I drove a Honda Prologue EV for a week — and it's the most underrated electric vehicle I’ve tested this year

If there’s a perfect example of how never to judge something after a brief encounter, the Honda Prologue EV is proof of that. Earlier this year, I had a chance to preview the EV at the 2024 New York Auto Show , but I didn’t think it was a standout among the other models I saw there, such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and Kia EV9 . I was dead wrong.

Several months after that first encounter, I finally test drove the 2024 Honda Prologue AWD Elite for a week — and it surprised me in more ways than one. Initially, I thought the Prologue was a lazy attempt for the longtime Japanese car maker to get its foot into the recent EV revolution. But after sitting inside of the driver’s seat for the first time, I was instantly reminded of past EVs I’ve driven — including the 2024 Cadillac Lyriq and 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV — because of its familiar interior space.

Well, it turns out that my deja vu feeling was valid because the Honda Prologue AWD Elite is based on the chassis developed by General Motors. As much as it would've been great to get an original design, I think Honda makes enough changes to this mid-size crossover SUV to set itself apart. In fact, the Honda Prologue EV is easily the most underrated EVs I’ve tested this year.

2024 Honda Prologue AWD Elite: Quick Specifications

2024 Honda Prologue AWD Elite: Driving summary

As always, I want to share all the important details about my test drive with the Honda Prologue EV — which consists of an even mix of city and highway driving. Since EVs are measured on a totally different metric from gas-powered cars, I list the efficiency it managed to achieve during my testing, along with how much of a charge I got at home with Level 1 charging.

• 243.6 miles driven
• Efficiency of 3.4 mi/kWh
• 47% starting battery level, reached 57% in 11.933 hours of Level 1 charging
• 29 miles of range added back to battery
• Roughly 2.4 mi/hr charging rate on Level 1

The Honda Prologue’s efficiency got better the more I drove it, reaching 3.4 mi/kWh by the end. Compared to the Lyriq and Blazer EV, which got 2.7 mi/kWh and 3.2 mi/kWh respectively, the Prologue easily surpassed them — and that’s knowing it features the same 85 kWh battery as the Blazer EV. Even though it’s not close to matching the better efficiency of the Lucid Air Pure and Hyundai Kona Electric , I think it’s pretty good for its larger size.

2024 Honda Prologue AWD Elite: Pros

Delightful design and color

I don’t know if the Javits Center was suppressing the Prologue in some unseen way when I first scoped the EV in March, but seeing it in a more natural setting made me appreciate its delightful design. Far from the hard lined angles I see in many futuristic inspired EV designs, like the Toyota bZ4X or Subaru Solterra, the Prologue looks more like a modern SUV you see on the road. And that’s not a bad thing either.

The elongated hood slopes downward ever so slightly to fashion out a modern-looking aesthetic with its front grill and bumper. Meanwhile, I really like how the wide base of the Prologue makes the back of the SUV give it a slight boxy appearance that reminds me of classic boomboxes from the 80s. Adding to the design is the striking North Shore Pearl paint of the Prologue, as well as its 21-inch aluminum alloy wheels.

Large head-up display

Given how it’s similar to the Chevrolet Blazer EV, I really like that the Honda Prologue also offers a head-up display that’s just as big. In fact, the Prologue's version is definitely bigger than most other head-up displays I’ve seen, which comes in handy while driving because it shows my speed and navigation instructions.

Since it’s also sharp looking, I never have any trouble making out the heads-up display. That said, it could end up being a tad bit distracting if you set its brightness too high at night. Still, it’s incredibly useful getting all of my important driving details without looking down to either of the EV's displays.

Passenger mirror tilts when backing up

Call it a first in my experience, but the 2024 Honda Prologue AWD Elite will tilt the passenger side mirror downwards when I’m parking the vehicle. Even though it offers a 360-degree view that also has an overhead view, this tilting function is helpful because I can better see if I’m hugging too close to the curb while parallel parking. And once I’m done, the mirror automatically goes back to its normal position.

Panoramic sunroof

This wouldn’t be an epic EV if it didn’t have something to wow me on the inside, right? While the weather’s still moderately warm, it’s a breathtaking sight whenever I open up the Prologue's panoramic sunroof to let in some fresh air.

The front portion can also lift open to let in some air flow, while a netting around the front of the sunroof helps to catch debris or bugs while driving. For the passengers in the back, it’s certainly an extra treat because it covers a sizable section of the roof.

Smooth driving with excellent turning radius

Even though it’s no speed demon, the 2024 Honda Prologue AWD Elite offers a smooth ride that has decent pickup. Even on some bumpy roads, the driving’s hardly affected at all because of its wide chassis.

On the highways, it sounds exceptionally quiet in the interior — zipping in and out of the lanes is no problem at all with this EV. The driving experience is made better because of its spacious interior, which offers plenty of clearance with the rear passenger seats, ventilated front seats to keep cool in the summertime, and more than enough headroom to accommodate the tallest passengers. For a bigger sized SUV, I’m pleasantly surprised by the wide turning radius.

2024 Honda Prologue AWD Elite: Cons

Antiquated user interface, small display

Thankfully the 2024 Honda Prologue AWD Elite offers wireless CarPlay and Android Auto because I cannot get over the antiquated user interface of the stock infotainment system. It’s so dated-looking with big icons layered on top of this muted blue-colored background, with minimal animation and transition effects to try and spruce up the experience.

It doesn’t help either when it’s a tiny 11.3-inch display, which pales in comparison to the larger screens I’ve seen in other EVs. Everything about the software feels dated. I thought the Toyota bZ4X was bad in this area, but the Prologue comes close.

Lacks super cruise control

One feature I’ve come to be spoiled by in modern EVs is adaptive cruise control. The Honda Prologue offers it to a certain degree, like being able to apply the necessary acceleration and braking to maintain cruise control speed, but it lacks the ability to steer the wheel to keep it centered in the lane.

This is often referred to as Lane Keep Assist in other EVs, where it would essentially drive the car for you so that it’s always centered. However, the Prologue doesn’t have this feature as an option — so I’m forced to still guide the wheel while using cruise control. In comparison, the Cadillac Lyriq has a feature called super cruise control, which does exactly what I mention all on its own.

2024 Honda Prologue AWD Elite: Bottom line

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With its smooth driving and surprisingly decent efficiency for a larger sized EV, you shouldn’t overlook the 2024 Honda Prologue AWD Elite. Despite being a smidge more than the comparable Chevrolet Blazer EV I test drove, I think the Prologue's a much better value given the extra features it offers over the Blazer — like its panoramic sunroof and support for CarPlay and Android Auto. I think it’s a great option for families due to the amount of space you’ll find on the inside.

And despite having an EPA-estimated range of 273 miles, the better than expected 3.4 mi/kWh efficiency I got from the Honda Prologue AWD Elite opens up the possibility of getting farther range just as long as you drive modestly. You could save more by going down a couple of trims with the base EX model, which starts at $47,400, but that version requires a few comfort and convenience trade-offs.

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