It feels like we’ve been waiting ages for Honda to launch a modern electric car in America, but the 2024 Honda Prologue is just around the corner. Sure, it’s technically a bunch of GM bits with Honda badging, a bit like how the new Acura ZDX is also a GM product, but this sort of re-badging isn’t unprecedented. After all, Honda’s first SUV was a rebadged Isuzu. Regardless, Honda’s released more details on its incoming electric crossover, so let’s see what’s on the table.
Honda claims that the Prologue will start “in the upper $40,000s,” which is a chamois-smooth way of saying nearly $50,000. Oh, and there’s a little asterisk in the press release, since that claimed price excludes freight charges. Since Honda seems happy to ballpark the numbers, let’s do the same and say that the Prologue will start around $50,000 including freight. So, what do you get for that sort of money?
Well, you definitely get a center console. Not only does it feature USB-C charging ports and a huge smartphone tray, it also offers serious beverage capacity. Honda is extremely proud of the console’s cupholders, claiming that each one “can accommodate large 32 oz. bottles.” That’s more than the capacity of a human bladder, which is probably something you never expected to think about today.
The Prologue also gets up to 300 miles of maximum targeted range from an 85 kWh battery pack, while peak DC fast charging speeds of 155 kW should make the Prologue a decent road-tripper. Granted, if you really want a mileage champ, the long-range, small-tired Hyundai Ioniq 6 is rated for a whopping 361 miles on a charge, but the Prologue should get something only offered on the Ioniq 6 if you lease it — federal tax credits.
That headline range figure is all well and good, but there’s some important information on the Prologue that Honda won’t divulge at this point in time. Although we know that all-wheel-drive models pump out 288 horsepower and 333 lb.-ft. of torque, power from the two-wheel-drive models is anyone’s guess. What’s more, that maximum approximate range of 300 miles will likely only apply to the base model on small wheels. How much do the optional 21-inch rollers and all-wheel-drive impact that figure?
As for toys and equipment, the entry-level Prologue comes with eight airbags, an 11.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a digital instrument cluster, heated seats, and wireless charging. Come to think of it, can’t you get most of those things on a well-specced cheap-and-cheerful Chevrolet Trax? I know batteries are expensive, but damn.
Mind you, it’s not as if Honda isn’t doing anything to temper the cost of its American-market EV. Buyers get to choose between three different complimentary (read: baked-in) charging packages: An 11.5 kW home charging station, $100 worth of public charging credits, and a $500 installation incentive; a 7.6 kW portable Level 2 charger, $300 worth of public charging credits, and a $250 installation incentive; or just $750 in public charging credits. While it’s hard to not feel like Honda could’ve just lopped a few hundred off the Prologue’s price tag, these charging setups are nice spiffs.
We might have to wait until next year to learn more about the 2024 Honda Prologue, but early details seem promising. Sure, it’s not a groundbreaking EV from a tech perspective, nor is it tiny and adorable like the overseas-market Honda e, but it has the right form factor and badge to have serious mass appeal. Needless to say, as Honda reveals more about the Prologue, we’ll keep you updated.
(Photo credits: Honda)
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How do we feel about the very un-traditional “H o n d a” across the back?
Is this the start of a new look for them, instead of the H mark?
It’s be okay if it was the traditional Honda logotype, but this looks so generic.
Same with the new Lexus SUVs – they’re not using the logotype they’ve used since the beginning and are still using when paired with the L logo!
Can I just have an updated Clarity please.
This styling of this vehicle isn’t particularly interesting, but I like that it looks like a normal Honda. It is nice to finally have EVs that look don’t look like props from 90s sci-fi movies.
This looks nice, but it doesn’t really matter. No one is buying what most people will think is an EV CRV for 50k. Yeah the tax credits will bring that down a bit, but it’s been proven by all the languishing EV crossovers that 40k+ EVs aren’t exactly flying off the lots.
I’m really, really curious what the reaction of the Honda loyal, the type of people who when they need a car automatically drive into their local Honda dealer and drive out with a CRV or Pilot every 6 years, when they find out that this is basically a Pontiac Torrent. Yeah a lot of people will never know this is a reskinned GM product, but I can imagine a number of Honda loyalists I know being very, very pissed off about it.
Meh, they got them to buy Isuzus for like a decade.
The Rodeo/Passport twins were great trucks! Good looking and capable. If the overlanding thing was a fad in the 90s, these would have been held in nearly as high regard as 4Runners.
For size comparison, from Honda’s press release, 192″ long and 78.3″ wide, or “about 8-inches longer and 5-inches wider than the CR-V.” That puts it closer to the Passport, actually a bit longer still. Seems like it’s longer and wider than the Equinox EV, right about where the Blazer EV is.
edit: Blazer EV length is 192.23″, and it and the Prologue have the same wheelbase of 121.8″. Equinox EV wheelbase is shorter, around 116″ as GM said 9″ longer than a regular ICE Equinox.
Yeah I got it wrong and assumed that this was going to be a reskinned Equinox, rather than a Blazer. Thanks for the clarification.
It changes my opinion of the product, as I suppose people are already spending 40+k on midsized SUVs anyway. I’m still curious whether or not these will land in the 40’s after tax credits, especially in the AWD spec, because let’s get real, RWD crossovers are not coming to the Northeast. Or if they do, they’re not going to sell any.
This one’s actually FWD standard whereas the ZDX is RWD standard – so a convenient use of the platform flexibility on their part.
Price in the 40s would be about on par for midsize crossovers like you said AWD ranges $1500 (CR-V) to $2100 (Pilot) so if this starts at the very top of the price range they said, an EX dual-motor should land around $45k, right in range of the Passport. I wouldn’t be surprised if the mix in cold-weather markets are going to be heavily AWD just based on typical inventories for Honda/Toyota/etc crossovers, seems like 2WD versions are nigh-on impossible to find.
Someone who lives around the corner has a new Honda HR-V, in charcoal grey. It’s a great looking car at a sensible size, and one of my first thoughts seeing it was that if Honda made that in an electric version it’d be hugely popular. It’s hard to gauge the size of this, but it sure looks like an electric version of the HR-V.
Since it’s based on the Equinox EV (I think) I’m pretty sure it’s going to be more CRV sized than HRV.
I agree the HRV looks pretty nice for what it is.
Blazer/Lyriq
Ohhhhhh
And I could kill it in a drag race with my Honda Fit. It’s incredibly slow, like 0-60 in 11 seconds slow (if I recall correctly).
Channeling a little bit of the Macan appearance wise in my eyes. I generally like how it looks.
Does it also go the GM’s own UI ie no CarPlay / Android Auto? I think that matters more to people over size of cup holders.
The new Autopian membership level: Chamois
Inside and out this thing is just terribly, terribly boring. That color can’t even save it. It’s a dreary February day. A slice of slightly stale white bread. Why even waste marketing’s time coming up with a name? They should have just named it the Honda CUV.
I understand that for most people a car is an “appliance,” but even my refrigerator has better styling than this.
I kind of like the simple lines without too much going on. I’ll reserve judgement for how it looks in person or how well it ages but I’ve seen way uglier appliances out there.
I thought this was pretty refreshing after seeing so much overstyled nonsense come out lately.
A totally valid opinion. I’ve long wanted a Lexus 250h (there aren’t a lot of small, hybrid, hatchback, AWD, luxury vehicles on the market) but I cannot stand how overstyled they are.
If I were to be pointing fingers it would be at Toyota/Lexus
300 miles is nice but a 35 minute 20-80% charge is, uh… not the most encouraging.
Maybe GM can get some charging updates to the Ultium platform when it’s released, but I was really hoping for Ultium cars to have better stats or price on launch than this.
Only the color makes it sort of stand out (as much as anything like this can) and nearly everyone of them will be white/black/gray with the rare red and maybe dark old-person blue. At some point soon, the companies should all divide up engineering costs and build the same damn Common Universal Vehicle in three sizes with minimal exterior and interior changes and maybe a suspension tuning tweak to match established “corporate identity”. Would anyone know or care besides journalists? As a fading enthusiast, I know it wouldn’t matter at all to me. In fact, that might free up some cash for them all to build something actually interesting for sale at low volumes and modest prices. (Hahaha, yeah.) That is, if they even know how to do that anymore in a world of meh super-ultra-stupendous cars and a handful of overpriced fat auto-only or electric “sports cars”. Dammit, Morgan, build a coupe 3-wheeler I can daily. At this point, F safety.
Honestly not a bad idea, make a spec series of cars for the everyday boring vehicles. Already plenty of examples of badge engineered vehicles. Electrification is already potentiating car companies essentially becoming coach builders since so much of the actual driving dynamics are effectively equalizing.
Does the Prologue come before or after the Prelude?
For me it usually comes first thing in the morning.
Instead of the amateur log?
Unpopular Opinion I know, but I hate these gargantuan cup holders. Yes, they’ll hold your 2-liter, but put a normal 16-ounce or 20-ounce bottle in there and watch it tip, roll and generally refuse to stay upright. My Highlander will hold a huge coffee thermos, but forget putting in a regular 20-ounch water bottle if you want it to stay put.
The good ones come with tiers or flappies that accommodate all sizes.
Idk about other cars but my F150 came with spring loaded tabs that handled everything from a tapered paper coffee cup to steel water bottle to 12oz soda can to the big gulp perfectly.
This is why I advocated for a Bloomberg presidency back in 2020.
It is only a matter of time before they put jumpseats in those things to get a 7 passenger rating.
I’d buy it over the GM alternatives because at least the styling is meh rather than weird af
From my understanding, this and the Equinox EV are equivalent in platform, batteries, etc. Chevy stated a starting price of 30K but looking at what happened to the pricing of the Chevy Blazer EV, it looks more that will start around from 40K to 50K USD.
The next gen Chevy Bolt should be in the 30K to 40K price range then… damn
Yep, this reveals the impending bait and switch from Chevy. Whoops! The Equinox actually starts at 47k! Inflation and all that!
In theory, Honda’s costs will be higher since they actually have to buy much of the vehicle from GM, meaning the Equinox *could* be lower. Will it, no guarantees, but it might.
Oh yeah, the Equinox will be lower. It’ll be 47k and the Honda will be $49,999.99. Or at least that’s my guess.
While all Ultium, it’s closer to the Blazer EV in sizing. They have identical wheelbases and a couple tenths of an inch in length. Equinox EV seems to be smaller overall in wheelbase, length, and width.
You dropped real logue with this one, Honda.
The cupholder thing is actually a big deal (to me at least). I carry a 32 oz insulated container with me pretty much everywhere, and one of my main anoyances in life is no cupholder to put it in in either of my vehicles.
All that being said, you couldn’t pay me a million dollars to buy a GM EV, or any GM for that matter.
Wait-who’s offering the million?
I’ll do it. Even drive it around myself if I can spend the other $940k on cars I actually want
I rigged up a harness so I can tow a cooler.
Looks pretty GM. Kind of like an Equinox.
The cupholders isn’t that crazy really. It seems like everyone these days is lugging around those giant stainless steel water bottles. Changing with the times, just like how every car from the 2010s forward started coming with disposable water bottle sized pockets in each door.
If anything, a 32 oz cup holder might not be big enough for the modern beverage. My local 7-11 is now selling an XXL Slurpee. I’m not sure of the exact size, but it is substantially larger than the 44 oz XL. It doesn’t fit in the cupholder of my Leaf, both because it is too wide and too tall. I make it work, though.
Bla Bla expensive EV Bla Bla crossover
Now that that’s out of the way
I want somebody at Honda to look me in the eyes and tell me this isn’t just a wagon with a battery under it.
Something this gives you that its GM cousins won’t…CarPlay/Android Auto (wireless at that).
Nothing new here. Guess Shakespeare was right: What’s past is prologue.
3 things.
It better actually come in that color. That’s a great color, and I am still mad at Toyota for not having the gumption to offer the Prius in the yellow that was on the concept. That was an awesome color!
The script for Honda across the back is awful. Stick with the symbol or the normal font for it, I hate that one so bad.
Last, and most important, I definitely never expected a car site to send me off googling the average bladder capacity of an adult. For those of you who are curious, but didn’t want to search it, average is 16-20 oz. So yeah, these cupholders are up to double that! Not sure if I should thank you for sending me off to look that up or hate you for it… I will go with thanks for today because who doesn’t need more useless info taking up space in their head?
Can’t wait to hear John Cena narrating a commercial for this and how it fits into Honda’s legacy.
This looks so much like a GM to me (6 lug wheels are a dead giveaway) that they should have named this the Passport. This ain’t their first Rodeo (Get it?)
A lot of the switchgear inside suggested it’s pretty heavy on the GM parts throughout, but for me the signal and wiper stalks especially.
Is it based on the equinox or what platform is it on? I don’t follow GM stuff so I didn’t recognize it at all, it does not look very honda-esque though for sure.
At least they didn’t put the Blazer’s round air vents on the dashboard. Been decades since I was emotionally abused by GM quality, but even with Honda’s involvement, I don’t think I can bring myself to consider this EV without professional counseling.
It shares with the blazer, though both are ultium
Big, heavy, SUV, tablet on the dash, blah blah blah, same old boring shit from the EV market..
You forgot expensive.