nan motor and nan different a traction centrifugal connected to nan driveshaft, which tin regenerate power connected deceleration. Honda hasn't said really large nan artillery battalion is, but it's mounted nether nan cargo floor. Total output is 200 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque sent to nan beforehand wheels, precisely nan aforesaid arsenic successful nan Civic. No capacity specs person been fixed yet, but Car and Driver sewage a Civic Sport Touring Hybrid from 0 to 60 mph successful 6.2 seconds, which isn't bad astatine all, and acknowledgment to stickier tires nan Prelude should beryllium moreover quicker.

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The Prelude besides uses Honda's eCVT, but it introduces a caller strategy called S+ Shift that "simulates a existent capacity transmission experience," complete pinch metallic paddle shifters that consciousness very satisfying to click. Activated pinch a large fastener connected nan halfway console, Honda says S+ Shift delivers speedy "shifts" and has accepted transmission functions for illustration blips connected downshifts, rev matching and cogwheel holding. Turning it connected brings up a tachometer connected nan gauge cluster and automatically kicks nan motor on, but it tin beryllium utilized successful immoderate of nan thrust modes.

Honda besides isn't telling america substance system numbers, but it should beryllium astir nan aforesaid arsenic nan Civic Hybrid's — possibly moreover better, arsenic nan Prelude seems overmuch slipperier and has integrated aerodynamic features for illustration a beforehand nether spoiler and functional fender vents. The EPA rates nan Civic Sport Touring astatine 48 mpg combined, 50 mpg metropolis and 47 mpg highway, truthful moreover if nan Prelude ends up being a spot little businesslike than that, it'll still beryllium easy nan astir businesslike sporty car you tin buy, particularly successful position of two-doors.

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The Prelude whitethorn stock nan aforesaid level and powertrain arsenic nan Civic, but it gets a bunch of chassis upgrades from nan fantabulous Civic Type R. Its dual-axis strut beforehand suspension and wider beforehand and rear tracks are nabbed from nan Type R, and Honda says nan Prelude's steering and modular adaptive dampers person unsocial tuning for "a sporty yet comfortable expansive touring acquisition pinch precocious levels of driver exhilaration and engagement." The Prelude besides has nan Type R's larger, lighter Brembo beforehand brakes, pinch 13.8-inch rotors and four-piston calipers (plus 12-inch rotors successful nan back), and for illustration nan Civics nan Prelude will person selectable regenerative braking.

Every caller Prelude comes pinch 19-inch wheels wearing Goodyear Eagle Touring all-season tires sized 235/40, but high-performance Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02 summertime rubber will beryllium a mill option. There are 4 thrust modes — Comfort, GT, Sport and Individual — that Honda says person a wider breadth of capacity than successful nan Civic, adjusting motor sound, powertrain response, steering weight, suspension damping and more. The Prelude is besides nan first exemplary pinch nan latest Honda Agile Handling Assist that is said to amended handling "through integrated power of nan powertrain and braking" that's adjusted based connected steering input.

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I'm judge y'all already person opinions astir nan Prelude's styling, arsenic it has remained fundamentally unchanged complete nan past mates years, but particularly aft getting to really pore complete it successful person, I deliberation it looks really great. The much upright windshield but steeply raked roofline and rear solid really works, and contempt agelong beforehand and rear overhangs and fundamentally nary dash-to-axle ratio I deliberation nan proportions are beautiful great. The shark chemoreceptor beforehand extremity is good sculpted, and I particularly for illustration really nan little corners of nan bumper jut out, forming nan lines of nan little assemblage on nan doors. It's decidedly sewage a amended stance than some nan existent Civic and nan aged Civic coupe. The flush doorway handles luckily aren't powered but popular retired erstwhile unlocked, and nan antenna is integrated into nan rear model alternatively of utilizing a sharkfin.

There is 1 point you request to beryllium prepared to beryllium disappointed about: Color choices. At slightest astatine launch, nan 2026 Prelude will only beryllium disposable successful 5 colors, only 2 of which are existent colors. Boost Blue Pearl looks great, arsenic does Rally Red. Then there's boring Crystal Black Pearl, Meteorite Gray Metallic and a caller colour called Winter Frost White, which does look bully and sparkly. A achromatic tile is optional, arsenic are mill accessories for illustration a achromatic rear spoiler and beforehand splitter. And astatine slightest every Prelude has agleam bluish accents successful nan beforehand grille, rear diffuser and brake calipers.

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The Prelude is notably much premium wrong than a Civic, pinch its ain dashboard creation that ditches nan dash-spanning aerial vent look for abstracted vents and a shelf-like design, positive a taller halfway console pinch a push-button shifter and reworked cupholders and storage. The doorway cards are besides a caller creation pinch armrests amended suited to nan Prelude's driving position. You tin get nan interior successful achromatic aliases successful an fantabulous achromatic and bluish colour strategy that really brightens up nan cabin, and sloppy of your prime location is bluish accent stitching throughout. The dashboard and halfway console person a "synthetic leather" pinch a unreality texture that looks and feels much high-end than what's successful a Civic, and different touchpoints consciousness somewhat nicer arsenic well.

Specific to nan Prelude are heated leather capacity seats that have a awesome houndstooth perforation shape and integrated headrests pinch an embossed Prelude script. The driver's spot has firmer padding and much supportive thigh bolsters than nan rider seat, and they do consciousness substantially amended than what's successful a Civic Si. You besides get a thicker-rimmed steering instrumentality pinch a level bottommost and a bluish 12 o'clock marker, and grippy athletics pedals.

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While nan Prelude's interior feels fantabulous for nan 2 beforehand occupants, pinch a awesome position retired nan windshield acknowledgment to bladed a-pillars and nan shapely hood and beforehand fenders, and seemingly bully visibility retired nan sides and sizable backmost window, nan Prelude's rear spot isn't rather arsenic generous. First of all, nan backmost seats are conscionable plain achromatic cloth, which is understandable from a cost-savings perspective, but there's nary fold-down halfway armrest, cupholders aliases aerial vents backmost there. Honda says there's 32 inches of rear legroom, and while I was capable to get my 5-foot-9 aforesaid backmost location beautiful easy without my legs aliases torso being excessively cramped, nan broadside of my caput rested against nan ace heavy integrative pillar surrounding nan hatch. It's decidedly champion suited for children, dogs, aliases very little trips pinch your short king friends.

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What isn't excessively cramped is nan cargo area, accessed by nan liftback hatch. Even pinch nan rear seats up there's a bully magnitude of abstraction — you tin easy fresh larger carry-on suitcases — but fold nan 60/40-split rear seatbacks level and there's capable room for play bags. I'm really gladsome nan Prelude doesn't conscionable person a normal trunk for illustration nan Toyota 86 aliases aged Civic coupe.

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Honda is only offering nan Prelude successful a azygous fully-loaded trim level, which I deliberation is simply a smart move, though I'm judge galore of you will kick that location isn't a stripper model. Every caller Prelude has a 10.2-inch integer gauge cluster and a 9-inch cardinal touchscreen pinch wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and nan latest Google Built-In capability. There are USB-C ports and a wireless charger, an 8-speaker Bose Centerpoint sound strategy pinch a subwoofer successful nan cargo area, and a WiFi hotspot. Other modular features see nan afloat Honda Sensing suite of driver-assist technologies for illustration automated emergency braking and a caller post-collision braking system, adaptive cruise power pinch lane-keeping assistance and postulation jam assist, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and postulation motion recognition.

The institution says nan 2026 Prelude will scope Honda dealers nationwide successful precocious fall. A 2026 Civic Sport Touring Hybrid Hatchback will group you backmost $34,690, and fixed nan Prelude's other modular features and Type R bits I'm guessing it'll beryllium knocking correct connected $40,000's door, if not a spot much — nan Prelude will beryllium built astatine Honda's Sayama works successful Japan, truthful it could beryllium affected by tariffs. Before you get each upset complete imaginable sticker shock, in 1999 a Prelude Type SH costs conscionable complete $26,365, which would beryllium much than $50,000 successful today's dollars. The Prelude was ever a much premium offering from Honda that featured caller technologies, truthful I deliberation nan caller 1 fits correct in, and arsenic an affordable hybrid coupe it'll beryllium successful a people of its ain successful nan U.S. market.

Daniel Golson / Jalopnik

Daniel Golson / Jalopnik

Daniel Golson / Jalopnik

Daniel Golson / Jalopnik