Honda Prelude Sticks With S+ Shift CVT and Skips The Guide, Which Stings For Fans : Automotive Addicts

Automotive

Honda has lastly answered the query that diehard followers have been asking because the Prelude’s comeback was confirmed. There isn’t a guide gearbox on the desk. Not now, not later, and never as a shock particular. The choice comes straight from Honda management, who informed Australia’s Drive that the brand new hybrid powertrain structure is just not appropriate with a clutch pedal. Street & Observe echoed the identical message from Honda’s Tokyo present stand, framing it as a technical name as a lot as a market actuality.

In case you are catching up, the reborn Prelude pairs a 2.0 liter Atkinson cycle 4 with a two motor hybrid system that may drive the wheels straight by Honda’s eCVT format. As an alternative of a standard transmission it makes use of S+ Shift, a software program outlined function that simulates stepped gears, full with paddle inputs, rev matching blips and a pause in acceleration to imitate an actual upshift. Honda has even revealed a tech explainer outlining how S+ Shift repurposes the paddles from regen management to digital gear adjustments, and MotorTrend lately broke down how the system tries to carry among the tactile rhythm drivers count on from a sporty coupe.

Right here is the place it will get sophisticated for these of us who grew up loving Hondas as a result of they made peculiar roads really feel particular. Round our workplace and amongst many readers in our technology, CVTs have by no means earned a lot affection. We respect the Prelude’s balanced chassis and the Civic Kind R {hardware} it borrows, and we like how S+ Shift provides a little bit of aptitude on a again street. However there is no such thing as a getting round the truth that simulating gears is just not the identical as rowing your individual. The Prelude may nonetheless be a terrific drive, but the absence of a correct stick retains it from clearing that final emotional hurdle for lots of fans.

Honda’s product planners would argue they’re assembly drivers the place they’re as we speak, not the place they have been in 1999. Drive experiences that the break up of propulsion between engine and electrical motor is roughly half and half, which makes a guide integration way more advanced than the outdated Perception or CR Z setups the place the engine was the principle occasion and the e motor solely assisted. The Drive additionally notes that Honda understands the will for engagement, which is why S+ Shift and paddles exist in any respect. Autoweek has positioned the Prelude as a hybrid grand tourer with real chassis substance, and which may be the correct lens in case you are not fixated on a clutch pedal.

So the place does that go away us. The Prelude seems sharp, guarantees real-world tempo and effectivity, and must be a pleasant each day with a enjoyable aspect. For a lot of consumers, that could be a candy spot. For the loyalists who nonetheless heel and toe their solution to work, it’s a close to miss. We are going to hold hoping for a spicier variant sometime, however for now the message is evident. The Prelude is computerized solely, with S+ Shift doing its greatest impression of the expertise so many people nonetheless crave.

Darryl Taylor Dowe is a seasoned automotive skilled with a confirmed observe document of main profitable ventures and offering strategic session throughout the automotive trade. With years of hands-on expertise in each enterprise operations and market growth, Darryl has performed a key function in serving to automotive manufacturers develop and adapt in a quickly evolving panorama. His perception and management have earned him recognition as a trusted skilled, and his contributions to Automotive Addicts replicate his deep data and keenness for the enterprise aspect of the automotive world.