1994 Honda Prelude 2.2 VTEC Si review from UK and Ireland

Alarm has a mind of its own sometimes, hardly the car's fault though.

This is without doubt one of the best looking cars Honda have ever produced. Even at nine years old, after some TLC, the car still looks absolutely fantastic. This is the first car I've owned that people have come up to me and commented upon.

The metallic silver finish looks wonderful on a sunny day and shows off the (some might say womanly!) curves of the bodywork. The standard polished alloys look good too - I had planned to replace them, but they've definitely grown on me.

Inside, it's surprisingly small - the backs of the comfortable front seats almost touch the rear seats which are a bit of a joke. All of the gauges and warning lights are set behind a dark, sweeping pane of perspex - which light up like a space ship when turned on. Even the ventilation/air con is digital - a super climate control system, which is also very easy to use.

Driving the car is easy when you just want to get from point A to point B - and yet it can also be extremely involving when you want to "drive". This is a Honda that doesn't need to be thrashed to make decent progress, although all hell breaks lose at around 5200RPM and up to the redline! My car is an automatic which I love, although many people prefer this car as a manual - to better exploit the VTEC engine. I suggest you try both if you're looking at one of these.

At low revs and cruising speed, the engine is almost inaudible. As the revs rise, it starts to make the most beautiful noise - I have been known to turn the stereo off just to listen to it!

Steering is sharp and cornering fantastic. Mine is a BB4 model, which does away with the four wheel steering system found on earlier (and UK) models. As a result, the turning circle is surprisingly large considering the car's size.

For a 2.2 sports coupe, the fuel consumption is not bad at all. 20 around town, a little over 30 on a run. This is just an estimate however - if I was bothered about MPG then I wouldn't have bought this car.

Excellent value for money these days.