The Honda Prelude goes on sale later this year, and while it won’t have a Type R badge, it will have a few performance bits from the hardcore Civic variant. No, Honda hasn’t reversed course and decided to swap out the Prelude’s hybrid powertrain for the Civic’s turbocharged one. Instead, the Prelude will be the first non-Type R model to feature Honda’s dual-axis front suspension.
The unique suspension design, which separates the knuckle from the damper, allows for great steering axis flexibility while reducing torque steer. The Prelude will also feature the Civic Type R’s Brembo front brakes and wider front and rear tracks.
While Honda has admitted that the Prelude won’t be the “sportiest, zippiest” coupe in the world, it is promising that the coupe will “deliver high levels of driver exhilaration and engagement,” and we know a car doesn’t need a lot of power to be fun.
The Prelude is a hybrid that borrows the Civic’s powertrain, a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine and dual e-motor setup. It makes 200 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque.
There have been rumors that the Prelude could make a bit more power than that, and if it does, it could become an interesting rival to the Toyota GR86. The two appear similar in size, with the Toyota’s 2.4-liter boxer engine making 228 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque, but the Prelude will lack a manual gearbox option.
We still don’t have the exact technical specs for the car, but with its arrival scheduled for later this year, we should know more very soon. Honda still has to release the car’s official output and price. The Civic Hybrid starts at $30,100, and we don’t expect the Prelude to cost much more, starting in the low $30,000 range.
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