Did you test drive a Prelude before buying one?

[rexracer21]

No test drive—I trusted my gut feeling entirely; it was that slightly irrational "must-have" feeling, just like with the Civic Type R FK8 back in 2017. My only minor concern was the seating position, since I’m over 6'2" tall—but I was overjoyed when I finally took that first test drive in late March (six weeks after ordering) and realized that there isn't any more space in the FK8 either, and that I could sit comfortably!

Nice pics!

 

[faithboy48]

It is interesting—and, unfortunately, the Prelude didn't manage to keep that exclusive, unique feature for long: the facelifted e:HEV Civic in Germany is now also getting the S+ button as standard.

 

[GoZoner70]

Honda had a press release describing the Honda S+Shift.

I know that is what Honda says which is why I described it as 'my contention'. But, the more I think about it the more I think I'm right. (Hah!) By sticking to 'engagement' Honda has opened the door to the whole 'fake shift' narrative and 10s of reviewers had stepped right through that door.

The ONLY reason mechanical gears exist, the one and only one reason, is to put the IC engine in its power/torque band. The S+ paddles on the Prelude allow the driver to put the IC engine in its optimal (higher-RPM) electrical current generation band. Hold the RPMs up and you'll go faster and more quickly recharge the battery (if anything is left over after driving the wheels).

And aren't the noises from the engine and exhaust real, albeit amplified by the sound system? They must be amplified (as they are on ALL modern cars) because otherwise the sound-deadening material - needed to keep out road and wind noise - would muffle the un-amplified sounds.

 

[rexracer21]

I know that is what Honda says which is why I described it as 'my contention'. But, the more I think about it the more I think I'm right. (Hah!) By sticking to 'engagement' Honda has opened the door to the whole 'fake shift' narrative and 10s of reviewers had stepped right through that door.

The ONLY reason mechanical gears exist, the one and only one reason, is to put the IC engine in its power/torque band. The S+ paddles on the Prelude allow the driver to put the IC engine in its optimal (higher-RPM) electrical current generation band. Hold the RPMs up and you'll go faster and more quickly recharge the battery (if anything is left over after driving the wheels).

And aren't the noises from the engine and exhaust real, albeit amplified by the sound system? They must be amplified (as they are on ALL modern cars) because otherwise the sound-deadening material - needed to keep out road and wind noise - would muffle the un-amplified sounds.

Honda needs to fire some of its marketing people!

 

[pillred1]

I finally got to test drive a Prelude. Other people must have test driven the same car. It had about 90 miles on it. It is not uncommon to trade cars with other dealers and have to drive the car back from the other dealer. At first I thought it was a trade from another dealership. I checked the window sticker and it was delivered to the dealer I test drove it at. That car just had been test driven a lot. I am glad they had it available for test drives. I had it out for almost 30 minutes.

My first impression was how smooth and quiet it was. The cabin is a nice place to be. The seating position is very good and visibility is excellent forward viewing. I used both the back-up camera and side mirrors when backing into parking spaces. The Prelude seems a tiny bit wider than some cars the same size. The drivers seat was not sports car firm and as supportive as some cars but very comfortable. The drivers seat is probably pretty comfortable for longer road trips. I did not have much time in the passenger seat. I wish the seat was powered. Honestly it should be on a $43K-$44K car. It took a while to figure out the seat back tilt. The seats don’t seem to remember the seating position if you fold the seats forward to let someone in the back or if you wanted to put something in the back seats.

The cabin is nice and feels more upscale than economy. Honda did a nice job. I really appreciate the radio and HVAC controls still use buttons and knobs. Great layout and nice to look at.

I was expecting to be disappointed by the acceleration based on reviews. Yes and no. I was surprised by how liner the power delivery was off the line. It could be faster but I can say that about most cars. I wished it had more power so it can take advantage of the great and capable chassis. For a 200hp car the steering, chassis, brakes are overkill for the Prelude's drivetrain. I guess it is better to have the suspension performance parts than not. It comes at a huge cost though. The difference in price between a regular Civic Hybrid and the Prelude is $10K-$13K.

How fast or slow is the Prelude? It is about as fast as most daily driven sedans and SUVs. It is probably about as fast as the Prius and Civic. It is fast enough for daily driving. You won’t have to worry about passing or merging in traffic. It is fast enough for daily driving and on highways. It is just fast enough to still be really fun. It is just not fast enough to really take advantage of the suspension and brakes.

How slow is it? It is slower than just about every other fun car at its price or even much cheaper. The Prelude is slower than the Z, Mustang, GR86/BRZ, GTI, Miata, Mini JCW, WRX, Hyundai Elantra N. Being slower than those cars does not mean it is inferior or less fun. It is just a different kind of fun. It just depends on wht you prefer. The Prelude’s steering, chassis, and brakes help make up for the lack of power even though I don’t think the Prelude’s CTR sourced parts are tuned the same as in the Civic Type R. The Civic Type R feels more engaging, alive and raw. Not just from having more power and a manual. The suspension is tuned very different. I suspect the alignment specs might be different between the two cars also. The Preludes chassis is still EXCELLENT. Just not as exciting as a track toy as the Civic Type R is.

The Prelude feels more refined than the sharper Civic Type R. The Prelude is a much better daily driver. The Prelude's steering is really excellent but not as sharp or precise as the Civic Type R to me. Same with the suspension/chassis. The suspension was excellent also but not as sharp, responsive, or stiff as the Civic Type R. The chassis response is much sharper and quicker in the Civic Type R. I really did not use the brakes hard at all so I can’t really comment on how they feel when driven hard. The brakes have a progressive feel when braking and good bite as far as I could tell from my test drive at normal speeds. I wonder if the CTR brakes are overkill on a car with a 200 hp hybrid drivetrain. Some of the braking is assisted when regeneration happens. I think it would be hard to get enough speed up with the Prelude's drivetrain to really take advantage of the massive and capable Civic Type R brakes. I also wonder if the Prelude’s brake pad compound is the same as the Civic Type R.

I am disappointed the Prelude does not have some features for its cost. The Prelude I tried did not have rear emergency braking. Most cars do, even much less expensive cars. Power seats and a heated steering wheel would have been nice.

Overall I feel the Prelude is a greta looking, unique, fun driving car. I feel it is expensive for the performance but that is not a deal breaker. I also feel it is truly unique and really has no competition if you want a great handling, REALLY fun driving, 2-door, hybrid that gets Prius like MPG. The Prelude is 1000% more fun to drive than a Prius and most daily drivers. I agree with reviewers, it is not a fast car. It is about as fast as most daily driven sedans and SUVs. It is probably about as fast as the Prius and Civic. You won’t have to worry about passing or merging in traffic. It is fast enough for daily driving and on highways. It is slower than just about every other fun car at its price or even cheaper. The Prelude is slower than the Z, Mustang, GR86/BRZ, GTI, Miata, Mini JCW, WRX, Hyundai Elantra N. Being slower than those cars does not mean it is inferior or less fun. The Prelude’s steering, chassis, and brakes help make up for the lack of power even though I don’t think the Prelude’s CTR sourced parts are tuned the same as in the Civic Type R.

I also wanted to say something about the different driving modes. Though artificial, the Sport+ Mode is the most fun mode to me. It zaps even more time from the 0-60 and 1/4-mile times but I feel it is worth the it for the throttle blips and shifts. I enjoyed the dual-clutch feeling theatrics. I guess I am a poser?

Overall the Prelude can use more power but it is still really fun. It has best in class steering feel, chassis tuning, brakes. Only the Civic Type R and Integra Type S has better front-wheel drive steering, chassis, suspension, brakes. The Prelude steering, suspension, steering is just a softer, less intense, version of the CTR and ITS. Make no mistake it is wonderful and probably best in class for steering, road feel, suspension, chassis dynamics.

Yes, the Prelude is expensive for its power output. But what other non-EV car is as much fun and can get the MPG it gets? I can’t think of anything 2-door or 4-door. Then there is the sporty aesthetics of the Prelude. It is really nice looking. Overall the Prelude really is much better than what is written about it. I suspect most negative comments or reviews are by someone who has not actually driven one.

I think the Prelude would make for a really fun and economical daily driver and road trip car. I am still interested. Not at the $44K MSRP but maybe at $39K-$40K. I don’t think it is unrealistic to see prices drop more than the $2K+ off msrp I am seeing today so maybe one will be in my garage sooner than later. Or maybe Honda will add more equipment. I don’t know if it would ever happen but another 50-75hp would not hurt either!

Without tariffs, the car would be $6,000 cheaper. It's not Honda's fault you have to pay more for it, and while I'm at it, you are still paying a hell of a lot less than I have just paid for mine at the equivalent of $55,000!

 

[pillred1]

But 90 miles isn't really much for a demo car or test-drive vehicle, is it?

The Prelude I test drove had 2,600 miles on it. When I bought my Civic, it had 305 miles on it, but they did knock nearly 5 grand off the price though.

 

[pillred1]

It is interesting—and, unfortunately, the Prelude didn't manage to keep that exclusive, unique feature for long: the facelifted e:HEV Civic in Germany is now also getting the S+ button as standard.

Yes, but it won't look like the Prelude, though, will it.

 

[GoZoner70]

Without tariffs, the car would be $6,000 cheaper. It's not Honda's fault you have to pay more for it, and while I'm at it, you are still paying a hell of a lot less than I have just paid for mine at the equivalent of $55,000!

You've got your tariffs already built in over many years (I suspect), the US is just 'catching up'.

Edit: No Tariff, it seems, but your price includes the VAT? Whereas the US MSRP does not include the sales tax as that depends on the state. (My state, sales tax is 0%; California, what, 8%) Still, $55k is steep.

 

[pillred1]

You've got your tariffs already built in over many years (I suspect), the US is just 'catching up'.

Edit: No Tariff, it seems, but your price includes the VAT? Whereas the US MSRP does not include the sales tax as that depends on the state. (My state, sales tax is 0%; California, what, 8%) Still, $55k is steep.

We have a thing called VAT, which is 20% and is added to most things. Cars are subject to this; apart from that, there is no extra tax. It's just that we get ripped off for everything here in the UK; we are not known as Treasure Island for nothing.

 

[Passfeller84]

You've got your tariffs already built in over many years (I suspect), the US is just 'catching up'.

Edit: No Tariff, it seems, but your price includes the VAT? Whereas the US MSRP does not include the sales tax as that depends on the state. (My state, sales tax is 0%; California, what, 8%) Still, $55k is steep.

Tariffs or not, the Prelude simply is not a cheap car. Just for a quick reference: $55k (US) is approx. €47k (Germany). And though we are not burdened by any tariffs, the Prelude costs €50k and more over here (which makes nearly $58k). So you still can get one cheaper than us.

 

[pillred1]

Tariffs or not, the Prelude simply is not a cheap car. Just for a quick reference: $55k (US) is approx. €47k (Germany). And though we are not burdened by any tariffs, the Prelude costs €50k and more over here (which makes nearly $58k). So you still can get one cheaper than us.

Having just done a quick calculation at current exchange rates, the price I paid in pounds equals 49,491 Euros, so not much cheaper after all.

 

[Passfeller84]

Having just done a quick calculation at current exchange rates, the price I paid in pounds equals 49,491 Euros, so not much cheaper after

I was replying to one of our friends in the US there.

 

[Alex_Waverley90]

We purchased from Ciocca who have hundreds of dealerships. They had one Prelude in the company. My wife went into the dealership and told them what she was willing to pay. Put down a deposit and the next day we got a call. They brought the car in from Philly to our home. She drove it and signed the check. Easy.

In fairness, they knew us because we have purchased many cars from them (or from Apple, who they purchased). We don't negotiate. We don't buy extra crap or extended warranties and we pay cash. We do our due diligence and make a take-it-or-leave-it offer. Once and done. It will either be the easiest sale they have ever made or no sale at all. It is one small upside to having more money than time (or time left).

As an aside; Most people negotiate backwards (we don't negotiate at all because we find it tedious and annoying). But, if you have the money and are inclined to negotiate, make your best offer and tell them that it is your best offer. If they attempt to negotiate price, make a lower offer.

When they protest inform them that you made your best offer and they turned it down. Now they get your second best offer. They can take it or walk away because your third best offer will be even lower. Never go back up!

It's a car and cars are commodities. If they don't take your offer someone else will and given the way dealerships work you may well end up with the same exact car.

 

[pillred1]

You've got your tariffs already built in over many years (I suspect), the US is just 'catching up'.

Edit: No Tariff, it seems, but your price includes the VAT? Whereas the US MSRP does not include the sales tax as that depends on the state. (My state, sales tax is 0%; California, what, 8%) Still, $55k is steep.

The final price does include VAT at 20%. Also, delivery was £905, and I had to pay £455 luxury car tax because it was over £40,000 and £700 for Moonlit white, (Winter Frost), total on the road £42,300 or $55,500.

 

[Alex_Waverley90]

Frankly i view the price as a feature/benefit.

"Why would you spend that kind of money on a Honda (or a watch, or a stereo component)?

Because I like it, and because I can.

 

[rexracer21]

We purchased from Ciocca who have hundreds of dealerships. They had one Prelude in the company. My wife went into the dealership and told them what she was willing to pay. Put down a deposit and the next day we got a call. They brought the car in from Philly to our home. She drove it and signed the check. Easy.

In fairness, they knew us because we have purchased many cars from them (or from Apple, who they purchased). We don't negotiate. We don't buy extra crap or extended warranties and we pay cash. We do our due diligence and make a take-it-or-leave-it offer. Once and done. It will either be the easiest sale they have ever made or no sale at all. It is one small upside to having more money than time (or time left).

As an aside; Most people negotiate backwards (we don't negotiate at all because we find it tedious and annoying). But, if you have the money and are inclined to negotiate, make your best offer and tell them that it is your best offer. If they attempt to negotiate price, make a lower offer.

When they protest inform them that you made your best offer and they turned it down. Now they get your second best offer. They can take it or walk away because your third best offer will be even lower. Never go back up!

It's a car and cars are commodities. If they don't take your offer someone else will and given the way dealerships work you may well end up with the same exact car.

What was your offer for her Prelude and how did you come to the price offered?

 

[Alex_Waverley90]

What was your offer for her Prelude and how did you come to the price offered?

We looked on the Honda web site and saw MSRP. She thought it was a fair price and I went into the dealership and told them that MSRP was the price she was willing to pay. No add on. No extended warranties. No up sell. Don't even try that shit or or it will queer the deal. I told them that she will pay cash on the nail. Take it or leave it. No deal until she drives it. A few grand one way or another isn't worth the aggravation of the negotiation process. She told them that it was their deal to lose and that it will either be the easiest sale that they ever made or it will be no sale at all. She is retired. She was VP of a medical malpractice insurance company. She sharpens her teeth on tougher people than anyone at any car dealership. She could pay cash for a Bentley. She doesn't take any shit and she doesn't give a shit. She is not in the shit market.

I gave the salesman a heads up and she went into the dealership she asked for him and said "I think my husband has warned you about me". She will not negotiate. Ever. It is once and done with her.

It was "Show me the car and I'll write you a check if I like it". She liked it.

Happy wife, happy life.

 

[pillred1]

Frankly i view the price as a feature/benefit.

"Why would you spend that kind of money on a Honda (or a watch, or a stereo component)?

Because I like it, and because I can.

So, almost a new status symbol, lol.

 

[rexracer21]

We looked on the Honda web site and saw MSRP. She thought it was a fair price and I went into the dealership and told them that MSRP was the price she was willing to pay. No add on. No extended warranties. No up sell. Don't even try that shit or or it will queer the deal. I told them that she will pay cash on the nail. Take it or leave it. No deal until she drives it. A few grand one way or another isn't worth the aggravation of the negotiation process. She told them that it was their deal to lose and that it will either be the easiest sale that they ever made or it will be no sale at all. She is retired. She was VP of a medical malpractice insurance company. She sharpens her teeth on tougher people than anyone at any car dealership. She could pay cash for a Bentley. She doesn't take any shit and she doesn't give a shit. She is not in the shit market.

I gave the salesman a heads up and she went into the dealership she asked for him and said "I think my husband has warned you about me". She will not negotiate. Ever. It is once and done with her.

It was "Show me the car and I'll write you a check if I like it". She liked it.

Happy wife, happy life.

Cars are a lifelong hobby for me. Family, friends and friends of friends always ask for car advice. As I result of this I buy and help buy a lot of cars. The Costco Auto Program is a good option for anyone who does not feel like negotiating. It is a painless process and the prices are fair market. The only 2 negatives about the Costco program. Not all cars are available. The second is someone savvy can usually do a little better. Someone just needs to weight if the extra time is worth the additional savings. It does not sound like you and your wife are concerned about a few grand one way or another so Costco might be a good option if the car you want is available through their program.

All that matters is she was happy with the price. And if she is happy with the car. You are indeed correct about a happy wife is a happy life.

Is your BRZ a manual? What did she drive before the Prelude?

 

[Alex_Waverley90]

The BRZ is automaatic. Which suits me fine (I have old creaky hips and knees). She drove a CR-Z before the Prelude.