2016 Civic Coupe Review: The Prelude is back!

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Great review by Autoblog of the 2016 Civic Coupe, calling it a modern day reincarnation of the beloved Prelude.


Via: http://www.autoblog.com/2016/04/27/return-of-prelude-2016-honda-civic-coupe/

2016 Civic Coupe: The Prelude is back!

Honda Civic 10th gen 2016 Civic Coupe Review: The Prelude is back! civiclead


Honda used to sell a coupe loosely based on the Accord architecture that was sporty yet economical, it was called the Prelude. Many Honda aficionados have fond memories of the Prelude, it was more than just a sportier Accord, but not quite a true sports car. It was a car you could take out and toss around on the weekend, but also drive to work every day of the week. It was a testbed for new Honda technologies while still being a car you could put hundreds of thousands of miles on. The Prelude was a sporty car, not overly powerful, but just balanced enough to be a slow car you could drive fast. It handled extremely well, it had an interior that was no-nonsense and controls that were equal to or better than any of it's contemporaries.

Sadly as the market waned for sporty coupes the venerable Prelude lost sales and Honda altered their focus to selling CR-V's and Pilot's. In 2001 Honda shelved the Prelude, but now it is making a comeback, well not exactly, but after sampling a new Civic Coupe I believe the spiritual successor of the Prelude has finally arrived at Honda.

You might be wondering why the new generation Civic Coupe has more Prelude DNA than any of the Civic models which have come before it? The answer comes down to several objective and subjective factors.

Objectively the new Civic Coupe hits the sweet spot on Prelude dimensions. When the Prelude debuted in 1978 it had a wheelbase of 91.3 inches and an overall length of 161 inches. Over five generations the Prelude grew to a wheelbase of 101.8 inches and an overall length of 178 inches. The new Civic Coupe rides a longer wheelbase of 106.3 inches but has nearly identical overall length at 176.9 inches. Width of the new Civic is 70.8 inches vs. the last generation Prelude at 69 inches, the new Civic matches the Prelude of yore with a curb weight range of 2750-2900 lbs vs. the 2950-3000 lbs range of the Prelude. In the engine department Honda is offering two units, a 158 HP naturally aspirated 2.0 liter 4 and a 174 HP 1.5 liter turbo mill. The five Prelude generations featured Horsepower ranging from less than 100 in gen 1 to 200 by gen 5 from a naturally aspirated 2.2 liter 4. The last generation of Prelude would hit 0-60 in about 7 seconds, the current model Civic with a CVT and the 1.5 turbo will hit 60 slightly faster.

Many cars today feature similar specs to these two coupes and so did some of the prior model year Civic's so what makes this one the heir to the Prelude name?

Subjectively the new Civic Coupe looks like it could have been benchmarked on prior Preludes. The styling of the new Civic Coupe is the first in several Civic generations to eschew cab forward design giving the new model a long hood and short rear deck and a similar low and wide stance to prior Preludes. The interior of the new Civic has done away with the last two generations weird upper and lower bin instrument panels instead presenting the driver with a clean set of gauges and easy to find and use switchgear. The steering wheel is meaty, the seating low but with expansive views.

The Prelude was often a model that was used to test new technologies for Honda, including four wheel steering and even torque vectoring (last gen SH models). The new Civic models are the first cars (RDX excluded) that Honda has sold in the US with turbocharged engines and feature a smattering of available safety technologies and new connectivity features like Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Although the Civic does not feature double wishbone suspension like the Prelude did, it does feature independent suspension with sporty tuning which provides a nice compromise between weekend warrior handling and daily commuting just like the Preludes of yore. Civic steering, although electronically assisted now, is still sporty in feel and weighting. The manual six speed available in the Civic is a slick short shifting unit, just like those in prior Preludes.

Car and Driver once called the Prelude the "best handling car for less than $30,000". This new Civic may be the best handling small sports coupe on the market today and certainly will only get sharper with the upcoming addition of the Si model.

So is the new Civic Coupe the Prelude reincarnated, I think it is, and perhaps when the 1.5 liter turbo six speed manual combo hits it will fully fill those large empty Prelude shoes! All this Civic needs now is a Prelude badge, I am sure you could find one online!
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zx2down

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Not sure how they are saying the Civic is like the Prelude. If anything the Accord Coupe is more what a modern day Prelude would be as they were the same platform and shared engines/drivetrains. Even a few body parts if I rmember.
 

RobbJK88

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Not sure how they are saying the Civic is like the Prelude. If anything the Accord Coupe is more what a modern day Prelude would be as they were the same platform and shared engines/drivetrains. Even a few body parts if I rmember.
Did you read the article? They're saying that the civic coupe is similar to the last gen prelude in terms of width, length and performance. Yes, the old prelude was based on the accord, but the accords back then were about the same size as today's civic is. So the new civic shares more in common with what the prelude was than the current accord does.
 

zx2down

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Did you read the article? They're saying that the civic coupe is similar to the last gen prelude in terms of width, length and performance. Yes, the old prelude was based on the accord, but the accords back then were about the same size as today's civic is. So the new civic shares more in common with what the prelude was than the current accord does.
Yes, and it sill makes no sense. I don't get at all WHY they are making that comparison. Who cares if it has things in common with a 15yo car? The Prelude was not only a showcase for Honda's tech, but was almost a sports car compared to other sport compacts back then. Heck, the Si didn't even catch up to its performance until like 2006. They really have no comparison to draw. They have no "prelude" in the lineup at all. The closest they have had would be the S2000 as THAT was Honda's "show off" coupe that showed what they could do with a great engine, and edgy design and technology.

I don't feel like this article is anything but thrown together for get click-bait.
 


4DBox

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I agree with zx2down. Meh on this comparison. I sighted a coupe in the wild last week, a dark grey model sitting in front of a local dealership. I approached it from the rear so that's what made the first impression---it is much more condensed than the sedan in the back and almost looks truncated. The rear lights extend all the way across the trunk which are cool. I like it's look more than the sedan---like I've said before, it is more "civic" and less accord looking to me. The side profile is especially nice. The turbo +6 in this will be sweet!
 

Harry Da Hamster

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Yeah i was also thinking Accord Coupe would be more of the modern day Prelude. Prelude was always very similar in size to Accord, not Civic. But who cares, the Civic Coupe spanks the Scion tC and everything comparable.
 

Billy4202

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Yeah i was also thinking Accord Coupe would be more of the modern day Prelude. Prelude was always very similar in size to Accord, not Civic. But who cares, the Civic Coupe spanks the Scion tC and everything comparable.
The new coupe is really in a class of its own.

What A Time to Be Alive.
 

zx2down

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The new coupe is really in a class of its own.

What A Time to Be Alive.
Does any other maker still make a coupe in that space? Nissan stopped, Ford doesn't unless you count the v6 Mustang, Toyota no, Chevy No, Dodge no.... Hyundai... maybe? I forget.
 

Billy4202

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Does any other maker still make a coupe in that space? Nissan stopped, Ford doesn't unless you count the v6 Mustang, Toyota no, Chevy No, Dodge no.... Hyundai... maybe? I forget.
I seriously had to look it up, nothing came to mind.

Kia Forte Koup, tC when Toyota picks that back up...Hyundai Veloster?
 


LennyR

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I get what the reviewer was saying, and I think he made a valid point: IF you were a fan of the old Prelude and wished these last 15 years that Honda had continued to develop it, guess what? It's back in the form of the Civic coupe -- same size, same instrumentation, same fun-to-drive. He's also implying that Honda has pivoted back to its '80 and '90s pushing-the-envelop roots after a decade and a half of fat-and-kind-of-happy. And I think we'll all pleased about that.
 

firsthonda

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I don't care what it is compared to in the past as I never drove one of those, plus I don't drive many other cars other then my G6 09. All I know is if its as peppy as my V6 I am happy and if it handles better I am stoked. Which the sedans I drove were better and more agile in 2.0 and 1.5. So regardless for me this is going to be a treat when I finally have a high quality and higher performing vehicle. But yes good to know that its going back to Hondas roots and making cars people want to drive instead of econobox and quality cars they are bringing back the wow factor...Cant wait!
 

BakedTuna

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I think the newer Accord coupes are nice in their own way but a bit different than the Preludes of the past. The new Accord is bigger overall, heavier less agile than the Preludes of yesteryears. The new Accords while offering performance, the type of performance is more like highway performance and not as much of the backroad type that appeals to those of us that crave curves. The newer Accords offer more in the way of comfort first, sport second which would be the opposite of what the Preludes offered. I have driven some older versions of each of these cars. As well as having extensive time with a Prelude SH that was my father's and plenty of seat time in my youngest daughter's V6 manual Accord coupe. So these are nothing more than my personal opinions from my experiences. Closest I think any Accord coupe came to a Prelude was a 4 cylinder Accord coupe manual that I owned that had the suspension completely redone down to the bushings with a focus on handling. That was a fantastic car :) right up until my eldest daughter was in an accident that totaled it out.
 
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