Prelude, Reprised: The 2026 Honda Prelude

Mike Hagerty
21 hours ago
3 min read

From 1979 to 2001, Honda built a series of coupes called the Prelude.

Never a pavement-ripper, the Prelude was "sporty" rather than a "sports car" (never mind the headline in that 1979 ad at the top). It had a lot in common with the then-current generation of the Accord, but with more flair (especially from 1983 on) and some generous feature content for the era (moonroof and AM/FM stereo as standard equipment in 1979).

Generation Jones (the late Boomers born from 1956-64), in their 20s and 30s, staying single a bit longer than their older brothers and sisters had, embraced the Prelude for the miracle that it was---high style, (relatively) low cost and (again, relatively) fuel efficient.

That was then. This is now. The Gen Jonesers are between 62 and 70, and almost certainly not the target audience. Could the concept translate for late Gen-X and Millennials?

This is the first Honda Prelude in 25 years. A two-door sporty coupe (actually, it's a hatchback now) that looks like it could, maybe, be a legit sports car.

Clearly the designers spent some time around the first-generation Porsche Cayman.

They may have squinted.

The Prelude looks great from some angles, less great from others, but overall, pretty darn good.

Under the hood is the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine paired with an electric motor that's in the Civic Hybrid. And that is no bad thing---200 horsepower and 232 lb-ft of torque. The Civic Hybrid is actually quicker to 60 than the Civic Si (6.2 seconds vs. 6.6). The Prelude is too, but less so. Zero to 60 in the Prelude takes 6.5 seconds. The Honda Civic parts bin brings even better news, as the suspension and brakes come from the high-performance Civic Type R. It's a great handling car, lots of fun when the road gets twisty.

Still, purists seem disappointed. In their view, the styling is writing checks the hybrid and its single-speed transmission with S+ Shift Technology and paddle shifters can't cash. They'd like to see the Civic Type R's 315-horsepower turbocharged gasoline engine and a six-speed stick instead.

But that could get very expensive.

As it is, the Prelude is a limited-use vehicle. The back seat is merely a suggestion, a thing you fold down to maximize your cargo capacity. And the Prelude's starting price is $42,000---$43,195 including destination. The good news is that includes pretty much everything (see the window sticker at the end of this review for the list of standard equipment).

In fact, the only extra-cost option on our test vehicle was the Boost Blue paint ($455) so the as-tested price is $43,650.

Look, I like the 2026 Honda Prelude. But then, I'm part of that batch of Generation Jones who loved the early ones (especially the second-and-third generation). They were never high-performance and they always cost a bit more (I wanted an '84 Prelude, but my wallet would allow an '84 Civic, so that's what I got).

We live in an age of extreme performance. We'll have to wait and see if the concept of the Honda Prelude translates to these times.

2026 Honda Prelude at a glance:

Price: $42,000 base/$43,650 as tested

Engine: 2.0-liter gasoline/electric hybrid

Horsepower: 200

Torque: 232 lb-ft.

Transmission: Single-speed with S+Shift technology and paddle shifters

Curb Weight: 3,261 lbs.

0-60 Acceleration (manufacturer data): 6.5 seconds

EPA Fuel Economy Estimate: 46 mpg city/41 mpg highway

Fuel tank capacity: 10.6 gallons

EPA Range Estimate: 466 miles