Everyone seems to have their mind made up about the new Honda Prelude, based on its spec-sheet performance and ballpark price. The new coupe will offer 200 horsepower and 232 lb-ft of torque from a hybrid powertrain at “about $42,000,” Honda tells us—at least if you’re buying one here in the States, or in Japan. Because across the pond in Europe, the Prelude will actually be 10% down on power, presumably due to emissions regulations and tuning, while still effectively costing more.
If you’ve been following the Prelude, you know that it pulls the Civic Hybrid’s powertrain and chassis components from the Type R. Over in Europe, the current Civic Hybrid has always advertised less power—181 hp, to our version’s 200—while both markets are even in torque. In the U.K., Honda has announced the Prelude will hit dealers at £39,595 before taxes, which translates to $52,150 at the time of writing.
Our Prelude won’t be as expensive, but consider that enthusiasts here have long been grumbling about the coupe’s performance-per-dollar proposition since we vaguely knew what the car would cost in Japan. In Europe, that proposal is going to be even less compelling. One review from British outlet Car placed the two-door’s zero-to-60 time at 8.2 seconds, which is about even with a fully loaded Civic Hybrid you’d buy over there.
Twenty horsepower might not make or break a car, but when you’re talking about what is ostensibly a performance model—even if Honda’s pitching it more as a budget grand tourer than a sports compact—that has but 200 hp to begin with and only costs a few grand less than a Type R, you’re arguably starting on the back foot.
That’s not to say the Prelude can’t still be fun to drive. Our man Joel Feder very briefly sampled one over in Japan, which has the same output as the U.S. spec due on sale imminently, and he liked it. I’m very much looking forward to getting some seat time in the Prelude next year because, among other things, I think it looks stunning, and we need more relatively affordable coupes in this world.
There isn’t anything on the market quite like the new Prelude—but that’s both a blessing and a curse, and you have to wonder how many people are looking for its precise blend of sportiness, comfort, and efficiency. We know it’s gotten off to a surprisingly brisk start in its home market, but it’ll be interesting to see if it can find a similar footing in the U.S., and especially in Europe with 20 horsepower tied behind its back.
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Backed by a decade of covering cars and consumer tech, Adam Ismail is a Senior Editor at The Drive, focused on curating and producing the site’s slate of daily stories.