2024 Honda Prologue

Honda designed the Prologue’s entire “top hat”—everything above the platform and the dash and seat positioning, and it’s gone such a softer route in its styling, you’re unlikely to ever see the connection. Honda calls the Prologue’s design “neo-rugged,” with blacked-out details that establish just enough SUV cred—just never mind the ground clearance or off-road cred, OK? 

The profile looks wagon-like from some angles, including at the rear where the LEDs are set high as part of a horizontal strip featuring the Honda name spelled out in script that matches what’s used on the European Honda E and on Honda’s established Chinese-market EVs. In top Elite guise, the big 21-inch wheels help give it presence, too. 

Inside, it’s a little less remarkable, but very functional. Most notably, Honda’s center console has a space to nearly hold your phone, large cupholders that grab big Nalgene bottles or smaller coffee cups, lower storage, and an upper tray. Some details, like around the center climate vents, just look unfinished, as if there was meant to be more trim or buttons there—especially if you walk across the lot and compare it to the mesh, beltlined look of the dash and vents in the Civic and Accord. While the pre-production models seemed well put-together, they had a hodgepodge of slightly mismatched materials and surfaces in the dash and doors; we’ll withhold judgment for the production versions arriving later. Although it sure is refreshing, in this design, to see physical climate-control buttons. 

The Prologue offers two levels of higher regenerative braking that you can toggle through with a steering-wheel paddle, or you can otherwise choose to turn the one-pedal driving mode to its Normal or High mode, with the latter ramping up the regen so that you’ll be using the brake pedal far less—but do check in with your passenger. On Elite versions only, a Sport mode heightens steering and brake feel slightly and adds some sound fakery through the speakers, although we prefer it kept out of the mix. 

The Honda Prologue doesn’t disguise its weight, and it rides with all the heft of a vehicle weighing more than 5,000 pounds in all but its base version. With a multi-link front and rear suspension setup, plus anti-roll bars front and rear, it soaks up the most jarring bumps, with an underlying firmness—although a long steering ratio and plenty of lean in corners suggest quickly that there are no sporting pretenses here. On the other hand, it’s quiet and settled, and it tracks very well on the highway. 

Is the Prologue 4WD?

Some versions are, yes. There are two different core configurations of the Honda Prologue: single-motor front-wheel-drive, and dual-motor all-wheel-drive. Single-motor versions can be had only in base EX and mid-range Touring versions, while the dual-motor configuration is available in EX and Touring versions and included with the top Elite.
The Prologue offers just 7.9 inches of ground clearance in single-motor form, or 8.1 inches with all-wheel drive. That should be fine for unpaved roads leading to the campsite, but the lack of an off-road mode or any mention of tough underbody/battery shielding signals this is by no means intended for anything beyond that. 

There is a tow rating for the Prologue—1,500 pounds, so enough to haul a couple of jet-skis. 

How fast is the Honda Prologue?

The Prologue is quick enough for most family needs though it’s not at all a performance vehicle—and it definitely doesn’t launch with the pin-you-back zip of some other EVs. Honda hasn’t disclosed acceleration figures, but based on versions of the Chevy Blazer EV that have similar overall weight ranges, expect dual-motor all-wheel-drive versions to accelerate to 60 mph in about six seconds while single-motor front-wheel-drive models will take nearly seven seconds.

That said, there are two potential seating issues to draw attention to. In front, the cushions feel short and flat compared to what's offered in the Accord or CR-V, and they don't offer enough side support to hold you in place in corners. Second-row passengers anywhere close to 6 feet tall and beyond will also find headroom scarce. Note that the base EX offers 1.4 inches more official headroom from the lack of that panoramic sunroof setup. 

Ride quality is for the most part a strength—provided you keep the Prologue on the commuting boulevards and highways where it’s intended. On the firm side of plush, with wind noise sealed out extraordinarily well, it’s at its best at highway speeds with the long-ratio steering offering relaxed tracking. On curvier, rougher roads, the suspension lets too much harshness in at times and fails to reel in the weight of the vehicle.  

The Prologue has impressive packaging for cargo, and when you fold the rear seatbacks forward, nearly flat, you can expand its 25.2 cubic feet to 57.7 cubic feet (with those numbers reduced slightly in versions with the glass roof). A big center console, door pockets, and a glovebox round out the smaller storage area, but there is no frunk.

In all its versions, the 2024 Honda Prologue includes automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, active lane control, adaptive cruise control, rear parking sensors, and blind-spot monitors. A rear pedestrian alert feature and surround-vision camera system are only included in the top Elite trim.

The Prologue has some peculiar placement for some of its controls. Headlight controls and regenerative braking settings, for instance, are in a narrow tray at the top of the infotainment screen, while Sport mode gets a physical button around where the headlights might be in other models. Prologue’s infotainment system could benefit from a flatter structure, and finding various settings tended to involve clicking on a home-screen icon and then sifting through secondary menu options. But based on initial impressions, the system responded quickly and responsively. 

Warranty coverage includes a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty as well as battery coverage for eight years or 100,000 miles. 

Which Prologue EV should I buy?

Based on how the 2024 Honda Prologue EV fits into the market, the base Prologue EX will actually make the most sense for a lot of shoppers who like this package—with some asterisks.  

That’s because from a value standpoint there are some luxury-brand EVs that are expected to provide a more luxurious cabin, better performance, or both, at something close to its nearly $60,000 price ceiling. At $51,795, we think the Prologue EX dual-motor version, providing all-wheel drive, is the best deal in the lineup—if you’re good without the panoramic sunroof, Bose premium audio, and trim upgrades of the middle Touring model. Skipping the panoramic sunroof setup gets you extra headroom for rear passengers, too. 

How much is a fully loaded Prologue EV?

For $59,295, the top-of-the-line Prologue Elite includes dual-motor all-wheel drive and, on top of the Touring model’s extras, perforated leather upholstery, accent stitching, a heated steering wheel, cooled front seats, and 21-inch wheels. It also adds illuminated footwells and cupholders, an AC outlet for rear passengers, and a head-up display.

How fast does the Prologue charge?

Charging stops will be relatively short, but not entirely competitive with some of the other electric crossovers you might cross-shop with the Prologue. The Prologue fast-charges at a peak of 150 kw, corresponding to up to 65 miles in 10 minutes. While that’s good, the 35-minute best-case-scenario time from 20-80%is a little more revealing, meaning you’ll probably need to plan for that kind of charge stop about every two hours or so in 70-mph road-tripping. 

The Prologue will handle 240-volt AC charging up to 11.5 kw, according to Honda, which means if you have a 48-amp home charger on a 60-amp or higher circuit, it will charge up fully in less than eight hours. 

Honda has no plans as of yet for utilizing the bidirectional charging hardware that’s built into all GM Ultium vehicles, including the Prologue.