Honda has been awfully quiet concerning the new Prelude’s technical specs, refusing to element what powers it. Since we all know will probably be a hybrid, nearly everybody assumes will probably be a Civic Hybrid re-bodied as a coupe. Maybe there’s extra to it than that? Till the thriller is divulged, an organization official has let it slip that the sixth-generation mannequin can be positioned as a efficiency automobile.
Jessika Laudermilk, Assistant Vice President of Honda Nationwide Gross sales in the USA, instructed Automotive Information that the brand new Prelude can be marketed as an precise efficiency automobile. It is an attention-grabbing and considerably surprising assertion, contemplating Honda’s chief engineer Tomoyuki Yamagami admitted in late 2023 that the coupe “is not going to be the sportiest, zippiest automobile that is going to be tossed into the circuits.”

We’ll remind you that the Civic Hybrid packs 200 hp and 232 lb-ft from a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter gasoline engine and a pair of electrical motors. One behaves like a generator and is connected on to the four-cylinder engine working on the Atkinson cycle, whereas the opposite serves as a traction motor.
Though Honda has been secretive concerning the Prelude’s innards, it has revealed that the newcomer will introduce S+ Shift expertise. The coupe will get it first, however it should subsequently be put in in all the corporate’s electrified vehicles that includes the two-motor hybrid system. With out going into specifics, the Japanese model says the brand new tech can “simulate the sound and really feel of fast computerized gear adjustments,” which means it is extra thrilling to drive, presumably by behaving much less like a standard repeatedly variable transmission (CVT).
A prototype pushed final yr by Japanese journalists even had paddle shifters to shift gears nearly, which reminded us of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N’s N Grin Shift operate. Honda additionally baked in synthetic gear-changing sounds. The work-in-progress Prelude had a GT driving mode nestled between the standard Consolation and Sport, plus the Civic Kind R’s adaptive dampers. Furthermore, it inherited the recent hatch’s dual-axis steering entrance suspension. By separating knuckles and dampers, this suspension diminishes torque steer whereas accelerating and turning front-wheel-drive vehicles with torquey powertrains.

Photograph by: Honda
The brand new Prelude has wider tracks and a shorter wheelbase than a daily Civic Hybrid. Inside, it’s going to primarily be a Civic, however with totally different entrance seats offering higher lateral help. Given the sloping roofline, you possibly can think about that the rear headroom gained’t be all that nice. On the flip aspect, the massive tailgate hints at a spacious cargo space. Honda hasn’t formally revealed the automobile’s inside but, selecting to black out the home windows and block the view every time the Prelude was placed on public show. That means there may very well be extra adjustments in comparison with a daily Civic.
Honda instructed Japanese journalists invited to check drive a pre-production prototype in 2024 that the automobile can be extra inflexible than a Civic whereas shaving off about 10% of weight. Stiffer suspension and sharper dealing with are additionally on the menu, all whereas sustaining the traits of a grand tourer.
If Honda desires to dial the automobile up a notch, a Prelude Si can be a logical step. Nevertheless, we’re getting forward of ourselves. In any case, the usual mannequin hasn’t even gone on sale but. America will get the automobile later this yr, with Europe to comply with in early 2026. The brand new Prelude has been engineered for left- and right-hand-drive markets, so it ought to have a worldwide presence.
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