Back in the late 1990s, before the Fast became Furious, Honda Motor Co. found itself the fortunate beneficiary of a momentous shift in car culture. Almost overnight, Honda Civics and Acura Integras became icons among a group of enthusiasts known as much for their ill-fitting pants as for their slammed hatchbacks. That these cars offered an accessible path to performance was less vital than was their arbitrary coolness. As evidence, consider the fickle and nearly complete exclusion of an equally virtuous contemporary model: the fifth-generation Honda Prelude.
It wasn’t that the Prelude didn’t fit the performance mold. It was an attractive coupe with solid underpinnings and at least as much power as its spotlight-basking corproate siblings. It’s that, for whatever reason, it just wasn’t cool. And being uncool made it the middle-aged man of the Honda lineup — a hard sell to the kids. But that didn’t make the Prelude less of a worthy car.
The complete package
The Prelude exhibited top-notch Honda design with interior gestalt that was both pragmatic and attractive. A low belt line with thin pillars and a mostly flat floor presented the driver with a roomy, welcoming cockpit. Nothing was extravagant. Cloth was the only upholstery option and you had to step up to the SH trim just to get leather on the shift knob. But there was a simple effectiveness to the design that made it work.
Preludes felt low and wide from behind the wheel and rotated subtly, gracefully and predictably off-throttle. They were a joy to drive with a large greenhouse and fantastic visibility. And they made the right sounds, thanks to a remarkable piece of Honda engineering known as the H22. This is a 2.2-liter 4-cylinder fitted with Honda’s original dual-overhead-cam VTEC system. At about 5,200 rpm VTEC increases valve lift and duration, swelling power dramatically all the way to its 7,400 rpm redline. The 2.2-liter engine was smoother and deeper sounding than Honda’s smaller, higher-strung B-series engines.
Two transmissions were available: a 5-speed manual and a manually shiftable 4-speed automatic. Like most Hondas, the Prelude’s shifter was precise but didn’t like being rushed. Early 5-speed cars were good for 195 horsepower. Starting in 1999, output increased to 200 horsepower. Opt for the automatic and you lose five horsepower from both numbers. Manual-transmission cars hit 60 mph in about seven seconds.
Preceding the fifth-gen car were generations of Preludes focused on a perfect ride/handling compromise. Some utilized four-wheel steering to accomplish that goal, though by 1997 Honda gave up on that idea. Still, this Prelude rode on what was effectively double-wishbone suspension at all four corners, undergirding a chassis that exhibited excellent bump compliance, superb balance and modest, if adequate, grip.
A Super dupe?
Two trims were available: base and SH, which stood for “Super Handling.” SH trims came only with the 5-speed gearbox fitted with 44 pounds of hydraulically actuated planetary gears that biased torque to the outside wheel while turning. Honda called this technology Active Torque Transfer System (ATTS). It used an array of sensors to determine if the car was following the driver’s intended path, then routed torque accordingly.
The system’s operation was subtle enough in most scenarios that it wasn’t lauded as a must-have feature. And somewhat ironically, it didn’t act as a limited-slip differential in scenarios where a traditional LSD would. What’s more, it was the primary driver of the $2,500 cost increase between 5-speed base and SH models. There were other SH chassis-tuning changes including stiffer springs and dampers, but given that those parts are now over 20 years old, they may not be a significant buying factor — especially if you’re not enamored with the weight and complexity of ATTS.
Prelude to a purchase
Today it may be smarter to forgo the SH in lieu of a clean 5-speed base model. Most well-maintained fifth-gen Preludes sell regularly for $12,000 to $16,000. Many are 100k-plus-mileage cars, although it’s not uncommon to see one with 60k to 80k miles sell at the top of that range. Outlier low-mileage, pristine cars go for $25,000 or more. The SH trim doesn’t seem to draw higher bids than the base trim.
A leak-down and compression test should reveal most meaningful engine problems and is probably worth the money. But Honda 4-cylinders of this era are resilient engines; keep them cool and full of oil and they last a long time.
Maybe the best thing about this generation of Prelude is that most were adult-owned and left relatively unmodified — a sign, perhaps, that being middle aged and uncool isn’t such a bad thing after all. ♥