First introduced in 1979, the Prelude has long been the go-to car for those wanting something stylish to drive.
THE Honda Prelude is an icon that was almost relegated to the pages of history, until last year when Honda reincarnated it in its sixth-generation form after it had disappeared for a quarter of a century. There were entire generations that never knew how iconic the Prelude was, until now.
First introduced in 1979, the Prelude has long been the go-to car for those wanting something stylish to drive. The second and third generations of the Prelude were icons of the pop-up headlight era, offering a low-slung, sleek silhouette together with technologies that were far ahead of time.
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While many modern car makers rave about their four-wheel steering innovations, Honda did it back in the late 80s when it was introduced in the third-generation Prelude. This innovation gave the Prelude impressive agility, despite it not being all that powerful. Now, this same innovation and sleek design are seen in the modern-day Prelude which, despite being shown in Malaysia a few times already, is now set to make its official debut.
THE BACKGROUND
Honda Malaysia organised a drive event where select members of the automotive media were given a chance to drive the new Prelude around the south track of the Sepang International Circuit. For some of us, the other highlight of the event was being able to talk to the Large Project Leader of the new Honda Prelude, Tomoyuki Yamagami – basically, the brains behind the project.
Having the man who ideated and built the car is a special opportunity; we don’t always get the chance to pick the brains of those who envisioned a vehicle. During his product brief, there was one thing Yamagami mentioned that stuck with me: he said that Honda created the car first and only later decided on a name. I thought that to be odd, because it means Honda never set off to build a replacement for the Prelude. It just became the Prelude.
Yamagami explained that his team wanted to create a car that people enjoyed driving with their partner – a car they could drive every day that looked good at the same time. After conceptualising that, they looked into the Honda naming catalogue and decided that “Prelude” suited the car best. here was no objection from upper management, so they went with it. Y
Yamagami also said the car was challenging to build given today’s expectations for sports cars, but they managed to build something so special that he ended up buying one. The President of Honda Motor Co Ltd, Toshihiro Mibe, drives the new Prelude as well.
THE POWERTAIN
The new Prelude uses the same powertrain found in the Honda Civic e:HEV RS Hybrid. The system comprises a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, Atkinson-cycle engine, a drive motor, and a lithium-ion battery pack. Combined system output is rated at 200hp at 5,000rpm and 315Nm of torque from zero rpm.
Just like the system in the Civic hybrid, the engine exists to power the generator which supplies electricity for the electric motor. It also assists in channelling torque to the wheels and recharges the battery. It provides instant torque from a standstill, acceleration is impressive. The electric drive motor directly powers the wheels while the generator starts the engine and powers the car’s systems simultaneously.
THE DIFFERENCE
Though the overall powertrain is the same as the current-generation Civic hybrid, there are differences in two key areas. First up is the S+ Shift system.
This feature is unique to the Prelude for now; it is there to amplify the driving character and add a sportier touch to an otherwise straightforward powertrain. Recall how I mentioned that the Prelude does not have a gearbox. In the Civic hybrid, Honda added augmented sounds of gears shifting to provide auditory excitement.
The Prelude takes it a step further: you don’t just hear it, you feel it, just as you feel gearshifts taking place in a sports car. It is nearly identical to the feeling of shifting gears with Porsche’s PDK dualclutch system, which Honda’s engineers used as a benchmark.
When S+ Shift is engaged via the button on the centre console, the system mimics gear shifts by piping the sound into the cabin and through lightningquick power cuts. If you have ever driven a car with a dual-clutch transmission, you will know how it feels. This makes the car feel like it is shifting gears, which is essential to the excitement of a sports car. This sensation gets louder and quicker when GT mode is selected. What Honda has achieved here is nothing short of revolutionary.
THE DRIVE
Some cars don’t need a huge amount of power to be categorised as good-handling vehicles, and the Prelude is one of them. After half a day of throwing the car around a slalom course, an acceleration test, and the south track of Sepang, one thing stood out: the Prelude is undoubtedly fun to drive when the road is right. And the “right road” for it is one that is tight and curvy.
That it handles well is no surprise, as the Prelude shares its platform, suspension components, and Brembo braking system with the firebreathing Civic Type R. However, it also comes with Enhanced Agile Handling Assist.
This system automatically and gently brakes the inner wheel when cornering, acting as an anchor to help the front tuck in. You feel it most in tight corners. The front end is lively and happy to be thrown around; I reckon the Prelude will truly come alive on the small roads of Janda Baik or Fraser’s Hill rather than the wide, fast-flowing corners of Sepang.
THE VERDICT
Half a day with the Prelude is far from enough to tell you whether to put your money down. But just like its predecessors, it offers revolutionary technology and a fun-to-drive character. The fact that it shares a large part of its interior with the Civic is a slight disappointment, but it is a comfortable cabin with all the creature comforts, such as a Bose sound system and large digital displays, wireless CarPlay. It now comes down to how Honda Malaysia will price it. If the team pulls off a miracle and prices it close to the RM240,000 that the Prelude costs in Indonesia, they might just have a winner on their hands. If it is priced too close to the Civic Type R, they could have a social media storm on their hands.
SPECIFICATIONS
Engine: 2.0-litre, Atkinson-cycle, fourcylinder
Power: 200hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 0rpm
Transmission: None (Dual motor hybrid system)
Price: Not yet announced
We like: S+ Shift is revolutionary; fun handling.
We don’t like: Interior is too similar to the Civic.
