I clearly remember when the last Honda Prelude came out. By the time the fifth-gen came out for the 1997 model year the entire country had been fully consumed by tuner fever. The first BB6 I ever saw outside the pages of Car and Driver was already slammed, illuminating the night with blue HIDs, and traveling in a caravan of modded Civics and Integras. With the sixth-gen Honda Prelude having officially debuted yesterday, let’s see which kit looks best on it.
Here’s the stock Prelude. We’ve gone over the fact that it won’t have a manual or a sunroof, both Prelude hallmarks from the first five generations. It doesn’t even have more power than lesser Civics, as it uses the same powertrain as a Civic Hybrid with 200 horsepower and a 232 lb-ft of torque.
One thing that it does have in common with previous Preludes is some kind of fancy underpinning that helps it handle a curve like LeBron James handles a ball. Prelude predecessors had four-wheel-steering or the Super Handling torque-vectoring diff that transfered torque to the outer front wheel to give the car supernatural cornering capabilities. For the 2026 model, Honda has given it the dual-axis strut suspension of the Civic Type R. By separating steering and suspension functions, it removes torque steer and adds road holding ability at cornering limits.
When the first previews of the fifth-gen Prelude began appearing in magazines, my entire cohort of Honda head friends thought it was hideous. We couldn’t look past the large peeled-back eyes for headlights that were such a departure from the sleekness of its predecessor. But when my friend and I encountered that first modded one mentioned above, in Crystal Blue Metallic glowing bluish-silver under streetlamps, we turned to each other and exclaimed in unison, “That looked awesoooome!” It immediately became one of my favorite Hondas, a feeling only confirmed when I actually test drove one.
Honda Access is an in-house producer of aftermarket accessories for Honda products in Japan. As such, they’ve already released an aero kit with modified front lower skirts, a rear spoiler, and 19-inch angled-spoke split-stars. In terms of spiciness it’s jalapeño level, turning up the heat to a noticeable but not sweat-inducing stage.
Then there’s Mugen, which goes up to Habanero level with carbon-fiber front spoilers, side skirts, rear under-spoilers, and deck spoiler. There’s a tuned exhaust system and available Diamond Black 19-inch FR10 wheels made in conjunction with BBS Japan. While these wheels and spoiler do look more purposeful, we’re a little tired of the sporadic bits of carbon fiber look. We think the ideal combo might be the Access front spoiler with Mugen wheels and exhaust.
So far, like with the BB6, we haven’t been wowed by the new Prelude. But perhaps seeing one under the right conditions with proper modifications will be just as revelatory as it was back in 1997.
What this Prelude needs are not a bunch of needles add on bits that do nothing to improve performance. What it needs is a de tuned 2 liter engine from the CTR to put it’s performance somewhere between the lame 1.5 turbo and the CTR/ITS, thus making it the proper GT car that the last generation of the Prelude was, and it desperately needs a manual gear box. It needs these things to save it from becoming the secretary’s express that it currently is.
Right now the Prelude is just a pretty face, with nothing to back it up.
Sorry, that should say needless, not needles. Not had my morning coffee yet…
I mean, this is pretty much the kind of car the Prelude was intended to be. It was always a personal luxury coupe, and the 4th and 5th gen VTEC versions didn’t really change that reality. This thing was always the car for someone who wanted something sexier than a loaded Accord, but didn’t want a sports car.
There’s no way it was going to have anything other than the Accord’s higher-trim motor, and a load of “luxury” features on the interior. I am not sure how people would have expected something different.
I’m very glad to see Honda dive back into the coupe market. Unfortunately I find the design to be very unidentifiable as a brand. If you removed all the badging I might have guessed it was a Toyota.
Hi, well think more of a (Hint*) Nissan,even though they didn’t Merge but…. Thanks -Smith
The duckbill front still turns me off, but the more I look at the car, the more it reminds me of the second-gen Eclipse with the somewhat short front end, the rear side window that shoots up and the bulbous rear bumper topped by a lightbar.
But is looks, trick suspension bits and 200hp enough in a, let’s be honest, dead sporty coupé market? Most people think “fast” is sporty, any most SUVs will be faster than this…
Make it a T-top! It is unwieldy but fun to interact with, and it will make people look twice! Make it a big ass glass roof that pops up and goes back over the rear window! Make it able to tow 3000lbs so one can just rent a u-haul for when a coupé is not practical enough! Four-wheel steering is making a comeback, make it so! Have the torquey elec motor do all low-speed driving, and make the gas engine a stratosphericaly redlined, wailing VTEC beast with no low-end because the elec is there anyway! Something, anything!
Honda must find a twist, some kind of killer app, for people to look at the Prelude as something else than another good looking hybrid because the Prius still looks better. The manual transmission could have been it, I know not much people are able to drive these lately, but it would be the halo car to bring the attention and make car journalist write about this car and have it come to mind for their comparos.
And dang, that Mugen ducktail looks good!
“…fancy underpinning that helps it handle a curve like LeBron James handles a ball.”
So you’re saying it’s going to take a corner and then all the wheels fall off?
Seriously, the looks have grown on me but it leaves me with the same longing as I had when the CR-Z came out. Named successor to a great car, but missed the mark with regards to power options. Maybe they’ll come out with a Si or Type R version?
Why oh why did they decide on that horrendous styling?
It sparks memories of 1990s Chrysler cab forward design, mixed with 2nd / 3rd gen Mitsubishi Eclipse equipped with a tuner era glassfiber beak grafted on for no apparent reason. They finally got the styling right with the current gen Civic and the newer Prelude looks a generation older for some reason, as there is something seriously off with the proportions. Too high in the middle, too tapered in the rear.
A shame really, that the starving coupé market does not even get a manual transmission. Oh… and a sunroof option is missing.
Disappointed by Honda – they once were great.
The styling proportions of the 6th gen Prelude look a bit odd seen in profile. Blame FWD vs RWD for that?
Can somebody please make a Civic nose conversion kit?
Mugen with the all-silver wheels. The stock black ones do it no favors, and I really think the black-wheel trend is fully played out and it’s time to move on.
Unfortunately, it looks like a Hyundai.