Honda has lastly taken the wraps off the much-anticipated return of the Prelude. The 2-door sports activities coupe will likely be a two-motor hybrid constructed on the Civic Kind R chassis.
Those that bear in mind the Prelude of previous at the moment are most likely taking a every day child aspirin, however will recall the game coupe that arrived in 1978. For over twenty years, 5 generations of the Honda Prelude made the world grin below its customary moonroof and fast-revving inline 4. The Prelude’s final hurrah was its Kind S mannequin, offered solely in Japan, which heralded the tip of the Prelude because it ceased manufacturing in 2001.
At present, nostalgia is an enormous vendor, with plenty of automakers getting in on the Nineteen Eighties love by introducing defunct fashions and reversion particular editions. Honda is cashing in on that with the Prelude title … however with a distinctly fashionable twist.
Just like the Prelude of previous, the 2026 Prelude is a grand tourer design made for partaking driving and dealing with, however not dash speeds or GT-style cornering. The brand new sixth era of the automotive is a hybrid that mixes an Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine with two electrical motors sitting upon the Honda Civic Kind R’s efficiency chassis. Briefly, the Prelude is a Civic Hybrid and Kind R mashup in a two-door configuration.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing again such an iconic nameplate to the Honda lineup,” mentioned Jessika Laudermilk, assistant vice chairman of Honda Nationwide Auto Gross sales. “The Prelude’s return demonstrates our dedication to thrilling, fun-to-drive autos and can assist to speed up our hybrid-electric gross sales within the years forward.”
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For the 2026 mannequin yr, Honda is not going to supply the Prelude with something apart from one trim degree and a handful of choices. That debut trim will embrace leather-trimmed seating, 19-inch Berlina Black wheels clad in 235/40 tires, Brembo four-piston entrance brakes, the Kind R’s strut suspension and adaptive dampers, and an 8-speaker Bose audio system … amongst different issues, a type of different issues being Honda’s new “S+ Shift” drive mode.
S+ Shift provides the direct-drive unit a “efficiency transmission expertise” by false shifting. Used with the paddle shifters on the steering wheel, the S+ Shift system mimics gearshift response with rev-matching, downshift blips, and gear-holding simulations. Honda plans to place this technique in all of its hybrid autos.
The outside of the brand new Prelude is a callback to the fourth-generation of the automotive, with an excellent front-to-rear visible steadiness not too dissimilar to the current-generation Nissan Z. The brand new Prelude’s hood is shorter and its rear part longer, creating that visible concord – it is a departure from the long-nosed look of the fourth-gen Prelude and conventional saloon styling of many Japanese sports activities vehicles.
Honda
Easy physique traces and delicate bone traces mark a lot of the 2026 Prelude’s design particulars, offset by a pointy operating board minimize that hints at brake cooling vents. The nostril and tail are equally undercut to match, giving a pointy visible to the aero profile.
Chassis {hardware} for the 2026 Honda Prelude is straight off the Kind R. Wider entrance and rear tracks, twin axis struts in entrance, and outsized brakes are customary. As is the Kind R’s adaptive damper system. All-season tires are customary, high-performance summer season tires are an choice. Honda is including a brand new Honda Agile Dealing with Help system which is claimed to enhance dealing with and driver confidence. This combines management of the powertrain and braking system to coincide with steering inputs.
Powering the brand new Prelude is a 2.0-liter inline-four within the Atkinson cycle. This produces 141 horsepower (104 kW) and 134 pound-feet (182 Nm) of torque. The engine redlines at 6,250 rpm, with peak HP coming at 6,000. The 2-motor hybrid attachment brings 181 HP (133 kW) at 5,000 rpm and 232 lb-ft (314 Nm) at as much as 2,000 rpm. This disparity ends in the mixed output of engine and motors coming to 200 horsepower (147 kW).
Mixed energy runs to the entrance wheels by way of a direct drive unit with a 3.421 closing drive ratio and a 2.455 reverse ratio.
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The 2026 Prelude will run on common unleaded, however EPA scores for effectivity haven’t but been launched. Given the automotive’s 10.6-gallon (40-liter) gas tank, we are able to guess that the Prelude’s MPG score will likely be within the mid-30s to low 40s.
The 2026 Honda Prelude will make its market entry in most markets in late 2025 with pricing and different particulars coming nearer to that launch.
Supply: Honda
