What makes the 2024 Honda Prologue one of the most anticipated EVs of the year? Watch along as we delve into the Prologue's cutting-edge technology
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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 According to a recent survey, the most anticipated EV
00:07 of the year.
00:07 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:11 Hey, y'all.
00:12 We're here with the 2024 Honda Prologue EV.
00:16 When you look at the specs, you can kind of see why.
00:19 It's the right size, the right class, the right shape,
00:22 the right range, the right price,
00:24 everything it needs to be to be a potential hit.
00:28 It's also a lot of new things for Honda.
00:30 It's their first really competitive EV.
00:33 It's the first car with this new design language, which
00:36 we think looks pretty modern and sleek.
00:38 And it actually disguises how big of a vehicle this is.
00:42 Now, it might not look that big on your screen,
00:44 but it's actually about the size of a Honda Passport SUV.
00:47 It's roughly the same length and width as that big thing.
00:50 But it's got this much lower roof that makes
00:53 it look wider and sleeker.
00:55 That has some implications for the inside of the car, too.
00:58 But let's go for a drive, and we'll tell you about them.
01:00 So if you own a newer Honda or you've driven one lately,
01:05 you'll notice things look kind of different.
01:07 And on the outside, it's Honda's new styling direction.
01:10 And on the inside, you'll notice it kind of looks
01:12 a lot like your cousin's Chevy.
01:14 And there's a good reason for that.
01:16 Honda has partnered with GM to build this car.
01:19 So a lot of it underneath is the GM Ultium platform
01:24 that you'll find under the Blazer EV and the Cadillac
01:27 Squirt and things like that.
01:29 Now, the reason Honda has done this
01:31 is because, frankly, they're a little behind the eight ball
01:33 on electric vehicles.
01:35 They've done a lot of work to make it look like a Honda,
01:37 though.
01:37 This horizontal vent design that's in all the new Hondas
01:42 is here.
01:43 This is Honda's entertainment screen up on the top here.
01:46 They've got a lot more physical buttons and knobs
01:48 than Chevy does.
01:49 So it is very much a Honda flavor,
01:52 but you can tell where it came from
01:55 and what the partnership is.
01:57 Now, the benefit of this partnership
01:58 is that it gets Honda a competitive EV SUV
02:02 that they can get on the road right now
02:04 and sell in serious numbers.
02:06 But they also had the flexibility in this partnership
02:08 to differentiate the vehicle as much as they could
02:12 so that it feels like a Honda and it's not just a badge job.
02:15 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:18 So now that we know the back story,
02:21 let's talk about the prologue itself,
02:22 because there's a lot to like about this car.
02:25 Honda's done their own tuning on the suspension,
02:28 and I really like the way it kind of flows down the road
02:30 here.
02:31 Now, obviously, this isn't a high-performance vehicle.
02:33 It's not trying to be a corner carver,
02:34 but it really moves nicely through the curves.
02:37 You never feel like you're being thrown around
02:39 or that if you go even a little bit quickly,
02:41 you're falling out of your seat or any of that.
02:43 The body control, the ride is just very smooth.
02:47 It kind of flows down the road.
02:49 I really like it for a nice midsize SUV
02:53 that you drive the family around in.
02:57 It's also quick enough.
02:58 Again, it's not trying to be a high-performance vehicle,
03:00 but this one is a twin-motor model,
03:03 and it's got enough power to get them in and go.
03:06 It feels good.
03:06 It's got that nice, smooth power delivery
03:09 that you get from electric motors.
03:11 It just kind of fits the character of the vehicle here.
03:14 Not too much, not too little.
03:16 The other thing I really like driving this car
03:18 is that it's so much quieter inside
03:20 than your typical Honda.
03:22 It's something that has been a kind of a character
03:24 trait for them for a long time.
03:26 Honda just doesn't do as much sound insulation
03:28 as some other manufacturers.
03:30 This one is really quiet.
03:31 At 80 miles an hour, you can fool a quiet conversation
03:34 in here just fine.
03:36 Now, there are a few things we don't like,
03:38 and one of the big ones is the steering assistance.
03:41 Honda usually does a pretty good job with this,
03:43 but something about the way this one works,
03:45 it feels like the steering wheel is kind of fighting you gently.
03:50 It kind of feels like there's resistance in the steering
03:53 wheel.
03:54 It's too active, and it just feels off.
03:57 And it's not the best version of this system that Honda can do.
04:03 Also, if you're tall, you're not going
04:06 to like riding the back of this car.
04:07 And that's really kind of too bad,
04:09 because it has so much leg room.
04:11 It's got a lot of space inside here,
04:12 but this sleek, low roof that looks so cool from the outside
04:16 means that--
04:17 so if you're tall, it's not going to be a good time.
04:19 One other thing that's kind of take it or leave it
04:21 is the charging.
04:23 So this car goes up to 296 miles charged,
04:27 depending on powertrain.
04:29 But it only charges at 150 kilowatts.
04:31 And that's kind of on the slow side for modern cars.
04:35 And it's extra disappointing, because the Chevy
04:37 versions of this platform charge at 190 kilowatts.
04:41 And Honda says that this is to protect
04:44 the life of the battery.
04:46 Fast charging can wear the battery out more quickly
04:49 than slow charging.
04:51 So they charge at a lower speed.
04:54 And it just means that when you have to use a public charger,
04:57 you're going to be there longer.
05:00 Now, the final factor, price.
05:02 At just under $49,000 to start, it's not cheap.
05:06 But it's priced right in the heart of the competition.
05:09 But think about what comes standard.
05:12 There's only one battery in the Prologue.
05:13 So no matter what, you get the maximum amount of range.
05:16 Plus, all the screens are standard.
05:20 Apple CarPlay, Google Android Auto, dual zone climate
05:24 control, heated seats.
05:25 You get a lot on this car that you might have to pay more
05:27 for at the competition.
05:29 Plus, Honda's going to throw in a few bucks
05:31 to help you get a home charger installed and some credits
05:35 for charging in public.
05:37 Roll that all together with everything else we talked
05:40 about, the good and the bad.
05:41 And this car has real potential to be a big hit for Honda
05:45 and get them right back into the EV game.
05:48 (dramatic music)