Honda has finally taken the wraps off the much-anticipated return of the Prelude. The two-door sports coupe will be a two-motor hybrid built on the Civic Type R chassis.
Those who remember the Prelude of old are now probably taking a daily baby aspirin, but will recall the sport coupe that arrived in 1978. For over two decades, five generations of the Honda Prelude made the world grin under its standard moonroof and fast-revving inline four. The Prelude's last hurrah was its Type S model, sold only in Japan, which heralded the end of the Prelude as it ceased production in 2001.
Today, nostalgia is a big seller, with a lot of automakers getting in on the 1980s love by introducing defunct models and throwback special editions. Honda is cashing in on that with the Prelude name ... but with a distinctly modern twist.
Like the Prelude of old, the 2026 Prelude is a grand tourer design made for engaging driving and handling, but not sprint speeds or GT-style cornering. The new sixth generation of the car is a hybrid that combines an Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine with two electric motors sitting upon the Honda Civic Type R's performance chassis. In short, the Prelude is a Civic Hybrid and Type R mashup in a two-door configuration.
"We are thrilled to be bringing back such an iconic nameplate to the Honda lineup," said Jessika Laudermilk, assistant vice president of Honda National Auto Sales. "The Prelude's return demonstrates our commitment to exciting, fun-to-drive vehicles and will help to accelerate our hybrid-electric sales in the years ahead."
For the 2026 model year, Honda isn't going to offer the Prelude with anything other than one trim level and a handful of options. That debut trim will include leather-trimmed seating, 19-inch Berlina Black wheels clad in 235/40 tires, Brembo four-piston front brakes, the Type R's strut suspension and adaptive dampers, and an 8-speaker Bose audio system ... among other things, one of those other things being Honda's new "S+ Shift" drive mode.
S+ Shift gives the direct-drive unit a "performance transmission experience" through false shifting. Used with the paddle shifters at the steering wheel, the S+ Shift system mimics gearshift response with rev-matching, downshift blips, and gear-holding simulations. Honda plans to put this system in all of its hybrid vehicles.
The exterior of the new Prelude is a callback to the fourth-generation of the car, with an even front-to-rear visual balance not too dissimilar to the current-generation Nissan Z. The new Prelude's hood is shorter and its rear section longer, creating that visual harmony – it's a departure from the long-nosed look of the fourth-gen Prelude and traditional saloon styling of many Japanese sports cars.
Simple body lines and subtle bone lines mark most of the 2026 Prelude's design details, offset by a sharp running board cut that hints at brake cooling vents. The nose and tail are similarly undercut to match, giving a sharp visual to the aero profile.
Chassis hardware for the 2026 Honda Prelude is straight off the Type R. Wider front and rear tracks, dual axis struts in front, and oversized brakes are standard. As is the Type R's adaptive damper system. All-season tires are standard, high-performance summer tires are an option. Honda is adding a new Honda Agile Handling Assist system which is said to improve handling and driver confidence. This combines control of the powertrain and braking system to coincide with steering inputs.
Powering the new Prelude is a 2.0-liter inline-four in the Atkinson cycle. This produces 141 horsepower (104 kW) and 134 pound-feet (182 Nm) of torque. The engine redlines at 6,250 rpm, with peak HP coming at 6,000. The two-motor hybrid attachment brings 181 HP (133 kW) at 5,000 rpm and 232 lb-ft (314 Nm) at up to 2,000 rpm. This disparity results in the combined output of engine and motors coming to 200 horsepower (147 kW).
Combined power runs to the front wheels via a direct drive unit with a 3.421 final drive ratio and a 2.455 reverse ratio.
The 2026 Prelude will run on regular unleaded, but EPA ratings for efficiency have not yet been released. Given the car's 10.6-gallon (40-liter) fuel tank, we can guess that the Prelude's MPG rating will be in the mid-30s to low 40s.
The 2026 Honda Prelude will make its market entry in most markets in late 2025 with pricing and other details coming closer to that release.
Source: Honda
