Honda has finally answered the question that diehard fans have been asking since the Prelude’s comeback was confirmed. There is no manual gearbox on the table. Not now, not later, and not as a surprise special. The decision comes straight from Honda leadership, who told Australia’s Drive that the new hybrid powertrain architecture is simply not compatible with a clutch pedal. Road & Track echoed the same message from Honda’s Tokyo show stand, framing it as a technical call as much as a market reality.

If you are catching up, the reborn Prelude pairs a 2.0 liter Atkinson cycle four with a two motor hybrid system that can drive the wheels directly through Honda’s eCVT layout. Instead of a conventional transmission it uses S+ Shift, a software defined feature that simulates stepped gears, complete with paddle inputs, rev matching blips and a pause in acceleration to mimic a real upshift. Honda has even published a tech explainer outlining how S+ Shift repurposes the paddles from regen control to virtual gear changes, and MotorTrend recently broke down how the system tries to bring some of the tactile rhythm drivers expect from a sporty coupe.

Here is where it gets complicated for those of us who grew up loving Hondas because they made ordinary roads feel special. Around our office and among many readers in our generation, CVTs have never earned much affection. We appreciate the Prelude’s balanced chassis and the Civic Type R hardware it borrows, and we like how S+ Shift adds a bit of flair on a back road. But there is no getting around the fact that simulating gears is not the same as rowing your own. The Prelude might still be a terrific drive, yet the absence of a proper stick keeps it from clearing that last emotional hurdle for a lot of enthusiasts.

Honda’s product planners would argue they are meeting drivers where they are today, not where they were in 1999. Drive reports that the split of propulsion between engine and electric motor is roughly half and half, which makes a manual integration far more complex than the old Insight or CR Z setups where the engine was the main event and the e motor only assisted. The Drive also notes that Honda understands the desire for engagement, which is why S+ Shift and paddles exist at all. Autoweek has positioned the Prelude as a hybrid grand tourer with genuine chassis substance, and that may be the right lens if you are not fixated on a clutch pedal.

So where does that leave us. The Prelude looks sharp, promises real-world pace and efficiency, and should be a friendly daily with a fun side. For many buyers, that is a sweet spot. For the loyalists who still heel and toe their way to work, it is a near miss. We will keep hoping for a spicier variant someday, but for now the message is clear. The Prelude is automatic only, with S+ Shift doing its best impression of the experience so many of us still crave.