Honda Gave Me Keys To Its Old Prelude Fleet, And The New Model Has A Lot To Live Up To
Honda is on a real tear lately, reviving just about every dead iconic nameplate from their history books (and to be clear, I'm including Acura in this streak of name revivals). Electric urban scooters like the Motocompacto are pulling on your nostalgic heartstrings, harkening back to the days of the trunk-mounted Motocompo. Then, there's the Dax 125 with its homage to late 1960s styling. And of course, Acura has had big success with the revival of the Integra nameplate, which I imagine they hope will continue with the upcoming RSX.
Maybe the boldest of these new vehicles with old names is the soon-to-arrive sixth-generation Honda Prelude. It's not that there are higher expectations for the Prelude specifically, but Honda is bringing back a coupe — a risky move in a world that has shifted almost entirely towards SUVs and pickup trucks. Honda hasn't had a coupe in years (the last two-door Civic left the lineup in 2020) and the last Prelude to be made new was over 20 years ago, so people may not remember the nameplate fondly enough to drive sales.
Honda doesn't seem worried though. In advance of the new Prelude's launch, they thought it was a good idea to remind the automotive media just how awesome the Prelude was. They invited me (and other Southern California locals) out to drive all five previous-generation Preludes: museum condition examples like time capsules to transport us back to a simpler, more coupe-oriented time. And I have to admit, it kinda worked.
First generation Prelude (1979 – 1982)
While the intention on the Honda Prelude drive day was to drive all the pristine earlier versions of the Prelude, there was a slight hiccup. The first-generation model wasn't up and running. A fueling issue meant it was a display model only, but it was still worth gawking at. The styling of the first-generation Prelude is, to my eyes, simple and elegant. On the outside, it had the typical late-70s compact sport silhouette and on the inside it smelled like it was still off-gassing plastic fumes from its original build date.
Travis Langness/SlashGear
Depth was the theme that stood out to me on the first-gen's interior. Every panel, knob, and gauge was made with depth. Instead of printed buttons or stickers, things felt like they were carved out or built up. Even the exterior badges had depth. This sort of styling is a relief from a modern, flat aesthetic and it is evocative on any car of the era, but this Prelude in particular nailed it.
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While I'm sure it wouldn't have been particularly swift in a straight line, I imagine the first-generation Prelude was a joy to drive on a daily basis. The example that Honda brought out was vibrant, it felt spacious even by today's standards, and it came with a power sunroof way back in 1979.
Travis Langness/SlashGear
Travis Langness/SlashGear
Travis Langness/SlashGear
Base model price when new: $6,445
Price with inflation today: $30,437
Power: 72 hp
Torque: 94 lb-ft
Curb weight: 2,180 lbs
Second generation Prelude (1983 – 1987)
Sliding into the second-generation Prelude was like gaining entry into a retro-future-themed night club. Compared to the complicated gauges in the first-gen model, the second generation's dashboard felt a bit downmarket, but still upscale enough that it could compete with any entry-level luxury product of the era (and maybe even a few cars that are on sale today). It's no small wonder that the Acura brand was introduced during the second-generation Prelude's run, giving buyers multiple options in the same price range.
Travis Langness/SlashGear
With dual-side draft Keihin carburetors, the single-overhead cam four-cylinder engine had some rumble at idle, but it accelerated smoothly. It felt surprisingly quick for its age and low power levels, and part of that can be attributed to the fact that it weighs less than 2,200 lbs.
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With no power steering, it was a bit of a wrestling match with the steering wheel in parking lots, but on curvy roads it was rewarding. The soft suspension and plush seats joined forces for a comfortable ride, even over some bumpy side streets. Over 40 years after it initially launched, the second-generation Prelude held up as a car you could comfortably drive today.
Travis Langness/SlashGear
Base model price when new: $9,645
Price with inflation today: $31,810
Power: 100 hp
Torque: 109 lb-ft
Curb weight: 2,180 lbs
Third generation Prelude (1988 – 1991)
Immediately upon sitting down in the third-gen Prelude I said out loud "I would buy one of these today. Right now. Put it on sale and I'll buy it." I knew it was a favorite right out of the box. All the important controls were within arms reach and interior design elements like the A/C vents piping through the doors were designed with function in mind. Every control and knob had engaging physical feedback: nothing haptic or contrived here. The interior was plenty spacious, too, with lots of legroom and headroom up front. Big door openings meant it was easy to slide in and out without ducking.
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The third-generation Prelude used the industry's first four-wheel steering system (at least in the United States), which made it feel extremely light on its feet. Instead of pushing slightly through corners like some front-wheel drive cars, the Prelude turned in with urgency.
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The 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, while low on power by today's standards, was enough to move the third-gen model quickly between corners and up to commuting speeds. The four-speed automatic was, as you'd probably expect, not a highlight, but the rest of the car was so enjoyable, the transmission didn't take much away from my short test drive.
Travis Langness/SlashGear
Travis Langness/SlashGear
Base model price when new: $13,495
Price with inflation today: $37,622
Power: 135 hp
Torque: 127 lb-ft
Curb weight: 2,347 lbs
Fourth generation Prelude (1992 – 1996)
The third-generation Prelude was impressive, but if I had to pick a favorite amongst all the Preludes I drove during this event, I'd pick the fourth-generation model. Steering and handling was the best of the bunch, with the four-wheel steering doing wonders to help navigate tight turns. The throw of the shifter was excellent, as was its feel in the palm of my hand.
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The styling is timeless. Slim headlights, a long hood, and a low cowl all make the fourth-generation Prelude look like a proper sports car from the outside. And on the inside, the dashboard-wide set of gauges and backlit bits of information put a smile on my face every time I started the car.
Travis Langness/SlashGear
It feels sleek at a stand-still from just about every angle. The leather seats were a bit stuffy on a warm Los Angeles summer day, but that was just about the only complaint I could come up with after driving the fourth-gen model.
Travis Langness/SlashGear
Travis Langness/SlashGear
Base model price when new: $16,540
Price with inflation today: $38,632
Power: 135 – 190 hp
Torque: 137 – 158 lb-ft
Curb weight: 2,765 lbs
Fifth generation Prelude (1997 – 2001)
The Acura Integra from the late 1990s gets lots of headlines, and rightfully so, it was an excellent car. It's still hailed as one of the best-driving front-wheel-drive cars of all time, it had excellent driving dynamics, and it made massive power from a relatively-small, naturally-aspirated engine.
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But at the exact same time that the DC2 Integra Type R was cementing its place in the history books, the Prelude was innovating with features like torque vectoring all-wheel steering. And it had more horsepower than the Integra too: the Type R had smaller displacement (1.8 liters) with 195 hp, but the 2.2-liter engine under the hood of the Prelude made 200 horses.
Travis Langness/SlashGear
The feelings of nostalgia I had in the other generations of the Prelude weren't as strong in the fifth-gen model (not surprising as it's the newest model) but it still tugged at my heart strings. The excellent cloth seats with their diagonal inserts, the simple black-and-gray dashboard, and the bright-orange gauge needles all put me in a 90s mood. It wasn't my favorite of the bunch (it felt a bit heavy and slightly disconnected compared to other models) but the fifth-generation Prelude was an excellent send off for the nameplate.
https://www.edmunds.com/honda/prelude/1997/features-specs/
Base model price when new: $23,595
Price with inflation today: $47,836
Power: 200 hp
Torque: 156 lb-ft
Curb weight: 2,954 lbs
Sixth generation Prelude (2026)
If the point of parading out a pack of Preludes was to pump some excitement into the automotive landscape ahead of the new model's arrival, Honda can consider that mission accomplished. From the first generation all the way up to the fifth, there was something to like about each Prelude model. And, if my test of the latest Honda Civic Hybrid is any indication, the new Prelude will be excellent to drive too.
Here's just some of what we know about the upcoming sixth-generation Prelude: It's going to use Honda's two-motor hybrid system, which is currently used in the Civic. It will have two doors (huzzah!) and it will debut new tech like Honda's so-called S+ Shift drive mode. We have an idea how much horsepower it will have based on the current Civic, and pricing can be speculated based on the current Civic as well – and if our estimates are correct, it could be a powerful and affordable coupe that fills a big void in Honda's lineup. And, if we're lucky, it'll have a little bit of that old Prelude magic.
Estimated price when new: $30,000 – $35,000
Estimated Power: 200 hp
Estimated Torque: 232 lb-ft
Estimated Curb weight: 2,800 – 3,000 lbs