The good news is that the wait for the final details and for the car to hit dealers is nearly over. Honda revealed the on-sale date for the Prelude in Japan: September. Odds are, the coupe will reach other markets not too long after that. Besides the on-sale date, Honda also showed off some new accessories for the hybrid coupe that we expect will be available on American-market cars, too.
It's Only Appropriate That You Can Add A Body Kit To Your Prelude
The Honda Prelude was a staple of the tuner car world throughout much of its life, so it's fitting that Honda has some body modifications available for the new model. Don't worry, though, they're not as extreme or garish as what the aftermarket created decades ago. In fact, the only add-ons are the little front bumper extensions and the black rear spoiler. Everything else directly replaces existing parts. Owners will be able to switch to black chrome badges, a body-color grille insert, and a different set of 19-inch wheels. Really, Honda's parts are modest and add just a smidgen more aggressiveness over the base car. Pricing for these parts wasn't given, though even if they were, we wouldn't know the price for the US.
What We Know About The Production Honda Prelude
Honda has provided quite a bit of information about the Prelude so far. We've, of course, seen the interior and exterior, and we now know that the car will be available in four colors to start with: red, white, gray, and black. The interior can be had in white and navy two-tone, or all black, each with contrast blue stitching. The car is based on the Honda Civic platform, which is evident in its overall shape and the interior, which looks like a blend of Civic and Integra. Honda will take advantage of the Prelude's relation to the Civic by using the Type R's front suspension design.
Under the hood will be a version of Honda's two-motor hybrid powertrain powering just the front wheels. The company hasn't given numbers for this powertrain yet, but we can guess that it will have basically the same naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder system from the Accord, CR-V, and Civic hybrids. In those applications, the powertrain produces between 200 and 204 horsepower and 232 to 247 pound-feet of torque. That's a tad more power and significantly more torque than what the Civic Si sedan produces, though we hope that Honda might squeeze a little more horsepower out of the Prelude's powertrain compared to the other hybrids. Fuel economy should also be impressive, since the most closely-related Civic hybrid returns between 48 and 49 mpg in combined driving.
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