Body style: Coupé (two-door)
Segment: Medium
Production years: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987
Honda introduced the Prelude's second generation in 1983 as a sporty compact coupe improved in every aspect over its predecessor.
When Honda designed the Prelude, it made it as a commuter car for the week and a sporty coupe for the weekend. It was unusual to see a car that was both fuel-efficient and still perform well on a race-track. Still, the car managed to accomplish both tasks successfully.
With its pop-up headlights and very low hood, the Prelude showed an aerodynamic look despite its wedge-shaped bodywork. At the front, the chromed line that surrounded the front fascia crossed the headlights' covers and continued onto the sides, around the corner-mounted turn signals. Its long doors sported body-colored door-handles, which was not so common for those times. The door-mirrors, on the other hand, were black. In 1986, the Prelude received a slight facelift.
Inside, the nimble coupe featured sport bucket-seats with high-bolstering to keep its occupants in place during high-speed cornering. Its angular-shaped dashboard featured an instrument panel that showed the speedometer and tachometer in large dials, the fuel and coolant-temperature gauges on top corners.
But the most important upgrade was from the technical side. The Prelude featured a double-wishbone front suspension with unequal arms that increased the car's handling. Honda claimed that the car could withstand up to 0.83 g on a skidpad. Under the hood, depending on the market, the carmaker installed a wide range of engines ranged between 101 hp and 160 hp (JDM only). While most versions were paired exclusively with a five-speed manual, some were available with a four-speed automatic as well.
ENGINE SPECS - 1.8L 4AT FWD (101 HP) | |
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Cylinders: | L4 |
Displacement: | 1829 cm3 |
Power: | 74.3 KW @ 5500 RPM 101 HP @ 5500 RPM 100 BHP @ 5500 RPM |
Torque: | 112 lb-ft @ 4000 RPM 152 Nm @ 4000 RPM |
Fuel System: | Carburetor |
Fuel: | Gasoline |
Fuel capacity: | 15.9 gallons (60.2 L) |
PERFORMANCE SPECS | |
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Top Speed: | 115 mph (185 km/h) |
Acceleration 0-62 Mph (0-100 kph): | 9.5 s |
TRANSMISSION SPECS | |
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Drive Type: | Front Wheel Drive |
Gearbox: | 4-Speed automatic |
BRAKES SPECS | |
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Front: | Ventilated Discs |
Rear: | Discs |
TIRES SPECS | |
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Tire Size: | 185/70HR13 |
DIMENSIONS | |
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Length: | 169.3 in (4300 mm) |
Width: | 66.5 in (1689 mm) |
Height: | 51.2 in (1300 mm) |
Front/rear Track: | 57.9/57.9 in (1,471/1,471 mm) |
Wheelbase: | 96.5 in (2451 mm) |
Ground Clearance: | 5.5 in (140 mm) |
Cargo Volume: | 11.1 cuFT (314 L) |
Aerodynamics (Cd): | 0.34 |
ENGINE SPECS - 1.8L 5MT FWD (101 HP) | |
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Cylinders: | L4 |
Displacement: | 1829 cm3 |
Power: | 74.3 KW @ 5500 RPM 101 HP @ 5500 RPM 100 BHP @ 5500 RPM |
Torque: | 112 lb-ft @ 4000 RPM 152 Nm @ 4000 RPM |
Fuel System: | Carburetor |
Fuel: | Gasoline |
Fuel capacity: | 15.9 gallons (60.2 L) |
PERFORMANCE SPECS | |
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Top Speed: | 115 mph (185 km/h) |
Acceleration 0-62 Mph (0-100 kph): | 9.5 s |
TRANSMISSION SPECS | |
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Drive Type: | Front Wheel Drive |
Gearbox: | 5-Speed manual |
BRAKES SPECS | |
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Front: | Ventilated Discs |
Rear: | Discs |
TIRES SPECS | |
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Tire Size: | 185/70HR13 |
DIMENSIONS | |
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Length: | 169.3 in (4300 mm) |
Width: | 66.5 in (1689 mm) |
Height: | 51.2 in (1300 mm) |
Front/rear Track: | 57.9/57.9 in (1,471/1,471 mm) |
Wheelbase: | 96.5 in (2451 mm) |
Ground Clearance: | 5.5 in (140 mm) |
Cargo Volume: | 11.1 cuFT (314 L) |
Aerodynamics (Cd): | 0.34 |
WEIGHT SPECS | |
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Unladen Weight: | 2149.5 lbs (975 kg) |
Gross Weight Limit: | 3284.9 lbs (1490 kg) |
FUEL ECONOMY (NEDC) | |
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Combined: | 28.3 mpg US (8.3 L/100Km) |
CO2 Emissions: | 198 g/km |
ENGINE SPECS - 1.8L EX 5MT FWD (105 HP) | |
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Cylinders: | L4 |
Displacement: | 1829 cm3 |
Power: | 77.2 KW @ 5500 RPM 105 HP @ 5500 RPM 104 BHP @ 5500 RPM |
Torque: | 112 lb-ft @ 4000 RPM 152 Nm @ 4000 RPM |
Fuel System: | Carburetor |
Fuel: | Gasoline |
Fuel capacity: | 15.9 gallons (60.2 L) |
PERFORMANCE SPECS | |
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Top Speed: | 115 mph (185 km/h) |
Acceleration 0-62 Mph (0-100 kph): | 9.5 s |
TRANSMISSION SPECS | |
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Drive Type: | Front Wheel Drive |
Gearbox: | 5-Speed manual |
BRAKES SPECS | |
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Front: | Ventilated Discs |
Rear: | Discs |
TIRES SPECS | |
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Tire Size: | 185/70HR13 |
DIMENSIONS | |
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Length: | 169.3 in (4300 mm) |
Width: | 66.5 in (1689 mm) |
Height: | 51.2 in (1300 mm) |
Front/rear Track: | 57.9/57.9 in (1,471/1,471 mm) |
Wheelbase: | 96.5 in (2451 mm) |
Ground Clearance: | 5.5 in (140 mm) |
Cargo Volume: | 11.1 cuFT (314 L) |
Aerodynamics (Cd): | 0.34 |
ENGINE SPECS - 2.0i 5MT FWD (137 HP) | |
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Cylinders: | L4 |
Displacement: | 1958 cm3 |
Power: | 100.8 KW @ 6000 RPM 137 HP @ 6000 RPM 135 BHP @ 6000 RPM |
Torque: | 125 lb-ft @ 5000 RPM 170 Nm @ 5000 RPM |
Fuel System: | Multipoint Injection |
Fuel: | Gasoline |
Fuel capacity: | 15.9 gallons (60.2 L) |
PERFORMANCE SPECS | |
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Top Speed: | 127.4 mph (205 km/h) |
Acceleration 0-62 Mph (0-100 kph): | 7.8 s |
TRANSMISSION SPECS | |
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Drive Type: | Front Wheel Drive |
Gearbox: | 5-Speed manual |
BRAKES SPECS | |
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Front: | Ventilated Discs |
Rear: | Discs |
TIRES SPECS | |
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Tire Size: | 195/60HR14 |
DIMENSIONS | |
---|---|
Length: | 169.3 in (4300 mm) |
Width: | 66.5 in (1689 mm) |
Height: | 51.2 in (1300 mm) |
Front/rear Track: | 57.9/57.9 in (1,471/1,471 mm) |
Wheelbase: | 96.5 in (2451 mm) |
Ground Clearance: | 5.5 in (140 mm) |
Cargo Volume: | 11.1 cuFT (314 L) |
Aerodynamics (Cd): | 0.34 |
WEIGHT SPECS | |
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Unladen Weight: | 2253.1 lbs (1022 kg) |
Gross Weight Limit: | 3384.1 lbs (1535 kg) |
FUEL ECONOMY (NEDC) | |
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Combined: | 27.4 mpg US (8.6 L/100Km) |
CO2 Emissions: | 205 g/km |