A review of the updated Honda Prelude, focusing on the improvements to the engine with the introduction of VTEC technology, resulting in increased horsepower and faster acceleration. The article also discusses the car's handling, styling, and price.
From the November 1992 issue of Car and Driver.When Honda rolled out its new Prelude sports coupe a year ago, we found the styling debatable and the instrument panel disappointing, but we loved the character of the Si's 160-hp engine, the poise of the chassis under pressure, and the delicate feel of the steering.
Twelve months on, the styling is growing on us, the panel is still poor , and the engine character has been enhanced by 30 more technology-induced horsepower. A test run of a pre-production version of the new VTEC model showed a 0-to-60 time of 6.9 seconds, 0.3 second better than an Si. And there may be more to come from production examples. Are we happy or what? A stretch to about $23,000 buys a VTEC badge on the tail and Honda's variable-valve-timing-and-lift mechanism under the hood. Similar to the systems on the Acura NSX and Integra GS-R, the Prelude VTEC system uses two sets of cam lobes to blur the usual compromises between high-speed cylinder filling and low-speed tractability. The result is a sixteen-valve 2.2-liter engine that pulls smoothly and agreeably from a walking pace, peaks at 190 horsepower, and spins to a 7400-rpm redline.The magic happens with a third cam lobe and rocker arm sited between the normal pair on both intake and exhaust sides of each cylinder. This center lobe has a higher-lift and longer-duration profile, but its rocker freewheels below about 4800 rpm. While this high-rpm valve mechanism flaps harmlessly, the rockers bearing on the less-radical outer lobes operate the valves in conventional fashion. Around 4800 rpm , the VTEC system's electronic controller opens a valve to direct engine-oil pressure against a split shaft running through the rocker arms. As the oil pressure shifts the position of the split shaft, it locks the outer rockers to the center rocker . Presto: with the radical cam engaged, the engine gets a second wind and continues to claw toward the redline. The liner-free aluminum engine block used on the Si continues under the VTEC hardware; cast-in carbon fibers and aluminum oxide provide the cylinder bores wear-resistant surfaces in place of separate iron sleeves. But a 4.3 mm stroke reduction drops displacement by a tenth of a liter while lowering stress and vibration at the elevated revs the VTEC engine will see. Accordingly, gear ratios in the five-speed box have been changed. First gear and final drive remain the same, but second through fifth gears are shortened; top gear is 0.87:1 versus 0.81 in the Si. Beyond this, the 1993 Prelude VTEC is little changed from the 1992 Si that finished just a sliver out of first place in our April sports-coupe comparison. The finely balanced control-arm and multilink suspension, power rack-and-pinion steering, and all-disc brakes with anti-lock give marvelous control on both Main Street and Racer Road. We do wonder if Honda made the right choice in fitting this maximum-performance Prelude with the allseason Michelin XGT V4 radials from the two-wheel-steering Si rather than the stickier dry-biased Bridgestone Expedias used on the Si 4WS, but Honda's marketing people say that's what customers and dealers request. Still, the car puts down its power and remains unflappable through merciless flogging, and is, on balance, one of our current favorite cars to drive hard. It's a driving experience to be shared with but a single close friend, as the Prelude's rear 'seat' amounts to little more than an appealingly contoured parcel bin. Honda did reduce the height of the rear center console for 1993, lessening the sense of claustrophobia in the rear. The VTEC model includes standard driver and passenger air bags and a new sevenspeaker stereo. We'll know more about the VTEC's performance profile after an upcoming replay of the sports-coupe comparison, but our early numbers show, in addition to that sub-seven-second 0-to-60 time, a quarter-mile of 15.4 seconds at 91 mph , and a top speed of 135 . Frequently, the transition to the high-speed cam lobes is clearly felt in the cockpit as a sudden awakening, the car kicking into hyperdrive as the tach needle swings past five grand. We might expect a larger boost in performance from 30 additional horsepower despite the extra 70 or so pounds the new car carries, but unquestionably, the VTEC car is faster. And its stronger, higher-revving engine feels and sounds even better than the Si's.To reiterate, are we happy or what?
Honda Prelude VTEC Sports Coupe Engine Performance Car Review
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