Because it did in earlier a long time, Honda has used one other maker’s automobile to enter a brand new US phase.
Honda is usually often called the world’s largest maker of inner combustion engines—greater than 14 million of them a 12 months. It sells these engines in a wide range of containers, from house mills and garden mowers to ATVs and vehicles. Through the years, the corporate has pioneered a variety of superior powertrain applied sciences, together with each pure fuel and hydrogen gasoline cell autos.
None of these have been battery-electric autos, nonetheless.
That left Honda severely behind within the world race towards long-range electrical autos that Tesla kicked off in 2012 with its Mannequin S. Since then, in North America, Honda has bought two pure EVs in tiny numbers: the 2013-2014 Honda Match EV (82 miles of EPA vary) and the 2017-2019 Honda Readability Electrical midsize sedan (89 miles of vary). Each have been purely compliance vehicles.
Now, lastly, Japan’s third-largest automaker (and maybe that nation’s most Americanized automobile model) is promoting an actual EV. It’s the 2024 Honda Prologue, a midsize crossover utility with roughly the footprint of Honda’s midsize two-row, gasoline-powered Passport. A spacious five-seat utility automobile, it’s EPA-rated at 273 to 296 miles of vary.
Knowledge since gross sales began in March means that the Prologue has accomplished properly for Honda—greater than 5,400 have been bought in August 2024 (the newest month earlier than this text closed). A Honda exec informed Charged in February he was assured they’d obtain 40,000 Prologues from the manufacturing facility in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, throughout calendar 2024.
It’s price noting that the Prologue presently carries heavy incentives, from the federal $7,500 point-of-purchase rebate to Honda’s personal inner spiffs. As Electrek lately mentioned, “With as much as $14,250 in incentives, the Honda Prologue could be even cheaper to lease than a Civic, regardless of costing practically double.”
Honda did a cope with GM to develop its personal electrical SUV, the Prologue, on Blazer EV underpinnings.
Is it actually a Honda?
The key to this outstanding debut lies in a deal introduced again in 2020 between Honda and Normal Motors. GM deliberate to roll out a wide range of autos primarily based on its Ultium structure, from the posh Cadillac Lyriq by the rock-climbing GMC Hummer EV to the mass-market compact Chevrolet Equinox EV. A core automobile inside these plans was the midsize Chevy Blazer EV—which shares structural dimensions and physique laborious factors with the extra upmarket Lyriq.
Honda did a cope with GM to develop its personal electrical SUV, the Prologue, on Blazer EV underpinnings. GM would construct the automobile for Honda alongside the Chevy in its Ramos Arizpe plant. Honda would additionally develop an upmarket Acura ZDX crossover on the identical platform—that one can be constructed by GM on the Lyriq meeting plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
Whereas the battery sizes, physique laborious factors, and different core traits stay frequent between the Blazer EV and the Prologue, Honda made a number of revisions to present the Prologue extra of a Honda really feel. For one factor, it declined a rear-wheel-drive model, providing the Prologue solely with front- or all-wheel drive, to protect the anticipated on-road habits from a model that has by no means bought a four-seat, rear-wheel-drive automobile within the US.
Whereas the battery sizes, physique laborious factors, and different core traits stay frequent between the Blazer EV and Prologue, Honda made a number of revisions to present the Prologue extra of a Honda really feel.
One other tweak was a number of refinements to the multi-link suspension, entrance and rear, to present the Prologue extra of a sporty really feel on the highway. Lastly, the Prologue presents each Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as customary. That compares to GM’s new EV lineup, which incorporates 8 years of free Google Maps navigation, however doesn’t mirror telephones utilizing both working system. As an alternative, GM-branded Ultium EVs give patrons 3 years of App Entry free—after which that functionality alone prices them $14.99 per 30 days, for the power to do what they used to do free of charge on their telephones. How that can play out stays to be seen; clearly Honda didn’t need to run that threat.
Behind the wheel
In each a January media drive by California’s Napa Valley and an August week in upstate New York with a Prologue check automobile, we got here away with the identical impressions: Honda is promoting a pleasing, giant, spacious midsize EV crossover.
Powertrain specs for the Prologue are just like these of its GM counterparts. All variations are powered by an 85 kWh battery pack below the cabin ground. Within the all-wheel-drive model with two motors, Honda quotes energy of as much as 212 kW (288 hp) and 333 lb-ft of torque. The bottom front-wheel-drive mannequin is rated at 155 kW (212 hp) and 236 lb-ft.
That gives sufficient acceleration and cruising to maintain up with nearly any type of site visitors a household is more likely to encounter. Steering is considerably imprecise, and the Prologue is a happier automobile on vast, flat suburban arteries than being tossed by curving, irregular canyon roads. Its one-pedal driving is exceptionally well-executed, with customary and robust ranges accessible (additionally none in any respect). Drivers of different EV manufacturers will discover that the Prologue accelerates extra intentionally than the hair-trigger thrust of another makes.
Honda mentioned it tuned accelerator response and different traits to make the Prologue really feel “extra like a Honda,” however you gained’t discover many similarities to the sunshine, tossable Civic compact sedan on this SUV of 5,000 kilos or extra. Right here, the objective was inside area, consolation and battery vary greater than efficiency.
A couple of peculiar facets doubtless mirror the mix of mounted GM structure beneath with Honda’s method to controls and data format. As an example, there’s no entrance trunk.
A couple of peculiar facets doubtless mirror the mix of mounted GM structure beneath with Honda’s method to controls and data format. As an example, there’s no entrance trunk, which looks as if a significant misplaced alternative in a lowish SUV with an extended hood designed to imitate the proportions of an SUV with a giant engine up entrance.
Trims and specs: all under $60k
Honda laudably stored laborious controls—knobs and buttons—for a majority of the automobile features. Its heart console has giant cupholders for giant bottles or smaller espresso cups, decrease storage, an higher tray, and area in your telephone. However in comparison with the crisply executed cabin of a Civic, the supplies—Honda floor styling over GM underpinnings—can appear a bit chaotic or unfinished.
Three trim ranges are supplied: a base EX, a midlevel Touring, and a top-of-the-line Elite. All share an identical propulsion techniques, whether or not front- or all-wheel drive (a $3,000 possibility on EX and Touring, customary on Elite). They’re differentiated principally by trim and look objects and know-how options.
Pricing begins at $48,795 for the EX in FWD type; the AWD EX at $51,795 could also be the most effective worth for a lot of patrons. A top-trim Prologue Elite—which provides niceties like perforated leather-based upholstery, heated and cooled entrance seats and heated wheel, 21-inch wheels, a head-up show, and even an AC outlet for rear passengers—is available in at just under the essential $60,000 mark: $59,295. All costs embrace Honda’s obligatory $1,395 supply charge.
We count on the Prologue to search out takers pretty simply amongst its prospects who’re EV-curious however would by no means think about a home model—and should have been underwhelmed by the Toyota bZ4X.
We count on the Prologue to search out takers pretty simply amongst its prospects who’re EV-curious however would by no means think about a home model—and should have been underwhelmed by the Toyota bZ4X.
Cheaper joint EV program: cancelled
So how’s the Honda-GM partnership understanding? The Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX are presentable, competent and aggressive. However that will not have been sufficient. After 12 to 18 months of GM delay in getting its Ultium autos into collection manufacturing—by an incapability to scale up the automated meeting of battery modules utilizing new tools—in October 2023 Honda canceled plans for a previously-announced second GM partnership to develop more cost effective, extra reasonably priced EVs utilizing next-gen know-how.
In October 2023 Honda canceled plans for a beforehand introduced second GM partnership to develop more cost effective, extra reasonably priced EVs utilizing next-gen know-how.
Simply three months later, Honda introduced that its first autos on an internally developed Honda 0 Collection platform will hit the market in 2026, sooner than beforehand anticipated. Prototypes proven embrace a smooth Saloon (aka sedan) and a extra boxy Area-Hub van/SUV. The collection was developed utilizing three precepts, mentioned Honda: skinny, mild and sensible. In Asia and Europe, the corporate has had its subcompoact Honda e three-door hatchback on sale for a couple of years. However with doubtless US vary below 200 miles and a smaller dimension than most Individuals would think about, that automobile was by no means meant for North America.
In the meantime, the Prologue and ZDX will signify Honda within the mainstream sector for EVs in north America. They’ll doubtless run no less than by 2028—with GM underpinnings, constructed by GM in its personal factories.
Honda’s deal to leap into a brand new phase utilizing one other automaker’s merchandise shouldn’t be all that shocking. College students of auto business historical past will recall that Honda rebadged an Isuzu Trooper because the Acura SLX, whereas Honda in flip offered Isuzu with an early era of the Odyssey minivan—which Isuzu relabeled an Oasis and bought for the 1996 by 1999 mannequin years. The minivan didn’t assist the smaller Japanese firm, which exited passenger vehicles in 1993 and the US market altogether in January 2009.
It appears protected to recommend GM most likely gained’t endure that destiny.
This text first appeared in Situation 69: July-September 2024 – Subscribe now.
Honda offered airfare, lodging and meals to allow Charged to convey you this first-person report.
