Is this 25-year-old Honda Prelude better than the new one? Mat Watson finds out

Mat Watson was impressed by the new Honda Prelude when he tested it in March, but how does it compare to its predecessor? He’s going to compare it side-by-side with a 2001 example to find out.

The Honda Prelude is back after a 25-year hiatus, and this hybrid-engined sports coupe is rather good. It drives really well, the interior is nice and I grew to like the styling as well.

But there’s no denying that it’s a very different car than the last Prelude, which went off sale in 2001. I wanted to find out just how much has changed over the last 25 years, so I’ve got hold of a previous-generation Honda Prelude for a twin test.

I’ll be comparing their designs, interiors, performance and handling to see if new really does mean better, or if we’re actually going backwards.

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New vs old Honda Prelude: design

If you weren’t a big fan of Japanese sports cars, you’d never guess that these two shared the same name by design alone. They look totally different, partly down to the changes in crash safety regulations over the past 25 years.

Legislation says that car makers have to leave a certain gap between the bonnet and the hard point of the engine, creating a cushion for pedestrians in the event of an impact. This forces the bonnet line up, which in turns makes the window line higher and gives the car a taller appearance.

Back in 2001 there were no such regulations, so the old Prelude looks lower and sleeker than the new one. It’s also slightly narrower, which makes it easier to place on our tight country roads.

I do like the way the new Prelude looks though, even if I didn’t gel with it straight away. The sleek rear light bar and sloping roofline make it look sportier than the old car, although there’s an understated elegance to the 2001 Prelude.

New vs old Honda Prelude: interior and technology

As you’d expect, these cars are very different inside. I’m not going to bother telling you that the new car is way more high-tech – that much is obvious. Instead, I’m going to compare their quality and space.

Despite being physically smaller, the old Honda Prelude actually feels more spacious in the front seat. This comes down to that lower window line again, because there’s more glass around you letting light in.

And you need all the light you can get, because the dashboard is all dark, hard plastic. It still feels pretty solid after 25 years, with only a loose bit of trim on the door card letting the side down, but it’s not the most exciting place to sit.

The new Prelude feels like a much more premium product. The switchgear is nicely damped, and the light leather and blue stitching lifts things nicely. Both cars have proper knobs for the climate control as well; it’s nice to see Honda hasn’t caved to the trend of burying everything in the touchscreen.

I did notice one quality issue on the new car though, and that’s the leather on the seats. It was already starting to wrinkle on this car, almost like the covers weren’t tight enough. There were no such issues on the old car’s cloth chairs though, even after 120,000 miles.

New vs old Honda Prelude: engine, performance and driving

The 2001 Honda Prelude is powered by a 2.2-litre petrol engine with Honda’s legendary VTEC, a variable valve timing system which gives you a power boost at the top of the rev range. It has 200hp, and power is sent to the front wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox.

Things get a bit more complicated in the new car, because it has quite a confusing hybrid setup. It’s the same one you get in the Honda Civic hatchback, and it pairs a 2.0-litre petrol engine with an electric motor to make a combined 184hp.

That engine usually just provides power to the electric motor, which then drives the wheels. That is unless you’re at motorway speeds, in which case a clutch engages and the engine sends power directly to the wheels. It’s all very complicated, but what does it mean for performance?

Well, I managed to launch the 2001 Prelude from 0-60mph in 8.3 seconds according to my specialist timing gear, whereas the new car completed the sprint in 7.2 seconds. That was surprising given the reduced power and increased weight, but the old car’s manual gearbox will have a lot to do with it.

But what are these cars like out on the road? Well, the new Prelude is very well-sorted. It has the suspension setup from a Civic Type R, and it feels really agile through the corners as a result. The over-eager stability control is annoying though, because it keeps stepping in and killing the fun. You can’t turn it fully off either. It’s a shame because it feels like it wants to slide around, but the electronics are holding it back.

There are no such systems in the old car. It has rear-wheel steering, a really advanced feature for 2001, which helps it turn in tightly, and the hydraulic power steering has more feeling to it than the electric setup in the new Prelude. I also like having a manual gearbox to play with, but the latest car does have a clever system to mimic that sense of engagement.

It has simulated gear shifts, a bit like you get on a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. When you pull the paddle it uses engine braking to give the sensation of changing gears, and it blips the engine as well. I don’t even care that it’s all smoke and mirrors, it’s great fun to use.

New vs old Honda Prelude verdict: has Honda ruined it?

In short, no. The new Honda Prelude is very different to its predecessors, but you have to remember that all five generations which went before didn’t share much in common either.

The latest car is comfortable when you need it to be, fun to drive when you want and it looks great as well. The only fly in the ointment is the price, because at just over £40,000 it costs about the same as a BMW 230i. That’s tough competition for the Prelude, but if you’re after something a bit left-field, and more generously equipped than the BMW, the new Prelude is a great choice.

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