Giant Killer (Honda Prelude (1997 on))

Member Name: digitaria

Product:	Honda Prelude (1997 on)
Date:	20/06/03 (3662 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Power, Performance, Equipment

Disadvantages: Space, Appearance a bit dated?

I have owned a Prelude 2.2VTi from new, since end 1999.

The car is one of the latter models, with 197BHP (the older 2.2 VTi had 183BHP).

Standard equipment includes electric windows, electric sunroof, electric, heated mirrors, air
conditioning, cruise control, heated seats.

This model came with 17" 5-spoke alloys, a boot spoiler and the very unusual active four wheel steering.

Life with the Prelude has been mostly good. The performance is very impressive and like other hot Hondas, it can see off many more expensive cars.

0 - 60 time is probably not much over 7 seconds (most figures in the press are for the older engine). Top speed is a largely academic 143MPH. Handling is very tidy - the car sits low and flat, grips well and will ultimately understeer in a bend if you really overdo it. This is easily corrected by backing off on the throttle.

The engine is twin cam VTEC and for those not familiar with the system, it means that normally the powerplant is quite docile but at a certain point high in the rev band, it alters cam profiles, which is accompanied by a sudden increase in engine noise and a big surge in the power output. On the Prelude VTi, these histrionics kick in at 5500RPM and the engine will rev to around 7500. This is where you want to be for overtaking, or outdragging that pesky hot hatch in the next lane.

Four wheel steering is impressive and genuinely useful, though maybe not worth the development expenditure required to create it - but that's not your problem. At slow speeds, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front, though not as much. Above 20mph or so, they turn in the same direction as the front wheels. As a result of the 4WS, the car, though quite long, turns on a sixpence. Fast lane changes are quite impressive too.

The Prelude is a slightly strange mix of some of the rawness of something like an Impreza with some of the comfort and
refinement of a more luxury-orientated car. Cruise control and heated seats are creature comforts not always found in performance cars. The former is rarely useful in the traffic-strewn UK - the latter is great on a very cold morning. It's also unusual to get an electric sunroof and aircon as well.

The car has yielded the usual Honda reliability except for a clutch fluid leak which was due to a component failure and was fixed under warranty. The vehicle never actually broke down - it just got increasingly difficult to change gear. Servicing costs have been very reasonable and the interval is 9000 miles. It does use up front tyres quite enthusiastically and these can be expensive, but not as much as they used to be.

One disadvantage is space - the rear seats are cramped and the boot is not what you'd call cavernous - it's too shallow, and the suspension turrets intrude. This is despite the car being quite long, but that's the price you pay for coupe styling. And speaking of styling, this incarnation of the Prelude generated quite a lot of criticism, but I like it. It does look much more impressive with the 17" alloys and the body kit and spoiler - the less endowed examples are a bit plain.

If you're looking for a performance bargain, the depreciation on this model has been heavy - which is bad for me, but good for SH buyers. And if you are going to buy a SH performance car, you'll be pushed to find anything with this kind of dependability.

Summary: