Preview: Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Honda Prelude

As a young automotive enthusiast growing up in the 1990s, the Honda Prelude of the time was one of the first vehicles that really got my attention.

After a long hiatus, the Prelude name is back. The sixth-generation 2026 Honda Prelude is a very different car from the one I admired as a kid, but it’s supposed to embody all the elements that made it such a hit: sporty style, fun-but-comfortable driving dynamics, and Honda’s hard-earned reputation for reliability. 

Promising Powertrain

The new Prelude combines the efficient two-motor system from the Civic Hybrid with chassis components from the Civic Type R sport compact, marrying two of Honda’s strengths into one car. The powertrain starts with an efficient Atkinson-cycle 2.0L four-cylinder engine. With the assistance of two electric motors, total system output is 200 hp and 232 lb-ft of torque — exactly the same as the Civic Hybrid.

Where it gets interesting is all the Civic Type R chassis elements. The Prelude gets the same Brembo brakes, adaptive dampers, dual-axis strut front suspension, and wide front and rear tracks (that’s the distance between the centres of the wheels) while the suspension has been tweaked to offer more comfort than the Type R. It’s a great start for this little coupe — at least in theory; I’ll reserve judgement until I have a chance to drive it.

The front-wheel-drive Prelude has four drive modes: individual, comfort, grand touring, and sport. As a hybrid, not having an eco mode seems a bit odd, but the comfort mode is geared towards efficiency, so it should do the trick. Although Honda is promising an exciting drive, the new Prelude is more of a tourer-type coupe designed for sporty but comfortable driving, not hardcore performance. 

What is Honda S+ Shift?

The Prelude doesn’t have a traditional transmission. While it uses the same type of continuously-variable transmission (CVT) as the Civic Hybrid, it’s not even a conventional CVT. Instead of using belts or pulleys, this transmission uses a planetary gearset that enables the engine and electric motors to work together, sending power directly to the front wheels from either or both sources when needed. It’s a much more direct connection from the engine to the wheels and is supposed to be more responsive than a traditional CVT, delivering power in a way that’s closer to that of an electric vehicle (EV). 

The transmission behaves so differently from a CVT that Honda went so far as to say that the Prelude doesn’t have a transmission at all, which is a half-truth. This odd attempt at rebranding this transmission is understandable, however, because a traditional CVT is a red flag for drivers wanting a sportier experience, and this isn’t really a CVT, so don’t count it out before trying it first.

Honda is trying to make the Prelude seem more engaging by rebranding the technology as “Honda S+ Shift.” When in comfort mode, the alloy paddle shifters behind the steering wheel control the levels of regenerative braking; but in sport mode, they can be used to mimic the type of shifting expected in a more performance-oriented car.

The Prelude will be the first car to feature the S+ Shift system. Besides delivering simulated gear shifts and simulating engine noise, it’s also supposed to mimic blips after a downshift, rev matching, and gear holding in an attempt to give drivers a more engaging experience.

Design Details

Inspired by air gliders and designed to emphasize sportiness, the Prelude is low and wide with clean lines, functional air vents, and prominent fender flares. With tidy two-door sports car proportions and wheels pushed out to the corners, the Prelude certainly looks quick.

The flush-mounted door handles are the first of their kind for Honda. The Prelude sits on 19-inch wheels, and the double-bubble roof is another sporty touch that’s supposed to make more room for people wearing helmets. Blue details indicating that it’s a hybrid can be found throughout.

When it arrives, it will be offered in three colours: Winter Frost Pearl, Crystal Black Pearl, and Rally Red. Honda is also planning to offer a handful of official accessories so owners can customize the look to be sportier.

What’s the Interior Like?

The Prelude’s interior will look pretty familiar to anyone who’s spent time in a recent Honda vehicle, with a tidy layout, nine-inch touchscreen, many physical controls, mesh covers for the air vents, a push-button gear selector, and an unfortunate amount of gloss-black plastic, though most surfaces are soft-touch. The flat-bottom, leather-wrapped steering wheel is a welcome addition, and there’s even a centre stripe marker at 12 o’clock (though Honda missed the opportunity to make it blue). 

The interior materials look pretty good, with available white and navy blue contrasting elements making it feel more upscale. Even the black interior gets blue contrast stitching.

The manually operated driver and passenger seats have slightly different designs, with more aggressive bolstering on the driver’s seat and less on the passenger seat to ease entry and exit. The Prelude is a 2+2, so the rear seats are barely usable for anyone larger than a toddler, but installing child seats back there is probably going to be really annoying. There’s enough legroom for me to sit behind myself, but at 5-foot-6 my head is right up against the rear glass. 

The liftback-style trunk is quite large and deep, and the panel covering the trunk’s floor can be folded to offer divided storage. There’s no cargo cover included, but one will be available as an accessory. The rear seats can also fold in a 60/40 split for more storage room. 

Why Prelude and Not CR-Z?

The Honda CR-Z was a quirky vehicle sold between 2011 and 2016 that had a lot in common with today’s Prelude; it was a front-engine, front-wheel-drive sport compact hybrid. The CR-Z, then, has more in common with the 2026 Prelude than the Preludes of the past. So why not revive the CR-Z name?

“It’s really about the nostalgia and bringing back the spirit of being fun to drive,” Emile Korkor, Assistant Vice-President of Sales and Marketing at Honda Canada, said in an interview. “The Prelude really has a style of its own and a character of its own, and I think accentuating all the performance elements and that passion for driving spirit is really what Prelude is all about.”

Banking on the nostalgia was a big opportunity for Honda, and the Prelude name simply has more brand recognition and lore than the CR-Z. Still, Honda is excited for people who might be new to the Prelude to experience what it’s all about.

“We’re very excited to see this new generation of fans driving the Prelude to feel the energy in 2026 instead of how it was back in the ‘80s,” Korkor said.

Final Thoughts

The 2026 Honda Prelude is anticipated to hit dealer showrooms late this year. Pricing will be announced closer to the launch date. The Prelude will be available in a single fully loaded trim with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging, Google built-in, an eight-speaker stereo, and a long list of safety and driver assistance features.

Whenever there’s nostalgia attached to anything, the stakes are high. But with its sights set on a new generation of driving fans, we’re hoping the new 2026 Honda Prelude will still be as fun to drive as promised.