Though the Prelude’s interior is nicer than a Civic’s, it’s definitely not perfect. I don’t understand why the seats aren’t power-adjustable, and why they aren’t ventilated. The 9-inch touchscreen is fine, with improved software and more Google-based features than Hondas of the past few years, and you do get USB-C ports and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The backup camera is horrible, and there’s no option for a 360-degree system, though at least it has front and rear parking sensors. Again, the 10.2-inch digital gauge cluster is nice, but its graphics are old and nothing special. You get a 8-speaker Bose sound system that’s pretty good, but it’s disappointing when put against the 12-speaker system of the Civic Sport Touring. Spend more time in the cabin, and you’ll notice more cheapness like a lack of headliner-mounted grab handles, unappealing grain patterns on surfaces, and not a lot of storage space.
While I absolutely think the Prelude would be an easier sell if it were cheaper than its $43,195 (including destination) base price, which it would be if it weren’t for Trump’s tariffs, I don’t think it’s terribly egregious. A Civic Sport Touring Hybrid hatchback is $8,405 less to start, and the Prelude’s chassis upgrades and unique body style are worth a lot of that difference. There’s really nothing else like it on sale, and I’m sure Honda will be able to find the 5,000-ish yearly buyers it’s anticipating to nab in the U.S. — that would work out to every Honda dealer in the country selling about four of them per year. There are definitely people out there who want a coupe that’s fun to drive, but still need some amount of practicality and good fuel economy, and Honda says the car has already been successful with enthusiast buyers in Japan.Â
Daniel Golson / Jalopnik
I’ve purposefully not weighed into the discourse on whether or not the new Prelude deserves to have its name until the end here. Yamagami said the intent wasn’t to look to the past but to the future, pointing to the actual meaning of the word Prelude — this is a car that looks to the future of performance and technology, not the past. Having also driven all five previous generations of Prelude at the event, I think it’s totally fine and mostly fitting that this new model uses the name. It’s a cool, kinda strange car with unique market positioning and weird technology choices, and the same could be said for the old Preludes, too.
Yamagami also said Honda considered canceling development of the Prelude partway through. I’m glad it didn’t, but I definitely think it could do with some additional development now. I don’t think the solution is to just throw the Civic Si or Type R powertrain in and call it a day, like online commenters say they want (though I wouldn’t say no to the latter). Using a hybrid setup makes sense for this car, but the one currently in it isn’t the right one. Boosting the electric motor and/or engine’s output would certainly help, and if the S+ Shift system actually felt like it did anything, it wouldn’t be nearly as disappointing. Maybe Honda could add another electric motor to the rear axle, but then the Prelude would surely be even pricier. I think Andy’s Frankenstein Si hybrid idea would be great for this car.
At the end of the day, the 2026 Honda Prelude is a cool car that’s great to drive despite all of its shortcomings. Even if Honda calls it a day and lets the Prelude linger on the vine with no changes, I’m still gonna be on this coupe’s side. But I’ll still be confused, too.
