Honda Australia didn’t wait for the hype to settle. They dropped the full specs for the sixth-gen Prelude today. A hybrid coupe. The price tag is $65,000. Drive-away. No hidden fees. Just one trim level. You pick the paint, you pick the extras. That’s it.
It looks like a Civic. It shares the Civic’s platform. In fact, it’s smaller than the Civic in every way. Shorter wheelbase. 2605mm compared to the hatchback’s 2735mm. But the bones? Those are special. Honda grabbed the front suspension and adaptive dampers straight from the Civic Type R. The hot hatch hardware. In a grand touring hybrid.
Stock is already sitting in showrooms. Honda wants to move 500 of them this year. A niche play. A callback. The original Prelude left Australia in 2001. It cost $50,209 then. Adjust for inflation? That’s nearly $96,000 today. So at $65k, is this a deal? Or just a different kind of trap.
The drive. And the noise.
It’s front-wheel drive. Always was. Now it’s a hybrid. Sourced directly from the Civic hatch. A 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle engine paired with two electric motors. Combined output? 135kW. 315Nm. Sent to the front tires only.
There is no gearbox. Not a real one. Honda built a simulator they call ‘S+ Shift’. It mimics an eight-speed auto. You use steering wheel paddles to trigger the effect. It feels sharp. Or it tries to.
Worried it’ll sound like an elevator? Honda added Active Sound Control. It pumps out a fake engine roar. Synchronized to the RPMs.
“A powerful engine sound in sync with engine RPA”
It’s synthetic. Of course it is. But does it matter? Maybe. Probably not.
Dimensions and upkeep
The warranty is standard Honda fare. Five years. Unlimited kilometers. The battery gets eight. Keep it at a dealer for servicing and you stretch that to eight years total.
Service intervals are yearly. Or every 10,000 kilometers. It costs $199 per visit for the first five years. Cheap enough. The chassis demands care though. Those Type R dampers aren’t made for potholes.
Safety nets
ANCAP hasn’t crashed this yet. Euro NCAP either. But the software stack is standard. Honda Sensing. Full suite.
- 10 airbags. Everywhere. Knees included.
- Autonomous emergency braking.
- Adaptive cruise.
- Blind-spot monitoring.
- Traffic Jam Assist.
It’s a safe car. Technically. It has all the boxes ticked for modern driver aid systems. Post-collision braking? Yes. Unintended acceleration mitigation? Also yes.
What’s inside
The cabin is all hybrid luxury. 19-inch alloys. Brembo brakes up front. A 10.2-inch digital cluster. A 9-inch infotainment screen. Google built-in. Wireless CarPlay. Android Auto.
The seats are heated leather with a houndstooth pattern. Distinctive. A bit 80s? Maybe. The steering wheel is flat-bottomed. Wrapped in leather. Paddle shifters attached. For the fake gears.
Sound system is an 8-speaker Bose setup. Climate control is dual-zone. Rear seats are fabric. Privacy glass in the back.
Costs and colors
You can dress it up. Accessories add up fast. A weathershield set is $370. A tailgate spoiler costs $990. Illuminated door sills? Another $990. Mud guards? $399.
If you skip the chrome and the plastic, you just buy the car. Five colors. All free.
- Meteoroid Grey
- Racing Blue
- Moonlit White
- Crystal Black
- Rallye Red
It’s a strange car. A small coupe with big ambitions. Built on a hatchback frame. Faking a gearbox. Making noise electronically.
Does it need to be real? The Prelude used to be raw. This one is curated. Safe. Efficient. Expensive.
Maybe that’s the point.
