2024 Honda Prologue Hands-On Preview: 5 Stand-Out EV Features

The days of Honda dipping its toe into the electrification pool with quirky, low-volume Clarity sedan family of plug-ins and fuel cells is now ancient history.

The Japanese automaker is now heading for the mainstream with the introduction of the 2024 Prologue EV SUV.

Unlike its electrified sedan forerunners, Honda’s first-ever pure EV SUV will enter one of the best-selling new car segments in North America: mid-size SUVs. In this category, the Prologue isn’t aiming to become a niche darling of early adopters and trendsetters, but rather an attractive alternative for the masses exiting internal combustion vehicles and moving into EVs.

With the launch of the Prologue, a vehicle co-developed with General Motors that uses the latter’s Ultium battery platform, Honda’s electrification strategy in North America comes into sharper focus.

The Prologue will be followed by a mid-large EV in 2025 that will be built on Honda’s proprietary electric e: Architecture platform, with others to follow leading up to 2030 as the company moves towards 100 percent zero-emission sales by 2040.

AutoGuide.com was recently invited by Honda to take a closer look at the 2024 Prologue, and here are five things that stood out during our hands-on session.

Powering the Prologue is an Ultium 85 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that works in conjunction with either a single- or dual-motor set-up. At time of writing Honda had not released horsepower and torque numbers for the single motor variant, but it estimates 288 hp and 333 lb-ft for the dual-motor.

A dual-motor / all-wheel drive set-up is standard on the Elite grade and optional on the EX and Touring models in the US, while dual-motor is standard across the range in Canada (EX, EX-L and Touring).

As for range and charging, Honda is projecting an EPA rating of 300 miles (450 km), and a DC fast charging rate of up to 155 kilowatts. Honda says a 10-minute fast charge will deliver about 65 miles (105 km) of range.

The Prologue’s design was led by a team based at the Honda Design Studio in Los Angeles, with support from Japan. Because the Prologue’s development cycle coincided with the Covid pandemic, Honda leaned on virtual reality (VR) tools to aid in concepting.

The result is what Honda calls “Neo-Rugged”, a look that is traditional boxy-SUV, like Honda’s other utilities, but with some softer edges to help separate it from its siblings. Exterior design cues of note include available 21-inch wheels—the largest ever for a Honda vehicle—and a lower-case Honda wordmark on the liftgate, which Honda said is an EV-centric touch.

The Prologue is quite roomy on the inside, with up to 136.9 cubic feet (3,877 liters) of interior space that will seat up to five comfortably. The rear seat backs have two angles of recline will fold down 60/40 for 57.7 cubic feet (1,634 liters) of cargo space. While the Prologue doesn’t come with a frunk (front trunk), there is a hidden storage bin located in the cargo floor that adds another 0.5 cubic feet (14 liters) of storage.

Other space-efficiency design details include a column-mounted gear shift lever, a first for Honda, that creates space in the console area for more storage, including a bin that can store two smartphones side by side. Large cupholders that can accommodate 32 oz (946 mL) bottles, along with a pocket-style smartphone charger, also come standard.

Because the Prologue was co-developed with GM, it shares a lot of technology, and some of those features which will look familiar to GM owners.

For instance, the Prologue features two digital screens, an 11.0-inch instrument cluster display and an 11.3-inch multimedia touchscreen, both of which are standard across the lineup. The multimedia display features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with Google Built-in, which has been proliferating among GM vehicles over the past 12-18 months.

Google Built-in, which features Google Maps, Google Assistant and Google Play, is available in the 2023 Honda Accord, but the Prologue is the first Honda SUV to offer it.

Other tech features include a 7x3-inch head-up display for Elite models (Touring in Canada), a Bose premium audio system with 12 speakers for Touring and Elite grades (EX-L and Touring in Canada), and four 3.0A USB-C 45W charging ports, with two for each row of seats.

Of note, Honda says the Prologue will receive over-the-air updates, like a smartphone, for key vehicle computer modules.