- coupe 240,864
- 393 below average
- 3,995 good
- Norfolk, VA
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- autoshopper.com
- 393 below average coupe 240,864 red automatic
1997 honda prelude review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. A cutting-edge sport coupe. introductiona year ago, we were all but certain that honda's prelude was about to join the ranks of the dearly departed. In a word, better. walkaroundthe prelude has always served as honda's techno-showcase, and for 1997 this creative engineering company has come up with yet another gee-whiz innovation to add to the mix. honda calls it the active torque transfer system (atts), and it seems likely to take front-drive performance cars another step closer to parity with their rear-drive competitors in terms of absolute handling. When a front-drive car hustles around a corner, its front tires have to perform an extra function--power transfer--that the front tires on a rear-driver don't. That's why even very good-handling front-drive cars like the prelude are more prone to understeer than their rear-drive counterparts. understeer describes a car's resistance to turn-in. The faster the entry speed to a given corner, the more the car wants to go straight ahead. atts addresses this trait through a clever set of mechanical functions that automatically transfers available engine torque--as much as 80%--to the outside front wheel, and also increases its rotational speed by as much as 15%. putting the extra power into the outside front wheel, which typically bears the heaviest load in hard cornering, compensates for the extra load and restores balance. it's a typical honda solution to a problem no one else has really managed to solve--and it works. this is a slightly bigger prelude. The wheelbase has been stretched almost an inch and a half, overall length has increased by 3. 2 inches, height by an inch. It's also a smidge heavier, partly because of the dimensional increases, partly because honda's chassis engineers have gone through the platform from stem to stern to increase overall rigidity. Dramatically. we're impressed by the results, because the previous bodyshell was already one of the best in its class in terms of stiffness, which is the cornerstone of ride and handling development. The most distinctive element is a pair of high-output vertically rectangular headlamps, remiscent of the new mercedes slk roadster. the new prelude comes in just two models--standard and sh--with one engine. This means bad news and good news. The bad news is that last year's less expensive (and less powerful) s and si versions have disappeared from the lineup. Similar in concept to the chrysler autostick, it adds more driving fun to automatic editions, but also adds weight and cost, and subtracts from all-around performance. Besides the extra mass, autostick editions also come to the party with five less hp. interioranyone familiar with the previous prelude will feel right at home in the new one. The cockpit still provides the same blend of sports car intimacy, supportive sport bucket seats, high quality materials and plentiful comfort/convenience amenities as its predecessor. but there are also a couple of welcome improvements. Honda has put most of the new car's increased length to work in the rear seat area, which makes it useful as a people perch, rather than mere parcel shelf status. And there's also an extra cubic foot of space under the rear decklid, and the rear seatbacks now fold forward to expand cargo volume. just as welcome is the new dashboard and instrument panel, which reverts to a classic honda gauge package rather than the peculiar, spread-out displays of the previous model. The slightly taller roofline affords more glass area, which improves driver sightlines in the rear quarters, and there are several bins and pockets for stowing small stuff, another typical honda touch. standard equipment for the basic prelude includes air conditioning, a 160-watt am/fm/cd sound system, power moonroof, cruise control, driver's seat height adjustment, tilt steering with a leather-wrapped wheel, map lights, ignition switch light and power windows, mirrors and locks. besides atts, the sh version adds leather wrapping to the shift knob, and the rear spoiler with integrated led brake light. The automatic, a $1000 option, is available only on the standard prelude. Using two sets of cam lobes per shaft--one set mild, the second aggressive--the mechanically activated system engages the second set of lobes at about 5200 rpm and voila!--we have liftoff. in the lower gears, particularly, power comes on with a dramatic rush reminiscent of some turbocharged cars, transforming the engine from mild to wild. At maximum thrust, the little 2. 2-liter engine propels the prelude to 60 mph in about seven seconds, making an engagingly refined snarl while doing so. the five-speed gearbox is precise, although the gear ratios aren't quite as close as they were in previous vtec-power preludes, probably for a little better fuel economy. honda's painstaking work with the chassis is immediately apparent in hard cornering, even in the basic car. When cornering speed increases, it simply makes the driver forget that understeer ever existed. With prices starting at $23,595, it's far from cheap. But for the accomplished driver who appreciates refined, technically advanced sporting machinery with few compromises, the new prelude is a must-drive. assembled insayama, japan. options as testedsame. model testedsh. Bucket Seats✔ Power Windows✔ AM/FM✔ Cruise Control✔ Air Conditioning✔ Sunroof/Moonroof
3,995 Norfolk, VANorfolk, VA at autoshopper.com