No Honda has ever done what the Prologue Electric SUV does so well

Pros

1. Luxury car quiet
2. Handsome design
3. Great ride quality

Cons

1. Swallows cargo like an HR-V, not CR-V
2. Rear visibility could be better
3. Fussy door handle unlock button

Something’s missing. We’re traveling down the freeway at 70 mph when it suddenly clicks — what makes the 2024 Honda Prologue so remarkable is what it doesn’t do. So little wind and tire noise is reaching the electric SUV’s cabin that we’re having trouble believing this is a Honda, as general interior racket has long been a brand drawback. Thing is, you’ve never seen a Honda like this. 

Underpinned by the same platform as our 2024 SUV of the Year — the Chevrolet Blazer EV — the Prologue has a completely different exterior design, an updated driving experience and software revisions. Honda fans can wait for the home-grown EVs to come, or they can jump in now with the Prologue.

What we’ve learned with the 2024 Prologue is just how far Honda has come in the EV space since it offered an electric Clarity sedan with just 89 miles of range a few years ago. (Clarity production ceased in 2019.) But we do have a few suggestions that we believe could help make the new Prologue even better.

Is the Prologue a real Honda?

Despite the Honda badge, there’s no getting around the fact that the Prologue beats with the heart of General Motors electric car tech. Honda says it applies the same quality control and assurance checks on the Prologue that it does with any of its vehicles, which is a good start. But how the 2024 Prologue holds up over time will really tell the tale.

For now, we can tell you that this midsize SUV rides better than expected, even on the loaded Elite trim’s modern and playful 21-inch wheels. We noted in our first drive that the Prologue doesn’t aim for a sporty appeal — which is fine — but we’d still like retuned steering so around-town maneuvers require less manipulation of the steering wheel.

0-60 MPH and a heaviness

Single-motor Prologue models make 212 hp, but our AWD dual-motor test SUV is rated at 288 hp, which is more than enough for all but the most jaded electric SUV drivers. However, that entertaining “watch this” instant launch feel isn’t as pronounced here as in the Tesla Model Y or Hyundai Ioniq 5. Acceleration from 0 to 60 mph happens in 6.0 seconds, which not surprisingly matches that of its dual-motor Chevrolet Blazer EV RS AWD cousin.

We haven’t forgotten about Tesla. A dual-motor AWD Model Y is smaller and has less presence than the Prologue, but the ubiquitous Tesla is surprisingly spacious inside, so it's a decent rival. The same is true of the Ioniq 5. An AWD Ioniq 5 hits 60 in just 4.4 seconds, and an AWD Model Y reaches 60 in 4.5 seconds.

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Braking performance from the Prologue was adequate at best on the track. The Honda came to a stop from 60 mph in 129 feet, which just about matches the Blazer EV (131 feet) but can’t compare to the Ioniq 5 (122 feet) or the Model Y (118 feet), which is a full 800 pounds lighter than the Honda.

The issue of the Honda’s heft appears in our test notes a couple times. The fun-to-drive lightness that defines some Hondas is lacking here, though the Prologue’s one-pedal driving mode is smooth down to a stop. Pro tip for test drives: Tap the small icon near the top of the infotainment display to find the one-pedal driving controls. Combine the SUV’s well-tuned one-pedal mode with the comfortable suspension, and you have one smooth-riding commuter.

MotorTrend-tested range and charging speed

Commuting is where the Prologue shines brightest — road trip driving not as much.

Public fast charging makes the most sense on road trips when you can’t take advantage of the awesome convenience of home charging, if you’re lucky enough to have that set up. In our fast-charging test, the Honda delivered 85 miles after 15 minutes and 128 miles after half an hour.

To put that into perspective, a 2022 Ioniq 5 AWD we tested added 141 and 200 miles after 15 and 30 minutes, respectively. The story is similar for the Model Y AWD, which came in at 118 miles after 15 minutes and 176 miles after 30.

Bottom line: The Honda is merely adequate from a fast-charging perspective. Again, though, if you have access to Level 2 home charging, this won't be an issue most of the time.

In the MT Road-Trip Range Test, which records how far you can drive an electric car using 95 percent of a fully charged battery at 70 mph, the Honda makes up some ground. The SUV's 230-mile distance is about the same as the Model Y (229 miles) and farther than the Ioniq 5 (216 miles).

What you'll see at Honda's website is the Prologue Elite’s 273-mile EPA rating, which combines city and highway driving. That’s 8 miles less than the 281-mile rating for other AWD trims with smaller wheels. Stick with a single-motor FWD model for max Prologue range, at 296 miles. While that's a more impressive number on paper, remember that single-motor Prologues only have 212 hp and won't get close to the 6.0-second 0–60 time of the dual-motor model we tested.

Looking for Honda magic inside

The 2024 Prologue’s interior is a mix of “ooh look at that!” and “what happened here?” We love the abundant storage options up front. Plenty of room for soup or ice cream. An open tray at the base of the center stack of controls is helpful so you can make a quick escape from a busy mall parking lot. There’s also a cavernous storage area below the center armrests with a place to hold slim sunglasses. And if that’s not enough, there’s more space underneath the center console.

Space in the Prologue’s back seat is decent, though taller passengers should watch their heads entering models equipped with the glass roof. Overall, however, despite its tidy exterior dimensions, the Prologue isn’t exactly huge inside. The smaller Tesla Model Y and Hyundai Ioniq 5 are both similarly spacious and offer more cargo volume than the longer Honda. Even the Blazer EV has slightly more space for your stuff behind the rear seats. You’d never know it by looking at the Prologue’s perfectly reasonable cargo area, but we’ll take more interior space from a smaller vehicle any day.

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A few needs-improvements details

We can forgive the Prologue for not having the real metal honeycomb trim that’s now a staple of new Hondas. The surprise-and-delight feature is a fun touch for anyone bored of fake carbon fiber or faux wood trim. But a few other interior details left us scratching our heads. For example, the parking brake button is by the driver’s left knee, along with the Sport button. We’d also like a less aggressive setting for the lane keep assist and automatic emergency braking driver assist features.

Unlike other new Hondas, the 2024 Prologue also lacks capacitive-touch door handles that can sense the key fob in your pocket and unlock a door. On the Prologue (and the Blazer EV) you must press a button to unlock. We can hear you playing that tiny violin from here, but it’s simply not as convenient. And while we had the SUV, we’d occasionally brush our finger over the button not deliberately enough the first time that the car wouldn’t unlock.

Have you been working out?

Take a few steps back for a minute to admire how handsome this Honda is. Really, you need to consider the other midsize electric SUVs on this platform — the Chevrolet Blazer EV, Acura ZDX and Cadillac Lyriq — to appreciate the Honda’s conventional good looks. No fussy details here.

Its exterior styling is so well executed that it becomes a reason to consider the Prologue, which is good considering how expensive it is compared to the smaller but still spacious Ioniq 5 and Model Y. The Prologue starts at $48,795, and our loaded dual-motor test SUV was about $60,000. But when you factor in that the Prologue has the presence of a midsize SUV instead of a smaller entry, its pricing starts to make more sense.

You don’t get a Prologue because you want a simple, affordable Honda electric car, though all Prologues built after February 24 qualify for the $7,500 point-of-sale tax credit. This is an advanced, quiet and comfortable cruiser but one that lacks a couple details we’ve come to expect from today’s best Hondas.

In the end, whether the Prologue is Honda enough for you is a question you can ponder from the near silence of its hushed cabin.

Photos by Renz Dimaandal

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