The Honda Prelude is a nameplate that hadn't been seen since the 2000s. Well, that was until Honda decided to revive it last year. The latest version of the Prelude has been a bit of a divisive car. That's mainly thanks to its new powertrain (we'll talk a bit about that later). However, it does have its strengths, and it is worth having a look at if you're in the market for a brand-new sports coupe. The 2026 Honda Prelude Is A Revival Of A Classic Honda Sports Coupe Honda First coming to the market in 2025, the revived Honda Prelude is still going strong into this year. When you first look at the 2026 Honda Prelude, it's a very stylish and attractive sports car. It's got the current corporate Honda face, which looks fantastic from pretty much any angle, and the rest of the car carries on with those surprisingly futuristic lines.The 2026 Honda Prelude isn't all looks, though. This car does actually have decent performance. It has a combined output of 200 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque, and its tested 0-60 mph time is 6.5 seconds. Its only slight shortcoming is a top speed of just 117 mph. The Original Prelude Was Surprisingly Innovative Bring A TrailerThe current Prelude has some big shoes to fill. The original Preludes were surprisingly innovative, especially for what were supposed to be affordable sports coupes. The third-generation Prelude was one of the first mass-production cars to use high-strength metal for its roof pillars. This made it much safer in a rollover, as the roof was much less likely to cave in on you. Some variants of the third-generation Prelude also had four-wheel steering. This was a much cruder, analog setup than the sophisticated computer-controlled four-wheel steering systems we see today. However, it did still make the Preludes that had it significantly more maneuverable at higher speeds. The fourth-generation Prelude carried on the legacy of innovation too, thanks to it being one of the earliest cars to use Honda's VTEC engines. It's Powered By Honda's Latest Hybrid Powertrain Given the tradition of innovation in the Prelude, what innovations does the rebooted version have? The current Prelude's innovative part is its hybrid powertrain. It combines a 2-liter inline-4 Atkinson Cycle engine with a decently powerful electric motor. That power runs to the front wheels through an eCVT transmission. This transmission can either operate like a regular eCVT we're all familiar with, or it can be a little sportier. Switching to S+ mode gives the transmission simulated gears, with simulated shifts between the gears that you carry out via the steering wheel paddles.Oddly, using the simulated shifts has actually been proven to make the Prelude slower. With the simulated shifts turned on, people have recorded 0-62 mph times as slow as 9.2 seconds. Turn them off again, and the times are much closer to the faster times that have been recorded in independent tests. The Honda Civic Sedan Hybrid Uses The Same Powertrain As The Prelude HondaIf this hybrid powertrain seems a bit familiar to you, that's because it shows up in another one of Honda's mainstream models. You can get this exact same powertrain setup in the Honda Civic Sedan Hybrid. While that means the 2026 Prelude isn't perhaps as innovative as you might have first thought, that's not exactly a bad thing. This powertrain has already been tried and tested, so Honda knows it's good enough for an affordable sports coupe. It also makes the Honda Civic Sedan Hybrid a viable alternative to the Prelude if you need more space than what a 2-door coupe can offer. The 2026 Honda Prelude's Models And Variants HondaThe 2026 Honda Prelude's model range is, surprisingly, fairly simple. There are only two trim levels available in the US (Hybrid and Hybrid Two-Tone). The Hybrid Two-Tone isn't even any more upmarket than the basic Hybrid trim, either. The only difference it has is a two-tone paint scheme (hence the name), with a black roof and black mirror covers. What's The 2026 Honda Prelude Like To Drive? HondaThe 2026 Honda Prelude is supposed to be a sporty model. So what's it like to drive? Well, it's definitely not an out-and-out sports car. Its hybrid powertrain doesn't allow you to rev the engine at a standstill, and it leans much more heavily on the electric motor than some other hybrid systems do. It's skewed more towards being a comfortable grand tourer that you could drive every day. However, that doesn't mean some attempts haven't been made to make it great in the corners. The Prelude's suspension is based off the system found in the Honda Civic Type R. This includes active dampers that can be switched between several different modes (Comfort, GT, Sport and Individual). The Civic Type R-derived suspension does help a lot in the corners, keeping the 2026 Prelude as flat as possible so you can easily throw it around (like you should be able to in a sporty coupe). How Does It Compare Against Its Competitors? SubaruThe 2026 Honda Prelude may be a solid, comfortable sports coupe with a good driving experience. However, how does it stack up against its competitors? Well, it honestly doesn't look that impressive. While it may have more power than the current-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata, it's noticeably slower from both 0-60 mph and in terms of top speed. It also gets soundly beaten out in both categories by the Toyotabaru twins (The Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ) and the Ford Mustang EcoBoost. Just to illustrate this, the current version of the Subaru BRZ can accelerate more than a second quicker to 60 than the Prelude. Meanwhile, the current Ford Mustang EcoBoost is a full two seconds faster to 60. How Much Can You Expect To Pay For A Brand-New Honda Prelude In 2026? HondaA huge part of the current Honda Prelude's mission statement as a car was that it was supposed to be relatively affordable. Whether the 2026 Prelude has achieved that is somewhat doubtful. The starting MSRP for this car is $43,195 for the Hybrid base model and approximately $43,695 for the Hybrid Two-Tone. While this is still an affordable price for a sports car, it is noticeably more expensive than its rivals. The Toyota GR86 is over $10,000 less expensive at base MSRP ($30,800), and the Subaru BRZ is also much cheaper at $35,860 base MSRP. The ND Mazda MX-5 Miata starts from even less money at $30,430 MSRP, and the Ford Mustang EcoBoost can be had for around $31,000 MSRP.Is the 2026 Honda Prelude affordable? Absolutely. However, if you want value for money above all else, it's not the car for you. At least not while it's brand new, anyway.Sources: Car & Driver, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Subaru, ToyotaFAQQ: What engine does the 2026 Honda Prelude have?It has a 2-liter inline-4 Atkinson Cycle engine.Q: How much does the 2026 Honda Prelude cost?$43,195 for the Hybrid and $43,695 for the Hybrid Two-Tone.Q: Is the Honda Prelude a hybrid?Yes. Its engine works in combination with a battery-powered electric motor.Q: How fast is the 2026 Honda Prelude from 0-60 mph?Its fastest recorded 0-60 mph time is 6.5 seconds.Q: Is the new Honda Prelude worth buying?Yes. Just don't expect it to be an out-and-out sports car. If you want a comfortable, affordable and cheap to run daily driver or grand tourer, it's fantastic for that.