After owning my Prelude for a little over six months, I thought it was time to post my thoughts on what the ownership experience has been like. I have also attached a video by YouTuber Jimmy Mak (J. Mak Media) that sums up much of what I think of the car. (Scroll to the end to see the video)
To understand this car one has to think of who it is NOT for. Once you know that you can appreciate what this car represents and the type of owner that will enjoy it. The Prelude is not for someone looking for raw power and a loud exhaust, rather it is built for someone that is looking for a refined, well constructed versatile machine. The contrast is like comparing a grand piano to a drum set. For me it pushes all the buttons I want - style, adjustable suspension, technology, fantastic handling, comfortable seats, excellent sound system, great fuel economy and enough power to make driving fun.
I mentioned versatility- For example I bought a push lawn mower yesterday that was fully assembled. Opened the hatch, folded the mower handle down and in seconds I was on my way to do yardwork. The Prelude gobbled up the mower like a shark taking a big bite. I also mentioned fuel economy; I'm consitently getting 45-46 MPG for all types of driving.
I also mentioned adaptable suspension. The engineers at Honda tuned each of the settings just right. The Prelude shares much of the suspension of the Civic Type R but the dampers are softer even in sport mode. The comfort mode delivers a luxury car ride at the soft end of the spectrum while GT mode is perfect for every day driving. You feel the car doing what you want it to with no hesitation in GT and Sport modes. And then there's Individual mode where you can custom tune your ride. All very nicely done Honda!
And when it comes to Style, this car has it in spades. I've owned some very nice cars including several Alfa Romeos and Porsches but none of them attracted attention like this. I know the car is new and most people have not seen one, but I have had numerous people taking pictures of the car parked at the grocery store, people yelling out their window at stop lights asking "What is That?". I even had a woman knocking on my window before getting out of the car in a parking lot asking me to roll the window down so she can ask me about the car. It is crazy how much attention this car draws.
Summing it up- I've come to love this car like no other. I actually may keep this car long term. It's like I've built a friendship with it - it's always there for me doing its thing with ease. It could be just crusing to the get groceries or doing some spirited driving on twisty back roads. The car speaks to me in a language I understand and the car understands me! To me it has the best parts of many cars I've owned rolled into one. And for that reason the price ($43,850) that reviewers have complained about is worth it to me. As I say, you have to drive the car for a while to fully appreciate it! Check out the video below that explains this well.
Who's it for? 2026 Honda Prelude Review - Hybrid Type-R?
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