2026 Honda Prelude First Evaluations Say It’s Higher Than Anticipated, However the Worth Feels Like a Stretch : Automotive Addicts
Automotive
Honda’s revived Prelude is beginning to land within the arms of reviewers, and the early takeaway is refreshingly easy: it’s not the frustration some feared. The brand new coupe leans right into a smooth, fashionable look and a extra grown-up “sporty GT” vibe, and most first drives appear to agree it feels genuinely properly sorted on actual roads. Assume easy and composed like a great Civic, however with further polish in the way in which it turns in, settles, and carries velocity via a nook.
An enormous a part of that’s the recipe Honda selected. The Prelude pairs a 2.0-liter hybrid setup from the Civic Hybrid with a front-drive chassis that borrows key bits of know-how from the Civic household, together with Sort R-flavored {hardware} within the suspension and braking departments.
Reviewers maintain circling again to the identical level: it’s not a fire-breathing coupe, however it’s responsive, straightforward to position, and extra enjoyable than the spec sheet would possibly recommend. The hybrid system additionally brings that instantaneous torque really feel round city, plus spectacular effectivity for one thing carrying a sporty silhouette. The 200 horsepower from the hybrid setup is basically the identical because the final Prelude that was on sale as a 2001 mannequin yr – good instances again then with that wild VTEC cam switch-over.
The place the consensus will get loud is on worth. A number of retailers peg the start line proper round $43K, and that quantity adjustments the complete dialog. At that value, folks naturally begin cross-shopping automobiles that ship extra drama per mile, and even inside Honda’s personal showroom the comparability will get awkward. The Prelude’s value sits uncomfortably near the Civic Sort R, a automobile that makes a far stronger case in case your precedence is uncooked efficiency and a extra hardcore character. In opposition to cheaper rear-drive coupes just like the GR86 and BRZ, the Prelude counters with refinement, tech, and hybrid financial system, however you’ll pay dearly for that mix.
Our learn from the early evaluations is that Honda nailed the “on a regular basis particular” half, then requested luxury-adjacent cash for it. In order for you a classy, environment friendly coupe that feels fashionable and doesn’t beat you up on a commute, the Prelude seems like a stable return. Even so, Honda’s expectation of promoting simply 4,000 examples a yr matches the mould that we noticed a few years in the past in eccentric automobiles just like the Cadillac ELR, a luxurious plugin-hybrid of types that wasn’t meant for a mass scale. However if you’re gazing a $43K sticker and realizing the Civic Sort R is correct there, the Prelude’s attraction has to work extra time. In different phrases, it’s a great automobile, perhaps even an excellent one, however the value is the element that retains it from being a simple slam dunk.
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Darryl Taylor Dowe is a seasoned automotive skilled with a confirmed monitor file of main profitable ventures and offering strategic session throughout the automotive business. With years of hands-on expertise in each enterprise operations and market growth, Darryl has performed a key position in serving to automotive manufacturers develop and adapt in a quickly evolving panorama. His perception and management have earned him recognition as a trusted professional, and his contributions to Automotive Addicts mirror his deep data and keenness for the enterprise facet of the automobile world.
