New Honda Prelude debuts in a year

Honda New Zealand says that the Prelude will return to the New Zealand market midway through next year. No pricing or specification details are available at this time.

Managing Director of Automotive at Honda New Zealand, Carolyn McMahon says of the sportster: “It’s a car that speaks to the hearts of long-time fans and new drivers alike—bridging generations with timeless appeal.”

The new Prelude is a model that embodies Honda’s sports bent in the electrification era. It is said to combine environmental and sporting performance with ease of use day to day.

The sixth-gen Prelude, the first in over 20 years, supposedly imparts glider-like freedom, delivering a sense of exhilaration on road. The gliding analogy in part relates to the ability of the e:HEV powerplant to glide on road, saving gas.

Part Prelude and part NSX

Staying true to the look of the concept car, new Prelude features a low sharp nose, smooth headlights and body lines that Honda says evoke the aero look of a glider. Its wide stance helps impart on-road dynamics. Flush door handles and clean door panels add to the windswept look. Dual parallel lines up front evoke are meant to impart a sense of electrification.

The wide, low and smooth body are highly suggestive of a sports offering, finished in 20-inch tyres and with a compact wheelbase for dynamic agility. Inside is a 2+2 seating layout.

Read our review of the Honda HR-V Sport.

At the same time, the tailgate-type luggage compartment offers a wide opening for ease of loading and unloading. The rear seat can easily be folded away for additional load space. There is also extra storage beneath the boot floor, along with hooks for shopping bags in the boot.

Civic based inside but much sportier

The interior aims to create a comfortable space for both driver and front seat passenger. The main color of the interior is a sporty “blue × white”. 

The driver’s seat and passenger seat have different specifications, the former with increased grip for sports driving. Meantime, the passenger seat is less hip-hugging, more comfort-oriented. Other features include a D-shaped, flat bottomed steering wheel design, full-graphic sports instruments and buttons for gear selection. 

Borrowing elements from its Civic stablemate, the Prelude’s dashboard houses a nine-inch infotainment touchscreen, a digital instrument display, and the same climate control switchgear as found in the Civic. There’s a 12-00 marker at the straight-ahead position. 

Two decades between fifth and sixth generation

The first generation launched in 1978 and featured innovations like an electric sunroof, and the first four-wheel steer system. The last, the fifth, ended production in 2001. The latest Prelude, the sixth generation, is a hybrid specialty car, a front driver that will compete with the likes of GR86.

Under the bonnet, the Prelude features the same 2.0-litre e:HEV hybrid powertrain as the Civic. Only it will come with a bit more grunt than the Civic’s 135kW and 232Nm of torque. Sources suggest 152kW and 315Nm for the latest Prelude. And it will sound more interesting with its S+ paddle-shift system.

This activates the Prelude’s simulated gearbox, adding a mechanical feel to its e:HEV hybrid tech. Honda says this “simulates the sound and feel of quick automatic gearchanges”. That means a sporty driving experience without sacrificing the efficiency of the hybrid powertrain. The S+ system integrates with Honda’s Active Sound Control, amplifying engine noise in sync with revs through the speakers to create a more visceral driving experience.

The Prelude’s hybrid system relies on an electric motor to drive the wheels; its petrol engine acts mainly as a generator. However, the new S+ Shift system allows the engine to be used more aggressively for direct propulsion when needed.