Honda’s latest model resurrects a classic name.
Honda is drawing on its history to find out if two-door cars have a future. The 2026 Prelude revealed this week resurrects a model name that was a staple of the brand’s lineup from 1979 to 2001, but has been sitting on the shelf ever since.
The original Preludes were based on the Accord, but designed with a sportier style and more upscale appointments. A now-quaint example of the latter was Honda’s first moonroof, a feature that remained standard equipment until the Prelude was put on extended hiatus after five generations.
Honda continued selling various two-door models, but the last was the Civic Coupe that was discontinued in 2020 as sales slid below sustainable levels. Two-door cars have become an endangered species across the industry, and the style is typically reserved for serious sports cars like the Toyota Supra and Chevrolet Corvette.
“Coupes were popular in the 1990s and early 2000s, but demand for them has quickly evaporated as consumers crave the practicality of extra doors,” Robby DeGraff, AutoPacific’s manager of product and consumer insights told The New York Sun.
“But coupes, whether premium or mainstream, have been rather scarce in our industry, so with the arrival of new entrants like the Prelude, perhaps Honda will be able to lean in on the nostalgia of the iconic nameplate and find success. Though the crop of coupe buyers is indeed small, a third of them would consider a coupe from the Honda brand itself,” according to an AutoPacific study, Mr. DeGraff said.
The new Prelude is technically a two-door liftback, and the added utility of an open cargo area in place of a trunk could help broaden its appeal in today’s SUV-crazed world.
It is based on Civic parts this time around, and in a very interesting combination. The Prelude uses the same hybrid powertrain as the Civic Hybrid sedan, which is rated at 200 hp and delivers a 49 mpg combined fuel economy rating in the four-door. The official figure for the Prelude has not yet been confirmed, but should be in that ballpark. However, efficiency isn’t what the Prelude is all about.
Honda is positioning it as a “grand tourer” and borrowed the suspension from the Civic Type R, which is a widebody high-performance four-door hatchback with a large rear wing that makes it look like something out of a “Fast and Furious” franchise film.
The Prelude’s styling is more subtle and smooth. It wraps around a cabin with a 2+2 seating layout that includes a pair of small rear seats that are best for short passengers and occasional use. The leather front buckets are designed asymmetrically, with the driver getting a supportive design for enthusiastic driving and the passenger a more comfortable setup.
Honda’s hybrid system operates in an unusual way. It has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, two electric motors and no traditional transmission. One motor primarily drives the wheels as the engine powers the other as an electricity generator. Only at high speeds does a clutch connect the engine to the wheels through a single speed as the electric motor disengages. During my testing of the Civic Hybrid, I found that it operated seamlessly, but it doesn’t have to in the Prelude.
Honda added some fun to the equation by creating an S+ Shift mode that simulates gear changes and synthetically enhances the engine sound. This kind of feature is becoming common in sporty electric cars, such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and 
, in an effort to make them more entertaining.
Nevertheless, Honda has set a low bar for Prelude sales to start and is only offering it in a single, fully loaded high-end trim that comes with a package of electronic driver aids and an eight-speaker Bose Centerpoint sound system.
U.S. deliveries are scheduled to begin in late fall at a yet-to-be-announced price, but the Prelude lists for approximately $42,000 in Japan, where it is built. Adding the new 15% tariff on imported Japanese cars would make it a $48,000 car, but foreign automakers have so far been absorbing much of their tariff costs in order to stay competitive.
Unfortunately for fans of the old Prelude, the price doesn’t include a moonroof, which isn’t even an option this time around. The automotive world will have to wait and see if it can reach for the stars without it.
Gary Gastelu is the Executive Editor of American Cars And Racing and host of the American Cars And Racing YouTube channel. He has been covering the U.S. automotive industry since 2007.
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