2024 Honda Prologue First Look: A Honda SUV With GM’s Ultium Electric Guts

Honda has had a few all-electric vehicles in its past, like the EV Plus, as well as limited releases of the Fit EV and Clarity all-electric (not the FCEV), and the more recent retro-inspired Honda e sold only in Europe. But the 2024 Honda Prologue is set to be the Japanese automaker's first mass-market electric car for the U.S., marking a critical step for the brand. Honda needed a little help from GM and its Ultium electric platform to make the Prologue happen, but if nobody told you this, you wouldn't really know.

It's Designed by Honda

The 2024 Honda Prologue has all the staples of Honda's existing SUV design language. It's meant to look muscular yet sporty, but the Prologue is unique to most Honda SUVs when it comes to the area above its beltline. The greenhouse is much lower and more aerodynamically efficient than the boxier Pilot and Passport; you see this mostly in how the roof rakes down as it approaches the rear. In fact, the 192-inch body length is nearly the same as the Passport's, but—thanks to its short overhangs and proportioned doors—the Prologue has a much longer wheelbase at 121.8 inches. When you compare it to the Honda CR-V, the Prologue is 8 inches longer and 5 inches wider than that popular small SUV.

Electric-Only Badges

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While this is a Honda SUV, the 2024 Prologue will have noticeable changes in how its badging looks. The typed-out logo you see on the hatch comes directly from the Honda e compact hatchback introduced in other markets, with an old-school-like font that uses lowercase letters after the "H." This "Honda" logo will only be used on the company's all-electric vehicles, so don't expect to see it on your next Civic, CR-V, or Accord—even as electrified hybrids. The other all-electric only badge is the "E:," which we see on top of the "AWD" badge and will also denote an all-electric Honda.

The Ultium Equation

Of course, the biggest questions are what's the deal with the GM partnership and how did using an Ultium platform affect the 2024 Honda Prologue? Standing outside the SUV, there aren't any signs it uses anything from GM besides the six-lug wheels—which are 21-inch aluminum units on the Prologue Elite AWD and are the biggest wheels offered on any Honda. The major point is that Honda couldn't announce it was going to use Tesla's NACS charging port until after GM did. It also can't switch its charging port until the Ultium platform switches to the NACS port soon, so the interim solution is to offer a NACS charger adapter just like what is being offered by other OEMs that are making the transition from the J1772-CCS port.

It also means Honda has only one battery pack to offer across the Prologue's trims, an 85 kWh pack for the EX, Touring, and Elite. There's good and bad news in offering only one battery pack. The good news is it does simplify the Prologue options, and the pack's size offers decent charge times across all trims. The 85 kWh capacity means you'll be able to get up to a 155 kW charging rate on a DC fast charger and about 65 miles of range in approximately 10 minutes, according to Honda.

The bad news is you won't be able to compensate for the additional draw from the second GM-supplied motor when you option for a dual-motor AWD on the Touring trim or get the Elite trim—which has the dual-motor AWD as standard—by getting a larger battery pack. Honda does expect the single-motor Prologue FWD will be able to drive more than 300 miles on a single charge but couldn't offer us an exact number just yet. The company reassures us the calculation is based off the EPA drive-cycle testing, and that the single-motor FWD is tuned for "confident acceleration and maximum efficiency." Honda also assured us the drop in range won't be horrible for the dual-motor AWD versions that will generate 288 hp and 333 lb-ft of torque. Add in the additional weight of the 21-inch wheels used on the Elite trim along with its Sport driving mode, and that range will take a hit. That's why the FWD EX and FWD and AWD versions of the Touring will also use 19-inch wheels on 255/60 19-inch tires that will also be narrower than the tires found on the 21-inch wheel with its 275/45 rubber.

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Honda's Charging Plans

Since Honda doesn't know exactly what garaging situation Prologue owners will face, it decided on three optional packages for charging that will be included in the price of the 2024 Prologue. The first is a $750 public charging credit, which will allow anyone without access to a 120V or 240V outlet the ability to charge for free at an available public charger. The second is a portable charging package that is capable of using a 7.6-kW charging cable and will also include $300 of public-charging credit and a $250 installation incentive through Honda Home Electrification (HHE). Finally, there is the 11.5-kW home charging station package that includes $100 in public charging credits and a $500 installation incentive.

HHE is an online marketplace for Honda's electric-vehicle owners to find pre-vetted, local installers to help make installing a home charger easier. These installers will be part of a dedicated Expert Energy Advisors group that will help owners select a home charging solution that best fits their needs. On top of that, Honda is working with six other OEMs to create a new, brand-neutral DC fast-charging network that will offer up to 350-kW and above rates, though the Prologue will be limited to 155-kW. Honda already hinted that future EVs are planned to be on Honda-built platforms, and this 155-kW DC fast-charge rate won't be found on Honda EVs after 2025.

This new Honda-built platform will be part of the company's next steps toward 100 percent zero-emissions sales along with setting up its EV Hub by retooling its Marysville, Ohio, plant by 2026, and its battery production deal with LGES in Fayette County, Ohio. This joint-venture battery plant is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024 and aims for around 40-GWh of battery production capacity.

Suspension Tuning

Regardless of its GM motors and battery pack, the 2024 Prologue's coil-spring multilink suspension is tuned by Honda. If you expect a soft, body-rolling GM SUV ride, we're told you'll be in for quite a shock. Honda said this is going to be the driving experience we've come to expect from its SUVs, and the addition of a battery pack and electric drive aren't going to change that. Honda also chose to go with a metal coil-spring suspension over an air setup due to the Acura ZDX using it for a more luxurious experience.

A Modern Honda Interior

Heading inside, you'll find a very spacious cabin that is all Honda, but just a bit more modern. With 136.9 cubic feet of interior space, you won't feel like you are being squeezed like in other all-electrics with short rooflines. However, this more than six-foot-tall author had a little more than 1 inch of headroom in the driver's seat and just a little less than that on the Elite trim with its panoramic roof. The EX and Elite trims come with an eight-way power driver's seat with two-way power lumbar, and both driver and front passenger seats are heated. The rear seats are capable of folding back in just two positions, giving just a bit more headroom and were still comfortable to sit in. The center seating position also has a dropped seat bottom to help accommodate some taller passengers. When not used as a seat, the center seatback can drop down and be used as an arm rest with two cupholders for the rear passengers.

You'll find the only two other bits of Ultium behind the steering wheel: the shifter on the right side and the maximum-regeneration paddle on the left side of the steering wheel. The shifter and paddle were required to work properly with the Ultium controllers, but everything else is all Honda. There are many smart storage options throughout the cabin, like the cup holders in the center console that can accommodate large 32-ounce bottles, a standard phone-charging slot just behind them and in front of the center armrest, and the tablet-sized shelf ahead of the cupholders. Underneath, you'll find another storage shelf, and under the center armrest is a massive space that can also easily accommodate a tablet, among other large items.

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Keeping Everyone Happy

The driver is greeted by an 11.0-inch instrument display on all trims, but the Elite gains a 7x3-inch HUD for eyes-on-the-road information. The infotainment screen is an 11.3-inch touchscreen with Google built-in, but it can still work with wireless Apple CarPlay—something Honda was able to do despite using Ultium (GM previously announced its future Ultium-based models would not be equipped with CarPlay). The Google system will also help the driver find the best route for distance remaining and charging stops, showing charging stations and the charge time to stop at them during the planned drive. This will also work with the battery monitoring system to precondition the pack to reduce charging times. More modern amenities can be added to the Prologue through its over-the-air (OTA) capability that will update and upgrade software for new or improved functions and capability.

If you happen to prefer connecting your phone to the Prologue's infotainment system, it will accommodate you with two USB-C charging and data ports for the front passengers, offering a 45W charging rate along with a 12V power outlet to the far right. Rear passengers get two of their own USB-C ports, but those are charge-only. Rear passengers also get a 120V outlet to use for laptops or other AC-powered devices.

Cargo Room Without a Frunk

With the rear seats folded, the 2024 Honda Prologue has 25.2 cubes of cargo space. With the 60/40 seats folded down, that expands to 57.7, but the seats don't quite fold flat. They still have a tiny bit of incline and feel like an odd choice considering the fact the Passport, Pilot, and CR-V seats do fold entirely flat. Honda said that slight incline helps with getting cargo out when using the full space. Another constraint of using the Ultium platform is how the controllers and HVAC are packaged up front. This leads to the Prologue (and other GM vehicles on the same platform) to not having enough space for a front trunk (frunk). Honda was able to compensate for this by adding 0.8 cubic feet of cargo space under the false floor, just behind the space for the tow hook and the tire inflator kit.

When Does It Go on Sale?

The company hasn't provided an exact on-sale date or price for the 2024 Honda Prologue. For now, it says to expect its first all-electric SUV to be available nationwide by early 2024, with a price in the upper $40,000 range. Honda will open pre-sales of the 2024 Prologue later this year, and that's potentially when we'll learn more.

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