Copyright Men's Journal
The Honda Prelude might have the look of a sporty coupe, but its transmission will only reflect that in part. Due to its hybrid engine, Honda says it isn’t able to fit a manual transmission to the model. Instead, buyers will be left with the car’s standard automatic option. According to Honda Large Product Lead Horita Hidetomo, the Prelude’s hybrid-heavy powertrain simply won’t accommodate a leg-powered clutch pedal. Old Honda Hybrids Had Manuals, But No More Honda’s lead spoke to Drive at the Tokyo Motor Show, explaining, “The engine [in Insight and CR-Z] was the main one [reason why the manual was available], the hybrid assist function was there.” The Honda CR-Z was a hybrid coupe, not unlike the Prelude, in production from 2010 to 2016. It offered a manual, but the formula as a whole wasn’t particularly well-received by buyers, leading to the car’s demise. With today’s more hybridized Civic-derived powertrain, adding a manual isn’t an option: “Now the electricity and the engine is nearly half and half today, that’s the new technology we offer right now. But we also understand that with that feature [an automatic transmission], the driving itself is not very enjoyable.” Honda Hopes Its Automatic Cuts It With Enthusiasts Honda’s solution? S+ Shift. “So, S+ Shift is a new feature for the Prelude, and that way we can offer very exciting driving,” Hidetomo-san said. S+ Shift mode is designed to simulate shifting gears in a traditional transmission, featuring paddle shifters, fake rev-matching, and imitation engine sounds. If that sounds familiar, it’s because Hyundai did it first.
