One Of The First American Preludes Hits 60 In 8.2 Seconds, But Don’t Read Too Much Into It

Honda has begun customer deliveries of the 2026 Prelude in the United States, and, to the surprise of many, some people are actually paying not just the sticker price but in certain cases, more than $10,000 above it. Apparently, scarcity and the allure of being among the first still hold real sway in showrooms.

One of these new owners recently set out to see just how quickly the new car can accelerate, and as other tests have shown us, driving the new Prelude doesn’t seem particularly exhilarating.

This white Prelude was purchased by the crew from AeroflowDynamics, which sells aero kits for a host of Japanese models, for an eye-watering $59,345. As if the $42,000 MSRP of the new Prelude wasn’t shocking enough, many dealers have started slapping the front-wheel drive sports coupe with significant premiums.

Read: New Prelude Does 0-62 In 7.2 With Launch Control Trick, Still Loses To Civic

In the case of this Prelude, the buyer had to hand over an extra $14,995 for the ‘2T Protection Package & Market Adjustment.’ This ‘package’ includes wheel locks, a cargo tray, splash guards, paint protection glaze, and window tint. By adding the market adjustment to this package, the dealership has avoided having to disclose the premium.

Sports Car Looks, But Not Performance

It’s not just the price of the new Prelude that’s shocking, but also how seemingly slow it is. With just 66 miles on the car’s odometer, the owner testing it out in a straight line, recorded a 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time of 8.28 seconds.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the stopwatch was based on the speedometer, and had a proper GPS timing device been used, it might have been even slower than 8.28 seconds.

Disappointingly, Honda hasn’t equipped the Prelude with a launch control system to help it get off the line. However, previous tests have shown that by holding the brake and throttle pedals together, then releasing the brake, it’s possible to “brake boost” the car and gain a bit of extra thrust. It’s unclear whether this owner used that method, but we suspect they didn’t.

Also: New Prelude Does 0-62 In 7.2 With Launch Control Trick, Still Loses To Civic

We saw the same thing happen with a private owner in Japan, who first recorded a rather underwhelming 9.2-second run from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph). After trying the launch control technique, the time dropped sharply to 7.2 seconds, matching what we’ve observed from the mechanically similar Civic Hybrid.

It’s also worth noting that this Prelude was tested in S+ mode with the fake shifting system enabled. While this system adds some extra involvement to the driving experience, it’s likely to negatively affect acceleration.

Testing Variables

As with all acceleration tests, there’s more to consider than just how the driver launches the car. Temperature, surface grip, altitude, and tire warmth all influence performance. Cold air can help the engine breathe, but cold tires lose traction; high altitude robs power, especially in naturally aspirated engines. Uneven or slick pavement makes launches slower, and even wind or humidity can distort results.

Another factor that certainly played a role here is that when it comes to acceleration, mileage matters, both ways. A brand-new vehicle with only 66 miles on the odometer, like this one, hasn’t had time for its engine and drivetrain to break in. As a result, acceleration times in these early runs tend to be slower.

Conversely, higher-mileage cars can also lose a bit of edge as components wear and compression drops slightly, though that typically takes years, not weeks.

John Halas contributed to this story.