The Honda Prelude is coming to Europe – should we care?

The Prelude is hardly forgotten but neither is it rooted in the psyche of car enthusiasts in the way similarly enduring model names are. If it wasn’t for the new car’s recent debut, or Smith and Sniff’s ‘2.2, yeah?’ character, you probably wouldn’t have thought about the Prelude for years.

In recent years, it has been overshadowed by the Japanese marque’s more obvious performance cars. The Civic Type R and S2000 are much more obvious in their intent. Even the Insight, in first generation form at least, stood for something quite distinctive. It was not a performance car, but it was a model with a clear identity. The Prelude’s charms have always been a little more nebulous.

Perhaps that’s because its raison d’etre evolved over the years. In its original guise, the Prelude was not much more than a shorter, two-door version of the contemporary Accord. With successive generations, it became a showcase of Honda technology, becoming ever more sophisticated in its pursuit of dynamic prowess. In fact, but the late 1990s, the Accord Coupé was simultaneously offered an entirely separate model in its own right because of how far the Prelude had evolved. One manufacturer offering multiple two-doors? We didn’t know we were born.

In its sixth generation form, the Prelude returns dubbed the hybrid e:HEV. Despite the (quite understandable) direction the drivetrain is taking, Honda has promised that it will continue from where the last model left off. On face value, that appears to mean a two-door body with rather plain styling. That’s OK; the last one hardly had styling to set the pulse racing. In fact, a 1980s dalliance with pop-up headlights aside, only the third generation of 1991 really moved away from rather ordinary styling.

Honda positions the Prelude as a showcase of its high performance technology. Hans de Jaeger, Senior Vice President, Honda Motor Europe, elaborated: “The Honda Prelude is an iconic nameplate, and this latest model promises to build on that heritage with our trademark hybrid performance and the latest dynamic technology. All with a view to not only delivering exceptional efficiency, but also the fun-to-drive performance for which this model is known. We are excited for its arrival in Europe following a very positive reception so far.”

Hybrid system aside, it will be a while before we find out exactly how those principles manifest themselves for the second quarter of the 21st century. The new car is due to arrive in showrooms in 2026.

One nugget that Honda has released, though, is that the Prelude will debut the new S+ Shift. The system will “simulate the sound and feel of quick automatic gearchanges,” says Honda. It sounds like a similar system to Hyundai’s synthesised gearshifts. 

Are we now nostalgic for fast automatic shifts? It feels too soon. We’re only just coming to terms with the scarcity of proper manual gearboxes. Give us time to grieve. Still, it does at least suggest that Honda is paying attention to the desires of keen drivers, and for that at least we should find a crumb of optimism. It suggests that Honda has kept in mind those who like driving. We wait with intrigue.

Perhaps the most significant thing about the new Prelude is that it stays true to its heritage. In a world where new coupés are scarce and even the Ford Capri – now there’s a nameplate with an image – is rendered an SUV, Honda should be applauded for rolling the dice.