Stylish, sporty, spacious, and all-electric is how Honda describes their 2024 Honda Prologue midsize SUV, with its current MSRP ($47,000), which does indeed live up to those descriptions. It’s also Honda’s first mass-market EV. As a newcomer to electric vehicles, I am coming around to realizing their benefits, like an EPA range rating of 300 zero-emission miles, especially as a city-dweller and lover of scenic road trips. As part of the Prologue technical presentation, journalists and car enthusiasts from all over the country traveled to the heart of Sonoma wine country, Healdsburg, California, to stay at the swanky Montage Healdsburg while having the opportunity to test drive the Prologue to see just how sporty the vehicle is, especially in throughout the Northern Californian mountains in the rain. The Prologue’s name is vital to the company’s electrification strategy. With the charging capability and a neo-rugged design, the Prologue is primed to take on adventures around town and outside the city limits. According to Honda, the Prologue is built on a state-of-the-art electric vehicle platform and multi-link front and rear suspensions optimized by their engineering team to deliver a sporty driving experience with class-leading refinement. Additionally, Honda has plans to offer the Prologue in both single-motor (front-wheel-drive) and dual-motor (all-wheel-drive) configurations with three trim levels – EX, Touring, and Elite.
“The arrival of the all-new Honda Prologue is a pivotal moment for the brand as Honda begins the transition to our zero-emissions future,” said Lance Wheeler, assistant vice president of Honda National Auto Sales, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “Prologue is aptly named as our first volume Honda EV, a stylish, sporty and spacious SUV that will take us toward our vision of 100% zero-emissions vehicle sales by 2040.”
Some Key Prologue Features:
Anticipated EPA range rating of 300 zero-emission miles
Sporty, modern, spacious, and comfortable interior
Standard 11-inch digital instrument display
Standard 11.3-inch HD touchscreen with Google built-in, wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto™ compatibility
State-of-the-art electric vehicle platform
Available all-wheel drive
Available 21-inch wheels and tires
Available self-sealing tires
Available Sport driving mode
Standard Honda Sensing® system, plus new Rear Cross Traffic Braking, Blind Zone Steering Assist, and Rear Pedestrian Alert
When driving the Prologue, I noticed how spacious it was, with space for about five to six people, perfect for a winter road trip or to pile in with your family (136.9 cubic feet of room inside the cabin.) Next, I appreciated the sleek moonroof, designed to take in nature while on your journey. To be candid, some features, like the windshield wiper controls that double as a tiny switch near the steering wheel and their 11.3-in Center Display offering support for Apple CarPlay®, Android Auto™, and Google built-in, as well as the gas-break combination, weren’t exactly intuitive. Lastly, as a petite woman with shorter arms, the rearview mirror was hard to reach and adjust.
However, I did enjoy the Prologue’s Bose speakers, roomy interior, and generous dimensions, including the most extended wheelbase in its class (121.8 inches), positioning the SUV alongside the Passport in Honda’s light truck lineup. The Prologue is about 8 inches longer and 5 inches wider than the CR-V. Honda engineers optimized Prologue’s aerodynamics to maximize efficiency and driving range while reducing wind noise inside the cabin (which I appreciated while driving throughout the windy and rainy hills of Sonoma County.)
After driving for three hours and covering 120 miles with a lot of rough terrain and zig-zags throughout, the Prologue could keep up in stamina and offered a smooth ride, boasting its performance capabilities.
