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Top Gear
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Honda Prelude review: no seriously, it's not a crossover! Reviews 2025
Woah, hold your hybridised horses there. We may have now driven the new Honda Prelude, but we were only allowed three laps of Thruxton for a quick taste of what this reborn two-door coupe will offer when it arrives in the UK properly in early 2026. Don't expect this to be the definitive verdict. Ah, so was this just a prototype? The car that you see in these rather rushed images from Honda is the exact car that we drove. It's a pre-production car but Honda bosses told us that it was '99 per cent' faithful to the one that you'll be able to buy in the near future. Advertisement - Page continues below Those same Honda folk were also keen to point out that we were only at Thruxton for its relative proximity to Goodwood, not because the new Prelude will be a lightweight, stripped-out track toy. Shame. This car was whipped out of the Festival of Speed under the cover of darkness on Thursday night and needed to be back in the Duke's garden for a run up the hill on Saturday morning, so while Thruxton may be the fastest race circuit in the UK, we weren't out to set any records during this very short stint. What sort of VTEC wizardry is under the bonnet? Ah, well… erm. Of course, we already knew that the new Prelude was going to be a hybrid, and we always expected it to use a similar powertrain to the eHEV setup in the Civic. In fact, it's pretty much exactly the same. Advertisement - Page continues below It's a 2.0-litre four-pot petrol engine that only drives the wheels when cruising at motorway speeds. The rest of the time it's running at more efficient revs per minute and is powering a generator motor which converts the engine's output into electricity and either uses it to charge a small battery, or to power a second electric motor which then drives the wheels. The engine can also be off completely with just battery power being used to propel the Prelude, but that'll only be for a short while because in the Civic at least it's a 1.05kWh tiddler. The Prelude's chief engineer Tomoyuki Yamagami confirmed to TG that the power figure is the same as in the Civic, so you're looking at 181bhp being sent to the front wheels. Sounds complicated, but in reality it's a smooth system and one that we like in the Civic very much. Would be nice if the Prelude still came with a 2.2, though. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. Well, it certainly looks rather sleek, doesn't it? Honda claims to have taken inspiration from gliders for the form, although if you can see the 'linear togetherness of an acrobatic flight' in the Prelude then you're better at translating design-speak than we are. Still, it's a neat car with a shorter wheelbase than a Civic and a track that's about as wide as the Civic Type R's. Narrower tyres though, of course. It weighs around 1,500kg and also gets the adaptive suspension from the recently retired hot hatch king, although the spring rate and anti-roll bar stiffness has apparently been decreased for a more comfortable ride. Skip 8 photos in the image carousel and continue reading We weren't able to test the ride quality on the smooth surface at Thruxton, but through bends the Prelude seems to allow a little bit of body roll in Comfort while being more taught in Sport mode. Even that doesn't feel as harsh as the softer settings in a Type R, though. The steering also weights up nicely as you move up into the GT and Sport modes. What's this 'gearbox' all about? Here's where the Prelude further distances itself from the standard Civic. Honda has created something that it's calling S+ Shift technology. Essentially this simulates an eight-speed auto gearbox (the eHEV powertrain doesn't need a gearbox at all) with close ratios for lots of sporty 'shifting'. And yep, there are paddles mounted behind the steering wheel for you to 'change gear' yourself. Whole lot of air quotes needed here. And yet, on first impressions the system seems to do its job very well. You activate it by pressing a large S+ button on the centre console, which then brings up a rev counter on the digital dial display that 'redlines' at 6,000rpm. That's the limit because this is an Atkinson-cycle petrol engine that's focussed on efficiency in a hybrid powertrain, and Honda says it wanted to be honest about the actual revs of the engine even if the 'shifts' weren't real. Engine noise is played through the speakers and is most prominent in Sport mode, but we're also told that this is the real engine note that's amplified rather than being a completely fake sound. Manually 'shifting' on a circuit certainly helps with your sense of speed, particularly on the way into a corner, and you'll never be caught out by hitting the rev limiter on exit because there isn't one. It'll just 'change up' for you. We'll need more time with the Prelude to make a call on whether the S+ setup is a bit of a gimmick or not, but our first thought is that it's a clever addition that adds a welcome bit of driver engagement. Didn't do the Ioniq 5 N any harm, did it? Anything else I need to know about the way it drives? It certainly isn't rapid, so don't go expecting the Prelude to be a proper Toyota GR86 rival. The brake pedal is nice and firm though despite it blending regen and actual friction, and there's a keenness to the acceleration thanks to the electric motor and its instant torque driving the wheels. In its sportier modes it does feel like it's egging you on. It'll be efficient, too, with the Civic claiming just over 60mpg for the boggo spec hybrid on little wheels. And after half a day of being left running between very short bursts on track, even the car we were in was showing 25mpg. Not bad for a two-door coupe. What's it like inside? The driving position is good with a slightly sporty feel to it. There's a flat-bottomed steering wheel too with a centre marker and some supportive seats, although sadly we weren't able to jump in the back to try out the two dinky rear seats. That may have been for the best – we might not have been able to extract ourselves before the Goodwood run the following day. Any word on how much it'll cost? In a word, no. Expect it to be slightly more than a standard Civic, though, where prices start at £35,780. It shouldn't get up to the cost of a £50k+ Civic Type R. So, we'll reserve final judgement for when we get hold of a proper production car for longer than the time it takes to make a cup of tea, and we'll give the Prelude a score out of 10 at that point too. For now, all that's left to do is thank Honda once again for not sticking the name on a small SUV.
Auto Express
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Express
New Honda Prelude prototype review: sporty, stylish and fun
If you're looking for a successor to the Civic Type R, the Prelude isn't it. Nor is Honda claiming it to be though. Think of a two-door Civic with a more communicative chassis and you're in the right ball park. There's much to like about the new Prelude; it looks good, has the Civic's classy cabin, and during our first short drive, it handled well too. Hopefully it can defy customer tastes and bring success to the two-door coupe market. Advertisement - Article continues below Honda Prelude is a name we've not seen on a new car in the UK since 2001. Unlike some other brands that have resurrected famous model names in recent memory, Honda is largely sticking to the same formula for its all-new Prelude two-door coupe. We expect to see the Honda Prelude return in the first half of 2026, entering a rather depleted coupe market that'll include the BMW 2 Series and precious little else. Despite the sleek, sporty design and the platform being shared with the Honda Civic, don't go thinking this is some sort of replacement for the Civic Type R - which is bowing out this year with the recently-announced Ultimate Edition. While the new Prelude was drawing the crowds at Goodwood's Festival of Speed, we managed to sneak away to Thruxton circuit to drive the very same car that had been taking on Goodwood's hillclimb over the weekend. A few steady laps gave us our first taste of Honda's new coupe. The car we tested might still be a pre-production model, but we were assured it was 99 per cent reflective of the car that'll be available in showrooms next year. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below View XC60 View C-HR View Mokka Honda has been particularly secretive about the Prelude's technical make up, but during our session we did find out a bit more. Firstly, the powertrain. It's based on the same 2.0-litre Atkinson-cycle engine with hybrid system found in the Honda Civic but it comes with some notable tweaks. Advertisement - Article continues below Like in the Civic, the driven wheels are connected to an electric motor with the petrol engine generating power for the battery. The Civic's e-CVT gearbox simulates gearshifts, but to deliver a more traditional and connected driving experience, the Prelude has an 'S+Shift' mode that lets you choose one of eight virtual gears manually. Yes, the car might have a petrol engine but the gears are still virtual - a single fixed-gear ratio is divided up into the eight settings by various pulleys and a lock-up clutch. It means that in 'eighth gear' the wheels are driven by the engine. On the way up to that point you can use the steering wheel-mounted paddles to basically raise and lower the rpm of that 2.0-litre as though you're changing gear but drive still comes from the electric motors. The maximum engine speed is set at 6,000rpm. Heading out on to Thruxton after a few very helpful sighting laps in the current-generation Civic did amplify the changes made to the Prelude's powertrain. Setting off in Sport mode (GT and Comfort are the other two settings), we switched the S+Shift system on and immediately, the shifts felt quick and natural, but also smooth. That smoothness shouldn't be too much of a surprise (especially given Honda's continual reminders that the Prelude is inspired by a glider) given the lack of mechanical gear changes taking place on the upshifts or downshifts. Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below There's still enough in the Prelude's engine sound, which is amplified in the cabin via speakers, to notify you which gear you're in and how hard the powertrain is working. The naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre isn't the most vocal unit Honda has produced but in combination with the simulated gear shifts it succeeds in its brief of creating a level of communication with the driver and letting you know how fast you're going. The steering is also altered depending on the drive mode, but to us it felt a little light no matter which one we were in. We'd presume the Prelude would have a more sporting nature compared to the Civic so some extra adjustability in steering weight would be a bonus. The braking was a similar story with strong overall performance and decent pedal feel considering the brake regeneration system - similar to the Civic's. What felt different to the Civic immediately was the Prelude's cornering stability. The coupe might have a slightly shorter wheelbase than its four-door cousin, but there's a wider track and wider tyres to promote grip. The Prelude also gets the Civic Type R's suspension hardware. According to Honda's project leader for the Prelude, Tomoyuki Yamagami, the Prelude's suspension is set up to be softer than the Type R's with the springs and anti-roll bar more comfort-focused. While there are three damping modes, the overall result is something between the regular Civic and the Type R, with body roll kept in check throughout Thruxton's many high-speed corners. The extra stability didn't feel like it came at the expense of ride comfort - though this is something we'll decide later this year when we test the Prelude on public roads. Yamagami also revealed the Prelude's kerbweight is expected to sit around the 1,450kg mark - making it roughly the same weight as the hybrid Civic. He also told us that the electric motor's output is expected to be pretty much identical to the 181bhp Civic. During our drive we didn't feel like the Prelude was any quicker in a straight line so expect a 0-62mph time not far off the Civic's 7.9 seconds. Pricing for the Prelude hasn't been announced yet, though we'll get a better idea when it goes on sale in Japan in September. If the current Civic is anything to go by (now starting from just over £35k), we'd hazard a guess that the Prelude may sit just above the £40,000 mark. Can't wait for the Prelude? Configure your perfect Honda Civic Type R through our Find A Car service now. Alternatively, check out the best deals out there on a new Honda Civic Type R from stock or top prices on used Honda Civic Type R models... Model: Honda Prelude Price: £40,000 (est) Powertrain: 2.0-litre four-cylinder hybrid + 1x e-motor Transmission: e-CVT Power/torque: 181bhp/310Nm (est) 0-62mph: 7.9 seconds (est) Size (L/W/H): 4,300/1,791/1,300mm On sale: 2026 Share this on Twitter Share this on Facebook Email New MG IM5 has the Tesla Model 3 beaten on price and range New MG IM5 has the Tesla Model 3 beaten on price and range The all-electric IM5 brings new technology and design to the MG line-up New MG Cyberster Black is a dark sign of things to come for the brand New MG Cyberster Black is a dark sign of things to come for the brand MG boss thinks special editions like this might be the ticket to keeping up demand for the electric sports car Vauxhall Mokka vs Hyundai Kona: small hybrid SUVs in a big battle Vauxhall Mokka vs Hyundai Kona: small hybrid SUVs in a big battle Hybrid newcomers slug it out for family buyers' hearts and minds Car group tests 12 Jul 2025
CTV News
23-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Quebec teachers' federation calls for Bernard Drainville to step down as education minister
Quebec imposed a hiring freeze in the public education sector as of Nov. 1 due to its tight financial situation. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press) The Fédération autonome de l'enseignement (FAE) is demanding that Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville step down, calling the $570 million cuts in education 'the last straw.' 'This is the worst end of year we could have imagined,' said FAE President Mélanie Hubert. 'We are only just beginning to grasp the scale of the cuts, the consequences of which are already proving disastrous for students, young people and adults, as well as for public schools.' She argues the FAE no longer believes Drainville is fit to lead the education ministry, calling the cuts 'improvised, incidental and pointless' and an 'attack on the teaching profession.' 'Despite repeated warnings from everyone working in education, he persisted in centralizing management that is out of touch with educational issues,' the FAE stated in a press release issued Monday, pointing out that there is a 'glaring shortage of staff, difficult working conditions and crumbling buildings.' Additionally, it adds that one in three students lives with learning difficulties, and schools are increasingly welcoming a growing number of allophones. 'The most precious thing about Quebec, and what the [François] Legault government must invest in, is not motorways and battery factories. It's our children and their future,' said Hubert. 'Minister Drainville's credibility has been tarnished, and it's time for Premier François Legault to appoint someone who listens to and respects the education community.' The federation insists the public school network is already in crisis and is accusing Drainville of slashing more than $1 billion in the sector, imposing a debilitating hiring freeze, allowing people to obtain a teaching licence without having ever taken a course and dismantling francization services for adult education. The federation also criticizes the Quebec government for centralizing power, 'undermining several fundamental rights of teachers,' duplicating existing mechanisms and adding a layer of bureaucracy, 'instead of listening to the players on the ground.' The FAE insists that it will spend the summer documenting each cut 'to paint a true picture when the summer holidays return,' as the full scope of how the sector could be affected may not be seen until the start of the new school year. 'Teachers, students and their parents will spend the summer worrying and wondering what services they will have access to next year,' she said. 'The minister has admitted that there could be a breakdown in services, which is indecent and inexplicable.'
