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sion of this engine with about 200 horsepower will be offered, but for now American customers will be denied this level of excitement.
The new Si engine pulls strongly and smoothly to its 6500-rpm redline. Thanks to a variable-geometry intake manifold and a knock sensor that takes full advantage of the engine's 9.8:1 compression ratio, it is also stout at lower rpm. Each engine is available with a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission.
The new Prelude's suspension is similar in concept to its predecessor's, but several refinements help to put the additional power to the ground and also improve ride and roadholding. The unequal-length-control-arm front suspension has a lower roll-center and 1.2 inches more for a total 7.3 inches. The multilink rear suspension has similar changes, with travel up 0.8 inch to 8.0 total.
The four-wheel-steering top model has a completely different 4ws system from the mechanical one pioneered on the old Prelude. The new system use the electric motor controlled by a microcomputer to steer the rear wheels based on speed, steering-wheel angel, and the speed at which the driver turns the steering wheel.
Around the handling track at Honda's Tochigi proving grounds, the new Prelude |
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 | was tremendously stable. The Si model with four-wheel steering transfers its 160 horsepower to the road without excessive drama or understeer. Between the steering and the throttle, the driver can control the Prelude's cornering attitude with micrometer precision. The four-wheel-steering version seems more sensitive and capable it the corners then Si without it, but then it comes with higher-performance tires. In all Prelude models, however, the increased suspension travel combines with the more rigid body structure to provide a more supple and stable ride over bumps and fractured pavement. | | The uprated powerplants also deliver a clear payoff. The heaviest model, the Si 4WS, ran from 0 to 60 mph in just 7.2 seconds and trough the quarter-mile in 15.8 seconds at 90 mph. (The last Prelude Si we tested needed 8.6 seconds to reach 60 and ran a 16.5-second/83-mph quarter.) Moreover, the new engines are notably smooth all the way to their redline.
Pricing will start at about $16,000 for a S model with a drier-side air bag, fourteen-inch steel wheels, a decent stereo system, and power windows, locks, and sunroof. The Si 4WS will sell for about $22,000, with the DOHC engine, air condi- |
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