2026 Honda Prelude
4/22/202631 min
This week, we cover the all-new 2026 Honda Prelude. We reminisce about past Preludes, discuss the 2026 model's hybrid-only powertrain and redesigned styling, and try to figure out who the Prelude is for: it's not sporty enough to be called a sports car, but it falls short on luxury touches to be considered a grand touring coupe. We also answer a question about Consumer Reports' EV Highway Range Test and explore why a buyer might need 300+ miles of driving range.
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SHOW NOTES:
00:00 Intro & Why We Bought the Honda Prelude
00:57 What the New Prelude Is (and Isn't)
03:35 Design, Features & First Impressions
06:00 Driving Experience & Everyday Usability
08:21 How It Compares to Other Cars (Civic, Prius, Z)
10:50 The Identity Problem & Who It's For
12:58 Styling, Practicality & Value Debate
16:03 Final Thoughts on the Prelude
19:38 Audience Question: EV Range vs Real Driving Needs
22:12 Why EV Range Testing Still Matters
LINKS:
2026 Honda Prelude: https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/honda/prelude/2026/overview/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
First Drive: Who is the Honda Prelude For?: https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/hybrids-evs/2026-honda-prelude-review-a7655687395/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
2025 Honda Civic Adds Hybrid, Hatchback, Google, and More Power: https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/small-cars/2025-honda-civic-hybrid-review-a1056711696/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
Consumer Reports' Real-World Electric Car Range Comparison: https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/hybrids-evs/real-world-ev-range-tests-models-that-beat-epa-estimates-a1103288135/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsKeith Barry· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Hey, welcome back. I'm Keith Barry.
Steph Schrader· Panelist0:12
I'm Steph Schrader.
Jake Fisher· Panelist0:13
And I'm Jake Fisher.
Keith Barry· Host0:14
And we are uniquely equipped today to talk about, uh, a very unique car that is in, well, it's sort of right out there. I can see it out the window. [laughs] We bought a Honda Prelude for our test program because you said we should.
Jake Fisher· Panelist0:30
We should.
Steph Schrader· Panelist0:31
He was correct.
Keith Barry· Host0:32
And, and you wrote the first drive.
Steph Schrader· Panelist0:34
Mm-hmm.
Keith Barry· Host0:35
I like kind of weird cars and what seem like questionable business decisions. [laughs] [laughs] And you know all about, uh, Honda's performance, uh, uh, vehicles and history. So I think we're, we're an interesting group of folks right here- Sure.
Steph Schrader· Panelist0:49
Mm. Mm-hmm ...
Keith Barry· Host0:49
to, to talk about this. So what is this car? It's 200 horsepower. It's a hybrid. It's an automatic. It's a Civic. It's a coupe. It's like $43,000. What, what, what, what, what is this? What is this car?
Jake Fisher· Panelist1:06
Ye- that's a good question, you know?
Keith Barry· Host1:09
[laughs] [laughs] Yeah.
Jake Fisher· Panelist1:10
It's interesting. So, so, I mean, kind of think it through. Like, you look at kind of the, the Honda's like parts bins from like, you know, y- yes- yesteryear, right?
Keith Barry· Host1:18
Mm-hmm.
Steph Schrader· Panelist1:18
Yeah.
Jake Fisher· Panelist1:18
There was, there was lots of different i- interesting variations that like I grew up with, you know?
Steph Schrader· Panelist1:23
Hmm.
Jake Fisher· Panelist1:23
Whether or not it's the Honda CR-X, which was like the two-seat version of the Civic, the Prelude, which was kind of like the, kind