New Honda Prologue for Sale nearGarner, AR

Honda hasn’t appeared eager to rush an electric vehicle (EV) to market. While some other automakers paced their adoption of battery-electric powertrains aggressively, the Japanese brand took its time, allowing hybrid power to form the foundation of its electrification strategy until it was good and ready. That time is now.

What’s New for the 2024 Honda Prologue

The Honda Prologue is the automaker’s first EV for the North American market, as well as its first-ever fully electric SUV. Honda has its own EV platform coming for the 2025 model year, but the Prologue is ready now. Like its corporate cousin, the Acura ZDX, the Prologue leverages the General Motors platform that underpins the Cadillac Lyriq.

Design

The Prologue’s looks are as near to “normal” as any EV’s to date. In person, it’s obvious that the grille lacks the gaps it would need if it shielded an internal combustion engine (ICE), but in photos, it looks more like the new Civic than it does a Tesla or an Ioniq 5. It’s mostly the midsize SUV’s sleek bodywork that distinguishes it from the chunkier CR-V, Passport, and Pilot–until we get to the back. There, the new typeface spelling out “HONDA” between the taillights lends a digital air. The design of the Elite trim’s 21-inch wheels–the largest ever offered on any Honda–is clean and modern, and we love the punchy turquoise of the new North Shore Pearl color, which is one of seven offered.

Powertrain

As of this writing, Honda has framed most published statistics as estimates. We know that the Prologue will be offered in both single-motor, front-wheel-drive (FWD) and dual-motor, all-wheel-drive (AWD) forms, and that AWD will be available on all three trims. It will be standard on the base EX and the middle-grade Touring, while the top Elite trim will come with AWD by default. Honda expects the dual-motor setup to generate 288 horsepower and 333 lb-ft of torque.

The most efficient version of the Prologue is the base EX in its FWD configuration. That will get an estimated 300 miles of range on a single charge. Honda says that the Prologue’s 85-kWh battery will be capable of DC fast charging at speeds up to 155 kW, meaning it will be possible to add 65 miles of range in 10 minutes.

Interior

Honda devotees will find the Prologue’s interior comfortingly familiar: no yokes or floating consoles here. There’s very little in the way of unexpected details, save for the tablet-style driver-information display and the notably missing honeycomb grille dash we've seen in so many next-gen Hondas lately. Regardless of trim or seating surface, every 2024 Prologue will come with two-tone seats, which look spiffy and also serve to lighten up the interior. A panoramic sunroof comes standard on Touring and Elite trims.

The steering-wheel-mounted shifter frees up space between the driver and the passenger, put to good use with a standard wireless charging pad and space for a second smartphone beside it. A pass-through in the center console adds a second level of storage in addition to the sizable covered bin.

An eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with two-way lumbar comes standard. Every 2024 Prologue gets heated front seats and dual-zone climate control; the Touring trim adds driver’s-seat memory, and the Elite trim adds ventilated front seats and a heated steering wheel.

Legroom specs are not available yet, but the Prologue has the longest wheelbase in its class, and that does make itself felt from the rear seat. Taller passengers may find headroom (also yet to be announced) a little tight. The Prologue offers 25.2 cubic feet of storage space with the rear seats in place or 55.7 with them down, and it has up to 136.9 cubic feet of total interior space.

Technology

The standard 11-inch driver-information display is joined by a standard 11.3-inch touchscreen for infotainment. Though it’s meant to be a tech-forward vehicle, the Prologue does still sport a full array of physical controls beneath the touchscreen. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, along with Google Built-In. The Prologue can use Google Maps to calculate a route that balances charging stops with travel time, to estimate the charge needed to reach a destination, or to precondition the battery on the way to a DC fast charging station.

Safety

The 2024 Prologue comes standard with Honda Sensing, the automaker’s suite of advanced driver-assistance features. Highlights include new standard rear cross-traffic braking, rear pedestrian alert, and blind-zone steering assist, and the Touring trim also gets a head-up display and front and rear parking assist. Honda says it’s targeting a Top Safety Pick+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and 5 stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Pricing

Pricing details for the 2024 Honda Prologue are not yet available as of this writing, but we do know its base MSRP will start in the high $40,000 range. That makes it pricier than the Toyota bz4X and the Volkswagen ID.4, but it’s also significantly larger than either, and the Prologue earns points for arriving on the scene as a staid option likely to fall squarely in many shoppers’ comfort zones. As a further value add, Honda is including one of three charging packages with every new Prologue sale. Each offers financial support for charging, but the balance of home vs public is the buyer’s choice.