Everyone likes a good surprise. Unexpected postcards, thoughtful gifts, even the right unexpected guest. Well, if there was any surprise of the Los Angeles Auto Show, it was the Honda Prelude concept showing up fresh off the Japan Mobility Show stand. Rest assured, dear readers, it’s every bit as good as you hoped.
The Prelude concept arrived in Los Angeles basically unannounced, and thanks to bailing on Hyundai unveiling the Santa Fe for the third time this year, I had it all to myself for a bit. While this concept obviously isn’t production-spec, it’s farther along than you’d think, and the details are absolutely beautiful.
The Prelude concept certainly gets size right. It’s hard to judge how large a car is through pictures, particularly under the bright lights and backdrops of auto show stands. Thankfully, this car seems to have roughly the footprint of a tenth-generation Honda Civic Coupe, so it’s still beautifully small. If you feared that the reborn Prelude would be Accord Coupe-sized, you have nothing to worry about.
Honda hasn’t exactly been secretive about plans for production, and the details on the Prelude certainly capture this intent. Never mind side view mirrors, here’s a weird one for a concept car: The Prelude has wiper blades, wiper arms, and cowl plastics. Unexpected additions, especially considering the cost of such parts.
Notice anything missing here? If the Prelude is indeed a hybrid, the absence of an exhaust tip suggests this is either just a pusher model, or a display model with low-speed electric propulsion. There’s still suspension and hubs and whatnot under here, but don’t consider this finalized underneath.
Speaking of mechanical bits, the concept sports Continental Sportcontact 6 summer tires, massive Brembo fixed calipers, and ventilated discs. Think sporty, but not exactly Civic Type R. Essentially, it’s appropriate rolling stock for a mature coupe, so Honda definitely understands its mission.
Above all else, the Prelude concept is beautiful, a sight for sore eyes amid bloated crossovers and cars that just don’t want to be cars. This isn’t trying to be a mobility solution, it’s not trying to pioneer new methods of distraction, its target customer isn’t one of those couples you see on House Hunters. It’s a sports coupe, a proper, delicately styled, effortlessly elegant sports coupe for people who like to dream rather than simply consume. It’s romance, bloody romance, in a callous era of techno-rationalism. Who knew that’s all Honda needed to have the best car of the show?
Some more photos:
(Photo credits: Thomas Hundal)
Editor’s Note: Thomas wants me to note that he finds the new Civic Type R to be equally as exciting as this Prelude. Since a tie means the headline is still accurate, I left it be. -DT
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Why, oh why, isn’t it a hatch? Pretty damn beautiful though. Power somewhere between an Si and an R would make sense….manual gearbox, of course!
Yeah, this would be downright useless if it doesn’t end up as a hatch.
Styling aside, the only reason I would buy a sports coupe would be to row my own gears or have the blistering speed of a full EV. I’d do hybrid if its a manual (see Honda CRZ), otherwise just give me a sedan hatch I guess. All or nothing.
One other thing… when this goes on sale, I hope the offer a smaller wheel so we can have a tire with a more substantial sidewall.
and that specific tire they are using, I have it on my Polestar 2. 15K miles and I dont think I am going to make it to 20K before buying a replacement.
Switch to General Alimax RT45 tires and I bet they’ll last at least 2-3 times as long
https://generaltire.com/tires/passenger/altimax-rt45
They have a treadwear rating of 700… more than double the Continentals mentioned above. Probably won’t be as sticky. But if you’re not trying to win races or pushing the car to the limits, likely perfectly fine for daily use.
I have them on my car… on my 2nd set. The first set lasted nearly 90,000km and that was with a minor alignment issue. With no alignment issue, they would have lasted even longer.
If Honda can get this to market without adding faux rear doors, I’m very excited. I wouldn’t mind the front end being a tad less fussy, but the rest of it is stunning.
A lot of people are whining this isn’t high-performance but I see Honda as being very smart for hitting a market everyone else has been too chicken to enter.
Hairdressers are drooling at the thought of being able to buy this
Name checks out
Though that said the hairdresser I know really wants a Bronco.
my hairdresser drives a 4runner.
I, for one, love it.
I liked this more when the initial rumours thought it was an EV.
VTEC like Tesla’s ludicrous mode?
Also, it needs a cool dash like the 4th gen
Man, I wish my company allowed employees to have coupes, because this is pretty much the vehicle I’ve been waiting for for years. A stylish 2-door with hybrid fuel economy, and, presumably, a not exorbitant price
I’m legitimately curious, what industry are you in that the car you drive matters? Real estate, driving customers to house showings?
Aggregates and concrete, mainly.
That makes sense, I imagine you need a bed to carry product around.
Nope, our fleet of dumptrucks handles that stuff, I drive a hatchback*
*It technically doesn’t meet our minimum MSRP requirements, but that’s because they revised them upward a year after I bought it, so my boss just told me to go in a click the box saying I paid over “X” amount for it
That is still quite an alien concept to me, that a company would require you have a car over some price. I hope they pay you more than well enough to afford it then!
Its really weird, I’ve never run into it before. Honestly, had I known up front, I probably wouldn’t have taken the job.
Is this a company paid for car?
No, but they reimburse business mileage if the vehicle complies with their rules, and won’t if it doesn’t, and I am not driving 2,000+ miles a month for free
Ah, well that’s different. The MSRP shouldn’t be the be all/end all though, you’d still be putting wear and tear on a cheaper car.
Their rules are no more than 4 model years old, a minimum msrp of $35,000, and at least 4 doors (unless a pickup truck, single cab pickups are allowed), otherwise they won’t reimburse for any business miles traveled, so, basically, you CAN drive whatever you want, but only if you’re OK with the company not compensating you for any business-related traveling.
I suppose it would all be tax deductible if that option was chosen, but that’s a pretty long time to wait
Is the min 35k to hedge against 4-y-o LeMons specials or your brother in law’s salvage title flood damaged A6 with 3 used tires and a donut? Or a Gossin special? Something likely to leave you stranded?
Is that like being in the “hauling and carting” business in New Jersey?
Glass looks to be totally blacked out, so it’s a model, albeit one made from production data.
I dont find this design attractive at all. It is all awkward surfaces, odd details and questionable proportions. It looks like there were too many designers adding things to this car for too long.
A pillar is too steep. Needs more rake.
I like the a-pillar. It almost suggests a bit of a forward cant and probably makes the cabin feel nicer too.
I enjoy that it doesn’t have the overwrought mecha anime, boy racer bullshit design the recent Civics had.
I think the Honda eyesore era is mostly behind us. We should be good for another 6-7 years.
“Thankfully, this car seems to have roughly the footprint of a tenth-generation Honda Civic Coupe, so it’s still beautifully small. If you feared that the reborn Prelude would be Accord Coupe-sized, you have nothing to worry about.”
Except for the fact that the current Civic IS as big or bigger than past Honda Accords… such as the 4th Gen Accord which came out in 1990.
Anyway, the original Prelude shared at least some parts with the Accord and in the same size ballpark.
So given that the current Civic is the size of what the Accord used to be, and given the original Prelude was roughly the size of the Accord back then, this new Civic-based Prelude should be about the right size for a Prelude.
I would also argue that the last gen Civic coupe was more ‘Prelude’ than ‘Civic’ anyway.
I was going to comment that the wheelbase of the last civic coupe was ONE inch shorter than the last accord coupe.
I need Adrian’s take on this ASAP so I can know whether or not I’m allowed to like it 😉
Initial thoughts: A pillar is too steep, there’s an unnecessary feature line running from the front wheel arch along the body side that adds nothing, and overall it’s a bit dull.
Agreed on the A-pillar. But in a world of giant angry grills and overstyled SUVs, “overall a bit dull” is kind of refreshing.
I don’t like the nose of it, but the rear end looks good. The A pillar is likely a hard point they couldn’t change without making a new platform.
And previous preludes have not had enough headroom for me. I don’t think that’s changed here.
But yes, I want to be excited by it, and I’m not. Kind of like how I am not excited by the new Integra. It’s less Prelude, and more quaalude.
This doesn’t have the inherent styling sexiness of the PT Cruiser, but it still gets a pass as far as I’m concerned.
i wish it had more of the civic face- love the body lines, but the face is a little angro-yota
That front light bar reminds me of the one on the Ford EcoSport. Anytime that thing comes up as comparison you’re doing something wrong.
“…roughly the footprint of a tenth-generation Honda Civic Coupe.”
I had an eighth-generation coupe I enjoyed so much that when the lease expired I got another just like it. If I were in the market for a new car, this Prelude would be it.
I wonder about flush door handles. Years (decades?) ago I read about Mercedes-Benz having industrial strength full loop door handles so rescuers would have a better chance getting the doors open in the event of a crash. I think that might’ve been a requirement in Germany. Then I wonder about what happens with electric flush handles when your electrical system gets damaged in a wreck, or if your batteries die.
And if you live in northern climates, good luck getting not just the door open, but also that handle to pop out after an ice storm. I’m sure the aerodynamics add inches, inches I say, to the overall mileage per gallon or range of the vehicle.
I’m on the home page of the autopian. I see the thumbnail of this car in the little gallery of articles. I swipe and lo and behold, I see another Prelude. But it’s actually the very very very similar looking new Prius. Go find out for yourself!
Never been a huge Prelude fan in the past, but I am now simply for what it represents – an affordable everyday sport coupe.
Not a sportscar, but a sport coupe of the kind Mr. Gossin fights to preserve. Something that anyone can own and easily live with, but with a little more style and excitement than a sedan. Most of all, they’re just fun nearly all the time.
My fondest dream is this sells well, and convinces Ford and the others it’s worth playing in this market, if even just a little. Give me a Probe II already!
(no, I’ve never had a problem with the name myself, but sure, I’m open to changing it to something else..)
I’m pretty sure we won’t get probed again.
I know….I just have this vision of a swoopy hybrid hatch, sadly no more popups, with a big cargo area and a screen that allows you to replicate the uplevel digital gauge package from the first gen one.
Ive been watching the YouTubes for alien videos and they make it seem like we will.
“I’ve never had a problem with the name myself, but sure, I’m open to changing it to something else.”
MX6 perhaps?
I too dream of the return of the sport coupe. I dream of long doors with frameless windows and a cavernous trunk. A simple non Miata answer for tall folks who have no offspring but still want to look back at their car with a gleam in their eye every time they leave it parked somewhere.
That is a GREAT cite – I haven’t thought about the MX6 in years!
It was a very handsome design, to my eyes looking a little like a stretched-out Porsche. And it was definitely the more grown-up of the two, though I’m still a sucker for the Probe’s more over the top styling.
Four more years and the kids will be gone + 5 more and they should be out of college. THEN I’ll be parking a fun weekend car in my driveway, damnit.
We think the same thoughts, my friend!
I’ll take one in blue, please. How soon can it be in my driveway?
I’m seeing a lot of the Prius in its lines.
Especially at the front, this would fit perfectly in the lineup with the new Prius and the just-announced Camry.
Just posted my comment before I scrolled down. Seems like I’m not the only one who thinks that the new Prelude is very similar to the Prius.
I like it, but is this a 30k or a 50k car? More? I’m guessing more…
What about the damned electric door handles? Why did Honda decide to go with those?
You can have flush fit mechanical door handles, Subaru did it a long time ago with the XT.
I don’t even think this concept has functional doors yet, so who knows how the door handles would work.
Had to look up Subaru XT door handles to see if they were anything special.
If you didn’t know, almost every Japanese car had those exact doors handles during most of the 80s and 90s, including several generations of Honda. Including Preludes.
No, the XT had a spring loaded flush panel covering the hand entry that had to be pushed in to be able to lift up the actual door handle. Those other cars had a simple open indent under the handle.
Which was a great place to store your house wasps, or wasps that you picked up at the farmer’s market, anywhere you get your wasps, kept them nice and cozy until you decided to stick your grubby human flesh sticks in there.
Gotcha. The picture on Wikipedia looks like it’s open underneath with no extra panel, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that one was broken or if they changed it some years or something.
Edit: Idk whether you or Cerberus is right, I just know the XT handles were flush and that they work
So it’s coming for the BRZ/86 crowd? Or is it bigger and going for the Z?
The front from a side angle reminds me of the BRZ/86, so maybe?
For me, it seems like they’re targeting the original crowd for these, so maybe halfway between the Z and say the old Altima coupe?
Basically a sport-ified Accord. Which is a pretty cool thing for a lot of people.
The original Prelude was totally just a sporty Accord. This is, according to the article, much closer to the size of a new Civic than Accord, so I’d say this time around the Prelude is pretty much just a Civic Coupe si.
Imagine if they really blew people away and brought the Mitsuoka M55 to the US as the new Prelude. Offered it in AWD Hybrid, and/or FWD BEV only and left it looking like a Lancia and a Challenger had a love affair and the result was that thing.
I didn’t know about the M55, and it looks cool. Now I want one.