The 2026 Honda Prelude review: Didn't expect such a head-turner

In Comfort mode, the ride is soft, the powertrain is quiet, and the engine cuts out whenever possible. Toggle into GT, and the Prelude’s adaptive dampers stiffen up a little, the steering gets weightier, and if you engage S+—which mimics an eight-speed gearbox by changing throttle and regenerative braking maps—the shifts become a little jerkier to provide the driver some feedback. Sport takes this further; the engine remains running to feed energy into the battery or motors at a moment’s notice, and in S+, the shifts become more deliberately violent (although only a little—we’re not talking sequential crash box or anything), and the powertrain is at its (still not obnoxious) loudest. If you’re an introvert, though, this might not be the car for you, especially in the optional ($455) Boost Blue Pearl you see here. I’m not sure what I last drove that garnered as much attention as the Prelude, but the styling appears to be a hit, generating questions from other drivers in traffic and from bystanders whenever I parked. People like this shape, it seems. Things are pretty good on the inside, too, at least from the front.