Such a great name! Honda's all-electric SUV is finally getting a taste of the real world. Prospective customers can already sign up to receive updates about the pre-sale process that will start later this year. But first, here are the key facts you need to know.
Honda allowed its premium-luxury brand to take the spotlight first through the launch of the Acura ZDX and ZDX Type S. Now, it's time for its Prologue to take center stage.
The Prologue is expected to have an EPA-rated range of 300 miles thanks to an 85-kWh battery and a starting price in the upper $40,000s before the EV tax credit and other local incentives. That means it will certainly have an MSRP of above $45,000.
The vehicle charges at a maximum rate of 155 kW, which means it can add 65 miles of range in around 10 minutes. We will have to wait and see the charging curve to figure out just how convenient fast charging will be.
If Honda manages to keep the pre-tax cost under $50,000 with the freight charge included, then it might have a serious competitor for Tesla's Model Y. The popular crossover costs $50,490 at the time of writing and boasts an EPA-estimated range of 330 miles. However, it qualifies for the full EV tax credit.
The Prologue could also become a problem for Chevrolet's all-wheel-drive Blazer EV, which has a range of 279 miles and is expected to start reaching more customers who agreed to an MSRP of nearly $57,000 pretty soon. Fortunately, it does benefit from the whole federal EV incentive.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E with eAWD could be a problem for the Prologue because it starts at $45,995 and qualifies for half of the revised EV tax credit. However, that entry-level model has an EPA-estimated range of only 224 miles.
Honda's all-electric SUV will also have to fight the Hyundai Ioniq 5 SE ($45,500) with its 266 miles of range, and the Kia EV6 Wind e-AWD ($53,925) that boasts 282 miles of zero-emission go. Fortunately for Honda, these South Korean EVs do not qualify for the EV tax credit unless leased.
It's certainly looking good for the Prologue. It could conquer the market pretty fast if middlemen won't get greedy and ruin the brand's chance at success. It might even make its posh sibling – the Acura ZDX – look like a non-starter.
Photo: Honda
The vehicle will be available in both single-motor (front-wheel-drive) and dual-motor (all-wheel-drive) configurations with three trim levels – EX, Touring, and Elite. Since it's built on the Ultium platform and refined by Honda's engineers, this manufacturing decision makes sense. However, just like GM's all-electric models, there's no word about the FWD Prologue yet.
The Prologue comes with an 11-inch driver's display, an 11.3-inch infotainment screen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and Honda's Sensing system that includes a couple of nifty safety features. There's also a head-up display available as an option. Honda prepared a lot of equipment for this unit available at extra cost. Fret not; heated front seats are available as standard!
The SUV boasts a wheelbase of 121.8 inches, which makes it approximately eight inches longer and five inches wider than the CR-V. It measures 192 inches in length, 64.7 inches in height, and 78.3 inches in width. The automaker says the Prologue will comfortably store three golf bags "lying flat on the cargo floor." With the seats up, there is 25.2 cu-ft of storage space. There's also a hidden area under the faux floor that adds 0.5 cu-ft of space to place your charging cable.
Upper trims will benefit from a 12-speaker Bose sound system, larger wheels, and a panoramic sunroof with a retractable shade. Even though it tries to convince prospective customers to go for the Touring or the Elite trims, Honda kept the building process relatively simple.
Finally, the all-wheel-drive made-in-Mexico Prologue will have an output of 288 hp and 333 lb-ft of torque.
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News