All New Honda Prelude Returns
Although Toyota is the brand that is most closely associated with hybrid technology in the U.S., it’s important to remember that Honda was also one of the original hybrid innovators, launching its sporty, efficient two-seat Insight hybrid a couple of months before Toyota’s Prius on our shores. In fact, Honda’s been at the hybrid game for 25 years now – and it’s about to celebrate with an anniversary gift to itself. What is it? A sporty new Prelude coupe, this time with hybrid power.
Honda’s Range of Hybrids
When Honda first started selling cars in the U.S., it had a three-car lineup, consisting of the compact Civic, mid-size Accord, and the sporty, two-door Prelude. The Civic and Accord never went away, but the Prelude hasn’t been on sale since 2001; Honda’s recent announcement that it would return will be music to driving enthusiasts’ ears, as that model had a well-earned reputation for combining fine performance and fantastic handling with impressive economy. The new hybrid Prelude should continue that tradition.
Like the Civic Hybrid, Accord Hybrid, and the popular CR-V Hybrid, the new Prelude will be powered by Honda’s latest gasoline-electric powertrain, which combines an efficient gasoline engine with two electric motors. The use of two motors gives the system impressive flexibility, allowing it to operate on electric power more of the time, while providing a substantial performance boost to the gas engine when needed. Like the Civic and Accord hybrids, the Prelude will be front-wheel drive.
Honda Prelude: All New S+ Shift Mode
The new Prelude will use its dual electric motors in quite a novel way to introduce some excitement into the driving experience, compared to the smooth and silent Civic and Accord. While there is no actual transmission – the twin motors essentially substitute for a fixed set of gears – Honda will introduce a new “S+” shift feature, which can provide the sensation of shifting gears if the Prelude’s driver wants to feel more connected.
By engaging S+ mode, and using paddles on the back of the steering wheel, the driver controls electronic programming that ramps up torque from the motors when executing virtual gearshifts, giving them a feeling of power and control. Similarly, when shifting manually, the electric motors can use a more aggressive regeneration program, providing a similar sensation to engine braking in lower gears, which can be felt in a manual-transmission car. S+ mode also will provide more sound stimulation to drivers through a series of active noise measures, likely piping through the Prelude’s speakers.
2026 Prelude Specifications
While Honda is light on details of the final production spec of the new Prelude (it’s still about a year away) it has hinted that the 2023 Prelude concept car, first shown at the L.A. Auto Show, was a good indicator of what we’ll see on American roads. That means it will share its basic body structure with the Civic, with a shortened wheelbase for sportier handling. It means it will have clean, classic styling with a sleek, tapering roofline that sacrifices rear headroom for good looks. And we would also expect handling-enhancing technology similar to the active torque transfer system that was fitted to the last Prelude coupe you could buy.
Honda’s Electrified Future
When it goes on sale, the Prelude will join a Honda lineup that is increasingly electrified. Close to a quarter of the Hondas sold in North America are now hybrid models – over 40 percent of CR-Vs sold are hybrid, while the new Civic Hybrid is selling in great numbers – and the Prologue SUV is the number-five selling electric vehicle in the U.S. The company has also shown prototypes of the so-called “0 Series” of vehicles, its next-generation electric platform that will underpin seven models globally by 2030, from small cars to large SUVs.
