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Sorry manual fans, the 2026 Honda Prelude's 2.0-litre petrol-electric hybrid powertrain is incompatible with a clutch pedal.
Speaking with Drive at the 2025 Tokyo motor show, Honda Large Product Lead Horita Hidetomo explained that advancements in the brand’s hybrid technology means a manual gearbox will no longer be suitable.
“The engine [in Insight and CR-Z] was the main one [reason why the manual was available], the hybrid assist function was there,” Hidetomo-san said.
“Now the electricity and the engine is nearly half and half today, that’s the new technology we offer right now.
“But we also understand that with that feature [an automatic transmission], the driving itself is not very enjoyable.
“So, S+ Shift is a new feature for the Prelude, and that way we can offer very exciting driving.”
The Honda CR-Z three-door hatchback was in production from 2010 to 2016, and was closely related to the Toyota Prius-rivalling second-generation Insight.
Both models were offered with a manual gearbox, but both powertrains paired a four-cylinder petrol engine (1.3 litres in the Insight, and 1.5 litres in the CR-Z) with an electric motor for a performance boost.
Dubbed Integrated Motor Assist, the electric motor was compact enough to mount to the vehicle’s crankshaft, but its small size also meant a modest boost to performance.
Only 10kW/79Nm was produced from the electric motor and the battery was only 0.6kWh, meaning assistance from the high-voltage components remained minimised, estimated to only be about 10 per cent of driving.
According to Hidetomo-san, the heavy reliance on the petrol engine meant a three-pedal set-up was possible, but with the 2026 Prelude utilising a more advanced hybrid system, a manual is not possible.
Borrowing the same powertrain as the Civic e:HEV, the Prelude features a 104kW 2.0-litre petrol engine and 135kW electric motor set-up.
This means the system leans more on electricity to drive the wheels, and the Prelude will work in more situations under electric-only power, necessitating the need for an e-CVT.
However, the S+ Shift mode is designed to simulate changing gears in a traditional transmission, and features paddle shifters, rev-matching, and fake engine sounds.
“[It is automatic because] it satisfies the needs of today, that’s what we tried to offer with Prelude,” Hidetomo-san said.
Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
