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Last week, I wrote a blog post about why the 2026 Honda Prelude and the Honda Civic Type R have gas caps. Today, I have another little anecdote to tell you from my recent extended time in the sleek and somewhat controversial coupe, which involves a clash of opinions between The Car Enthusiast and The Real World.
The uproar over the Prelude’s performance—specifically its horsepower figure, its price, and even its place in Honda’s lineup has been, uh, big. Furthermore, the comparisons to the last-gen Prelude are non-stop, with some folks arguing that it’s not a natural evolution of the iconic sporty coupe.
Well, I’m here to tell you that after spending a few weeks with the Prelude, I’ve learned that most normal people just absolutely don’t care about any of the above. I mean, sure, pricing is always going to be a concern for anyone who is not a bazillionaire, but everyone who’s approached me at parking lots while I’m trying to get in or out of the Prelude absolutely digs this thing.
Over the course of almost three weeks, not a single day went by without someone taking a photo of the car, whether it was from one car to another while driving down the highway, while it was parked, or just a honk and a thumbs-up from a passerby. While I was in Montreal for the Grand Prix over Memorial Day weekend, driving the Prelude downtown literally caused a commotion, with pedestrians stopping wherever they were to snap a photo. I even had a guy who was crossing the street stop, take his sweet time to frame the Prelude and its surroundings, and take a photo with a real camera, not even a smartphone. Now that’s dedication, brother.
Jerry Perez
Another time, a guy driving an orange McLaren 720S looked at me and gave me a thumbs-up at a stoplight, only to realize a few seconds later that someone was taking a picture of me and not him. He just giggled.
The conversations I’ve had with folks have been fun, too. I’ve talked with young guys, old guys, women, and everything in between. However, I will say that the large majority of the people who have approached me to pay a compliment or ask me a question have not been hardcore car enthusiasts, per se. How do I know? Because when I’d bring up a few points about the car, some popular arguments, or just use gearhead jargon in general, I’d see that puzzled look on their face like, huh?
And listen, this is not to say that one group is more important than the other, or that there aren’t valid arguments on the Prelude’s value proposition. As much as I love it and, in many ways, it’s the ideal car for someone at my current stage in life, I will agree that there are some question marks over some aspects of the car.
What I am trying to say here is that sometimes car enthusiasts get too into their heads and take a large dump on something that isn’t worth it. Sure, maybe it’s not the car for you, and maybe you’ll never even consider buying one because it “only has 200 hp” or because it’s more money than you’d like to spend on something with limited practicality, and that’s totally okay! From where I see it, Honda’s given us a gorgeous sporty coupe in a time when every returning nameplate (and even the new ones) comes in the shape of a coupe-fied crossover. So, perhaps we should just be glad we didn’t get another one of those and enjoy it for however many years it stays in production.
Car Enthusiasts 0 – Normal People 1
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As deputy editor, Jerry draws on a decade of industry experience and a lifelong passion for motorsports to guide The Drive’s short- and long-term coverage.
