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Honda Prelude Returns As A Hybrid Coupe With Swagger
So Honda has dusted off a nameplate and given it a modern heartbeat. The Prelude is back, looking like the sort of coupe your heart approves of and your accountant will tolerate.
It arrives in one trim with five colours offered at no extra cost and a driveaway price of $65,000. Orders are open now through Honda’s website and dealer network, and the price sits under the brand’s One Price Promise so you know what you are paying before you buy.
What The Thing Actually Does
Underneath the pretty bodywork is Honda’s e:HEV hybrid powertrain married to what the marketing folk call S+ Shift. Translation: it uses hybrid efficiency but can fake rapid gear changes with an evocative engine note, a throttle kick and rev-matching blips at the push of a button. The chassis borrows performance DNA from the Type R, which means it is meant to feel wired and eager rather than floaty and forgetful.
The design aims for aerodynamic calm rather than shouty flash, with proportions and bodylines that suggest momentum even when stationary. The goal seems simple: make a coupe that feels like an extension of the driver rather than a sofa with headlights.
Promises, Warranty And The Bit About Keeping Value
Honda is protecting owners with its Road Ahead Guarantee: a five year unlimited kilometre warranty, five years of premium roadside assist and five scheduled services priced at $199 each. Between that package and the One Price Promise, the company is nudging the Prelude toward being a sensible modern classic instead of an expensive ornament.
The Prelude will make its local appearance at the Melbourne motor show and, if you believe awards, it has already picked up early praise as a Best Coupe in Europe. Whether it will become a modern legend or simply a very enjoyable commute companion will depend on how badly people want a hybrid coupe that still behaves like a proper driver’s car.
Zachary Skinner is the editor of TechDrivePlay.com, where tech, cars and adventure share the fast lane.
A former snowboarding pro and programmer, he brings both creative flair and technical know-how to his reviews. From high-performance cars to clever gadgets, he explores how innovation shapes the way we move, connect and live.
