Honda brought the Prelude back. Sixth generation, about 25 years after the fifth one died in 2001. Honda’s September 4, 2025 North American reveal is the source. It is a 2+2 hybrid coupe with Civic Type R chassis hardware and 200 horsepower. Honda S+ Shift pretends there is an eight-speed. There is not. Dealers have had it since late fall. Honda’s November 18, 2025 pricing release put the one trim at $42,000 before a $1,195 destination charge.
200 horsepower and a gearbox that does not exist
The powertrain is the two-motor e:HEV from the Civic hybrid. A 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four, 1,993 cc, 141 hp at 6,000 rpm and 134 lb-ft at 4,500. The drive motor is 181 hp from 5,000 to 6,000 rpm and 232 lb-ft from a standstill to 2,000. Combined system output is 200 horsepower. Honda’s November release says there is no traditional transmission and no CVT. The traction motor turns the front wheels through a fixed ratio. The engine can lock up for highway cruising. That is the whole gearbox.
S+ Shift is the workaround. Honda Europe’s 2026 Prelude press kit calls it a virtual eight-speed. Paddles on the wheel. Simulated upshifts. Rev-matched downshifts. Engine noise through the speakers. The cluster turns into a tach with a gear number. The hardware is still a motor and a lock-up clutch. Honda has already said S+ Shift is coming to other hybrids. Of course it is.
Official figures from that November table:
- One trim, front-wheel drive, $42,000 MSRP, $43,195 with the $1,195 destination charge
- EPA 46 city / 41 highway / 44 combined
- Regular unleaded, 10.6-gallon tank
- Drive modes: Comfort, GT, Sport, Individual
Type R bits, Prelude tuning
Honda did not give it Type R power. It gave it Type R hardware. Dual-axis strut front suspension, shared with the Civic Type R and retuned. Wide tracks, 64.0 inches front and 63.5 rear. Two-piece 13.8-inch front rotors with Brembo four-piston aluminum calipers painted Prelude blue. 12.0-inch rears. Adaptive dampers, also Type R hardware, also retuned. 19-inch Berlina Black wheels, 235/40R19 all-seasons. Summer tires are a box you can check.
Four modes change throttle, steering assist, damper force, engine sound, and the cluster. Agile Handling Assist brakes the inside wheels if you ask the nose to turn. Steering is 2.1 turns lock-to-lock, 11.3:1. It is a 178.4-inch coupe on a 102.6-inch wheelbase, 53.4 inches tall and 74.0 inches wide. Curb weight was TBA on the September spec sheet. Honda never put the number in the later pricing release either.
One trim, $42,000, already at dealers
Honda sells one Prelude. Leather sport seats with a houndstooth perforation, heated, with asymmetrical bolsters so the driver gets the firm side. 2+2, 32.0 inches of rear legroom, 60/40 fold, 15.1 cubic feet behind the liftgate. 10.2-inch cluster, 9-inch screen with Google built-in, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, Bose eight-speaker. Honda Sensing is standard. Colors from the September release: Boost Blue Pearl, Rallye Red, Meteorite Gray Metallic, Crystal Black Pearl, and Winter Frost Pearl with a body-color or black roof. Honda’s current Prelude page lists the two-tone at $42,500.
The September release said late fall. The November 18 release said it had begun arriving. That was nine months ago. If you want one, the question is inventory, not a waitlist.
Honda killed the Prelude once because people bought CR-Vs. It came back as a Civic hybrid in a Type R tuxedo, with paddles that shift nothing. 200 horsepower. 46 mpg city. $42,000 before destination. A sports coupe that has to pretend it has gears.
Images courtesy of Honda. Specs from Honda’s September 4, 2025 release “2026 Honda Prelude Revealed: Iconic Model Returns with Hybrid-Electric Power, Type R Chassis Hardware and New Honda S+ Shift,” Honda’s November 18, 2025 release “New 2026 Honda Prelude Sports Coupe Expands Honda Hybrid-Electric Lineup to Four Fun-to-Drive and Fuel-Efficient Models,” Honda Europe’s 2026 Prelude press kit (virtual eight-speed), and automobiles.honda.com/prelude as of August 14, 2026.
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