1997 Honda Prelude Review

Specifications

The End of an Era

Before the sportbike-meets-go-kart S2000, Honda fans looking to enjoy a sporty two-door experience had but one choice: the Prelude. Debuting in 1978, the Prelude constituted the third model in Hondas then-tiny lineup, joining just the Civic and Accord as Hondas sporty model, with 72 horsepower and a five-speed manual transmission. Its come a long way since then.

Fast forward to 1997. OJ Simpsons in legal trouble, Gianni Versace has been gunned down, and both Princess Diana and Mother Teresa have died. Its not a good year for people, but it is for Honda which has just redesigned its Prelude sports coupe. Rolling out looking far more modern than it had right to, the all-new Honda coupe kept precious few Prelude design cues. First off, the fourth generations slender, wide headlights were gone, replaced by a pair of admittedly odd square headlights that flowed up into the hood, where they formed the basis for a pair of character lines that saw the hood rise up on either side and dip down in the middle, just like it had in the 80s.

From this point back, a moderately raked windshield gave the car more glass than most sports coupes, enhancing visibility as well as adding a hint of elegance to the design. Dropping back down in a traditional notchback style, the roof terminated in two hefty c-pillars that tapered very gently down to the rear quarter panels, looking quite similar to those found on the equally attractive Lexus IS 300. Out back, the triangular lights from the fourth generation car were tossed in favor of wide, low lights that were again reminiscent of the Prelude of the 80s.

Inside, the new Preludes interior was typical of modern Hondas; smart, functional, practical, and very, very boring. Lacking the creativity of some of its competitors, Hondas two-door made up for its drab appearance by being simply the best place to do business, with that tragedy of a dashboard providing easy access to every control you needed, while still offering plenty of knee room for front seat occupants and enhancing the feeling of space via its shallow, steeply raked nature. Facing the driver was your typical Honda steering wheel (stifle that yawn) which in turn was backed by a set of simple, easy-to-read analog gauges (stifle that snore).

Out back, things get a bit more interesting. With a slightly longer wheelbase than the old one, the new Prelude boasted improved rear seat legroom, which was nevertheless still ridiculously nominal. Sure, there may have been a few extra inches in the fifth generation models back seat, but it was akin to giving a dehydrated man a drop of water; it was slightly better, but it still sucked. With that in mind, the rear seat is best left to children (and bad ones at that) or parcels (small ones only), since trapping a life-size adult back there could result in a visit from the UNs human rights people. Bigger? Yes. Still cruel and unusual punishment? Bingo.

On the other hand, finding yourself in the drivers seat was cause to rejoice. Turning the key and not hearing the 2.2L four-cylinder was a joy after the fourth generations “we dont need no stinking sound deadening material” attitude. Quiet around town and babys butt smooth, the VTEC equipped engine was an instant hit, combining good commuting manners with proper sports car performance at the upper reaches of the tachometers sweep. Supplying between 190 and 195 horsepower in 97 and 98 (depending on transmission choice), the 2.2Ls output increased to an even 200 in 99. With such high horsepower levels stemming from such a small engine, it comes as no surprise that they all required premium fuel to resist detonation. Accelerating from a stop was somewhat exhilarating, with the base models SportShift automatic transmission keeping the power flowing smoothly to the ground while the engines exhaust note took on an appropriately aggressive tone that was very addictive.

Slowing down, unfortunately, wasnt as fun, and some downshifts of the manually-shifted automatic would be partnered with a bizarre surging sensation. On the earlier upper models (called the Prelude SH before becoming the SE in 2001), the automatic wasnt even an option, with the sole power conduit being the ultra-slick five-speed manual. Endowed with a near-perfect clutch, the SH/SE was a joy to drive, and moreover cut almost a full second off the 0-60 mph time set by the manual-mode slushbox; completing the run in 7.6 seconds as opposed to the 8.5 seconds set by the automatic-equipped car.

But the biggest news on the SH wasnt the excellent transmission, but rather the all-new Active Torque Transfer System, or ATTS. The predecessor to the companys current SH-AWD system, ATTS applied the same theory to the front-wheel drive Prelude. Capable of adjusting torque output to either front wheel individually, the ATTS goal was to correct the inherent understeer prevalent in front-wheel drive cars by speeding up the outside front wheel when rounding a turn. And it wasnt all hot air either; capable of diverting as much as 80 percent of available torque to a single wheel, the system really worked. Coupled with the Preludes stiffer chassis and very advanced double-wishbone suspension all around, the Prelude SH rounded corners extremely well, feeling every bit like the sports coupe is was. Also, because of the double wishbone suspensions ease of tuning and the ATTS excellent power dividing abilities, that great cornering attitude didnt come at the expense of comfort, and while the suspension isnt luxury-car soft, it is capable of soaking up most bumps so that the overall feeling is one of stable firmness, not harshness.

With very few changes over the years, all Preludes are more or less the same throughout the fifth generations lifespan. The only standout year was 99 which saw the addition of the aforementioned 5 horsepower, with 98 seeing nothing more than a few new paint colors and 2001 experiencing the addition of rear child seat tethers and an emergency trunk release; if youre a mobster, thats the year to stay away from.

And being a Honda, youd expect good reliability from a Prelude, but surprisingly, thats not necessarily the case, with more than a few common trouble spots popping up. Most are easy to spot, with one of the more serious being troublesome transmissions. A defect in the manual transmission shift fork resulted in a grinding noise while shifting into fifth gear on 1997 models, and 2000 through 2003 models have been known to simply destroy their transmissions altogether. Equally tragic is the 1997 models inclination to pop the front balance shafts oil plug right out of the block, resulting in a very sudden loss in oil pressure and probably some pretty severe (in other words, hard to miss) engine damage. Finally, a problematic ignition switch can cause electrical spikes that damage the transmission control module, while the 1997 models ATTS system has been known to just shut itself down. Of course, both electrical problems light up idiot lights on the dash, making them equally easy to spot.

Needless to say all the most common and severe Prelude trouble spots are pretty easy to find, making the task of finding a nice example that much more convenient. Even better, their slow sales when new have thrust them into the realm of relative anonymity, meaning most Preludes are a relatively good deal, especially those that were born before 2000. Base Preludes are obviously cheaper, and are certainly a good bargain for it, but the SH models technologically advanced power delivery system and superb canyon-carving capability make them almost irresistible to anyone with a penchant for speed and or excellent engineering.