Honda Prelude Test Drive.

For some odd reason, Honda decided to bring back the good old Prelude. A two door coupe that was produced for 5 generations from 1978 to 2001.. By that time, almost nobody was buying 2 door cars anymore. And the really cool 5th generation Prelude was history.

People still don’t buy 2 door cars but Honda wanted a new one. While it looks fine and very nice in person, this is a very “un-Prelude” new Prelude. It doesn’t have a sunroof. Not even as an option. Which is something all other generations always had as standard equipment. And it is a hatchback, which the Prelude never was before.

I would be the last guy to complain about a car being a hatchback, but it is a bit odd for a Prelude.

From the front it of course looks a lot like a Toyota Prius, there’s no way around it. From the rear, it does remind me of a 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse. Which isn’t bad, but again, nothing like a current Honda.

The Prelude is basically a return of the Honda Civic Coupe. And it is very obvious inside. Where things look a lot like the Civic. At least the quality seems a bit better than the Civic. Especially on the door panels. (No more of that super cheap squeak when you push it). But that small plasticky tablet screen does look old now. And really cheap.

The electronic shifter is the same Honda had in the previous generation Accord. And I do like using it, but again, this is old.

The Bose system has fewer speakers than in the Civic Hybrid Touring, and it is pretty obvious. You can tell it’s not as good.

The front seats look and feel great. However, they might also feel little tight for some larger humans. Shockingly, they are not powered. Even on the driver side. Especially surprising for a $43,000 car…

And of course, the passenger seat can’t move up or down. A Honda specialty at any price it seems.

The rear seats are a joke and I’m not sure why they even exist. No adult can ever fit in there. And the few very young kids who might will roast under the glass hatch. It is not only uncomfortable, it also feels quite dangerous.

The trunk is pretty roomy and of course you can fold that fake rear seat. In true 1990s fashion, it is also pretty high to load things up in there.

When you first start the car, the engine is quite loud. But that doesn’t happen if you are in the Comfort mode. It just starts quietly like any other hybrids out there. What doesn’t go away, is the road noise. And it starts very early. You hear it all the time driving around town. And of course, it is pretty horendous on the freeway.

If you keep the comfort mode on, it is a very smooth hybrid car. The switch between gas and electric is very hard to tell. And the road noise covers any other sound anyway. Other sportier modes leave the engine on much longer and the whole thing feels a bit rougher. The added “S+” button on the console doesn’t really do much. At least from what I could tell. However, it does add a terrible fake engine/exhaust noise. Something that should be avoided at all cost in my book.

The suspension is adaptive and very comfortable in the comfort mode. And a bit firmer in others. Same with the steering. Which is a bit too light in the comfort more. You can personalise the settings to your taste. But the difference is pretty minute.

The Prelude Hybrid is rated at 46/41 MPG. I got over 50MPG on the freeway and easily averaged 48MPG during the whole week, which is great.

The Prelude is a nice car. A great Hybrid with excellent MPG and a bit more power than most people need. It is not a sports car however. It is a “sporty looking” car. Like the old Toyota Celica, Mitsubishi Eclipse were bak in the 1990s. It also doesn’t seem like a Prelude. it just looks a bit too sporty for that.

What it really is, is a new Honda Civic Coupe. With its own design. Or an Acura Integra Coupe. But the Prelude is almsot $10,000 more than a loaded Civic Hybird. It doesn’t offer more power. It doesn’t have a power seat or a sunroof. And its Bose system comes with fewer speakers. You get much less for a lot more.

What you get is a sportier and better looking 2 door version of the Civic Hybrid. For a lot more money. It costs even more than a loaded Acura Integra.

Honda isn’t expecting to sell more than around 4000/5000 of these a year. It seems they could be on their way to meet that target. However, a brand new Civic Hybrid is on its way. One based on an all-new platform, and with a new more efficient Hybrid system. And probaly one that will look much better than the current one.

And that, will be the Prelude’s nail in the coffin…