{"id":202355,"date":"2025-09-05T13:03:26","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T13:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/202355\/"},"modified":"2025-09-05T13:03:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T13:03:26","slug":"hondas-prelude-returns-as-a-200-horsepower-fake-shifting-hybrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/202355\/","title":{"rendered":"Honda\u2019s Prelude returns as a 200-horsepower fake-shifting hybrid"},"content":{"rendered":"

Honda is bringing back the sporty Prelude as a technology-packed 200-horsepower hybrid to tug at nostalgia strings. It\u2019s the first new Prelude in 25 years and the front-wheel-drive-coup antidote to crossover SUVs. Pricing hasn\u2019t been announced but in Japan it starts at just under 6.18 million yen (around $41,600), according to Nikkei<\/a>. It will arrive at US dealerships in late autumn<\/p>\n

Pitched as \u201cfun-to-drive,\u201d the 2026 Prelude<\/a> features 232 pound-feet of torque and a direct-drive transmission that pairs two electric motors with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder, just like Honda\u2019s Civic Hybrid. It also features paddle shifters and a new S+ Shift drive mode that \u201csimulates a performance transmission experience\u201d of a real sports car. Here\u2019s how Honda describes it:<\/p>\n

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With the innovative new Honda S+ Shift system, Prelude delivers the ultimate electrified Honda driving experience with a responsive and engaging shifting simulation, featuring virtual rev-matched downshifts in S+ mode and enhanced engine sounds to increase driver feel and connection with the vehicle.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In other words, S+ Shift lets you aggressively mimic traditional gear changes to make the Prelude go vroom vroom. Fortunately, you don\u2019t have to use it. Honda Japan gives us an idea of what S+ Shift looks and sounds like in the following video \u2014 and honestly, I don\u2019t hate it:<\/p>\n

Inside the 2+2 coupe you\u2019ll find a 10.2-inch instrument cluster and a 9-inch touchscreen with support for wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You also get a wireless charger for your phone and Google built-in, which includes things like Google Assistant and Google Maps for a personalized and connected driving experience. It all comes standard with three years of unlimited data and a Wi-Fi hotspot.<\/p>\n

For sound, the 8-speaker Bose Centerpoint premium audio system includes 6.5-inch, wide-range speakers in the doors and a large subwoofer located in the cargo area.<\/p>\n

Nikkei says the car is meant to win over a generation of Prelude fans who are now in their 50s and 60s \u2014 I\u2019ve never felt so seen:<\/p>\n

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Back in the 1980s, the Prelude was available for around 1.5 million yen, making it a popular choice for young men for going on dates. Roughly a quarter century after the previous Prelude was discontinued, many are now empty nesters looking to choose cars for themselves again.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

See, I drove a Honda Prelude as a young man in the late \u201880s and did, indeed, use it for dates. Last weekend I dropped my youngest off at college and returned to a house that never felt so empty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Honda is bringing back the sporty Prelude as a technology-packed 200-horsepower hybrid to tug at nostalgia strings. It\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":202356,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[64,419,50,522,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-202355","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-cars","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-transportation","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115151831621378495","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202355\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/202356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}