Fast Facts | 2026 Honda Prelude
⏱️ 0–60 mph: About 6.5 seconds (hybrid system)
⚙️ Powertrain: 2.0L hybrid four-cylinder, front-wheel drive
🛞 Chassis: Civic Type R suspension, Brembo brakes
💰 Est. Price: ~$42,000
📅 Availability: U.S. deliveries begin November 2025
A Legendary Name Returns, Reinvented
When Honda launched the current 11th-generation Civic three years ago, it discontinued the long-running two-door coupe variant. While coupe fans were deeply disappointed, especially those who leaned toward the quicker Si, they now have reason to celebrate. In October 2023, at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo, Honda introduced a new Prelude concept, and that car is now on sale virtually unchanged. Last week, after attending the 2025 show, Honda took us to its Tochigi proving ground, where we got to experience how the 2026 Prelude actually drives for the first time.
A Storied Nameplate Returns
The Prelude name has a long history at Honda, with the original debuting way back in 1978. For nearly three decades and five generations, the Prelude remained part of the lineup as the sporty flagship of the brand before finally being discontinued. However, it should be noted that while the Prelude always had sporty styling, it was never a hardcore sports car. That role has only sporadically been filled at Honda by the NSX at the high end and the S2000 at a more approachable price point.
The Prelude had distinct styling and even introduced interesting new technology like four-wheel steering, but it never went up against the Toyota Supra, Nissan 300ZX, or Mazda RX-7. That said, not being at the tip of the performance spear doesn’t mean a car can’t be enormously fun to drive. Just look at the Mazda Miata or the Toyota GR86.
Sleek Coupe Meets Practical Hatchback
The new Prelude is a sleek two-door coupe built on a shorter wheelbase version of the Civic platform. The proportions and overall dimensions are actually quite similar to the 10th-generation Civic coupe, although unlike the Civic and all the previous Preludes, this one has a hatchback rather than a traditional trunk. With its shorter wheelbase and sweeping roofline, the normally spacious rear seat of a Civic becomes something best suited for kids or friends who might not be able to get on certain amusement park rides. That’s where having the hatchback is so great — fold down those back seats when they aren’t being used (which likely will be most of the time), and you have a big cargo area with a huge opening to load stuff.
The geography of the Prelude’s cabin perfectly matches the hard points of the current Civic, but all of the visible parts are unique to the coupe apart from the 9.0-inch infotainment touchscreen and the 10.2-inch instrument cluster display.
Hybrid Power
Like all prior Preludes, the new edition has a four-cylinder engine under the hood and drives the front wheels. However, the similarities largely end there. This Prelude isn’t available with a manual transmission, although drivers can pretend thanks to the “shift” paddles on the back of the steering wheel.
Instead, the Prelude is equipped with the same hybrid powertrain you’ll find in the current Civic, Accord, and CR-V. While that may initially disappoint anyone interested in performance, take a deep breath before panicking. Honda has always been a company with performance in its DNA, and anyone who has driven the current Civic hybrid will tell you it's far more fun to drive than competitors like the Toyota Corolla hybrid.
The Debut of S+ Mode
Starting with the Prelude, Honda engineers have cooked up some new software that takes this to a whole new level. When Sport mode is engaged, the Prelude has S+ shift control. In short, this makes the Prelude drive unit behave like a highly proficient driver manually shifting an eight-speed gearbox.
All of this is connected to the road through the same suspension and brakes found on the Civic Type-R. That means a dual-axis front suspension that virtually eliminates any possibility of torque steer while providing truly impressive feel. There are also big four-piston Brembo calipers on the vented front brake rotors that should prove quite resistant to fade while delivering lots of stopping power.
First Drive Impressions
While we were with the Prelude at Tochigi[1] , we did a few laps of a handling course that's normally used for testing motorcycles. Within the first few curves, it was clear what the Honda engineers had achieved. We were already familiar with the excellent hybrid powertrain — the Civic hybrid will sprint to 60 mph in about 6.5 seconds — and the Prelude feels about the same.
Once you press the S+ button to the right of the shift controls on the center console, things get really interesting. The Prelude doesn’t really get any quicker, but the visceral experience of driving it amps up. The hybrid drive system is capable of continuously variable ratio control like any other CVT, but rather than maintaining engine speed and varying the ratio, it locks in one of eight ratios and allows the engine to rev naturally. During each simulated “shift,” there's a slight torque pause just like you'd get when shifting a manual transmission.
As you brake going into a corner, the process reverses as downshifts happen and the throttle is blipped to “match the gears.” Throughout all of this, the natural engine sound is amplified a bit in the cabin, not enough to be obnoxious, but just enough to provide a soundtrack for the fun.
This is a front-wheel-drive car with a front weight bias, so physics would naturally dictate some understeer when cornering hard. The Type R suspension inherently keeps this to a minimum, but it also responds extremely well to driver input. Trailing the brakes into a corner puts a bit more weight on the outside front wheel, giving it more grip. At the same time, it helps unload the rear axle and lets it slide sideways in a very progressive, controlled fashion. It’s all easily managed by the driver and never tries to bite you. It just provides a platform to have some fun in much the same way as a Civic Type R, but with a bit less acceleration.
Pricing and Availability
The only downside? You can’t get a manual transmission with the hybrid, though the S+ shift mode does an impressive job of delivering an engaging driving experience, even without three pedals. Since its engine compartment is the same structure as a Civic's, Honda could theoretically drop the Type R engine into the Prelude along with its manual transmission. But Honda won't comment on whether it'll eventually offer one.
The first batch of 2026 Preludes is currently on a ship from Japan and is scheduled to arrive at a West Coast port on November 13, with the first customer deliveries targeted for the 18th. Honda hasn’t yet announced U.S. pricing for the Prelude, but it’s been on sale in Japan since September, and at the current yen-to-dollar exchange rate, it works out to about $42,000. That’s about $8,500 more than a Civic Sport Touring Hybrid with the same powertrain and $5,000 less than a Civic Type R, which is quicker and more practical but lacks the coupe’s style and fuel efficiency. The current delivery charge on a Civic is $1,195, but that may change for the Prelude.
After this first taste, I can’t wait to have more fun with the new Prelude.
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