1997 Honda Prelude VTiR 2.2 DOHC VTEC MPFI from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Excellent quality and tasty VTEC

Faults:

Remote CD stacker refused to play.

Battery - fair enough!

Leather steering wheel - sun damaged but replaced under warranty!

Driver's door not letting me out.

General Comments:

Typical example of Honda's excellent finish and quality. Engine is super smooth and quiet.

VTEC is great and similar to turbo boost with a great exhaust note. Unfortunately the factory set VTEC too high, cuts in at 5500rpm. 3rd party VTEC controller will lower it though.

Not that quick off the start but screams through second and third.

Watch out for speeding tickets!

Extremely quiet and stable at 200km/h.

Factory tyres are too noisy (Yohohama).

Great fuel economy from 190hp engine.

Great for enthusiast, heaps of power, not suited to being a daily driver, limited space and seating is very low.

Not an all out speed racer, but more stylish sports cruiser.

Honda service is excellent.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd March, 2001

25th Mar 2001, 22:41

The v-tec is factory set to 5000, if it is coming on at 5500 then there is a problem with the car. To get a good takeoff I launch at 4000 and ride the clutch slightly.

10th Jul 2001, 19:06

The VTEC is 5500, you were right the first time.

18th Aug 2002, 20:37

You're both wrong. It's 5250 RPM. Hey, if you're gonna own the car, know the car.

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1997 Honda Prelude VTEC 2.2 L VTEC from North America

Summary:

A true front wheel drive sports car

Faults:

Rear springs have a tendency to break. Not catastrophicly though, they simply develop a small clank. Other than that mine has a tendency to burn oil quickly. After an oil change it smells bad.

General Comments:

This is a great car. It handles great. This car is ready to race out of the box. If you want to modify this car aftermarket parts are a little hard to come by, but it's a great ride. A must drive!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th August, 2000

24th May 2001, 00:05

I love my 1999 prelude with the exception of adding 2 quarts of oil in between oil changes! I drive my car hard but come on 2 quarts? Honda has to respond b/c I am not the only oil burning 97-01 prelude out there.

16th Dec 2004, 16:44

Hello- I also own a 1999 Honda Prelude with 85,000 miles. This prelude also burns about 1 1/2 quarts of oil every 3000 miles. Does this mean that the engine is worn out?

TIMMYDUNFEE@YAHOO.COM.

11th Jan 2009, 13:37

VTEC engines burn oil, it is normal.

4th Apr 2009, 23:20

All VTEC's burn oil, including the S2000. Keep in mind, the oil that is used on these engines by Honda is different than that you would get a Grease Monkey, Jiffy Lube or Walmart, and that is for a reason. Often the oil changes that are done by those places are not actually doing it properly, given the VTEC configuration. If you go to those places, check your oil a week later and you will likely need to add oil, and you should obviously do it.

9th Sep 2009, 09:55

My 1997 VTEC 5 speed is, and has been a great car... I bought it new off the lot and can't bring myself to sell or trade it in. It has good acceleration at highway speeds and handles great. I have 92,000 miles on it and have never had any maintenance issues. It does not burn oil and gets around 28mph. Myself and the Honda dealers can't understand why they discontinued the model... and for that matter, why they don't bring it back -- a classic, I love it!!

1997 Honda Prelude VTEC from North America

Faults:

One wiper blade needed replacement after a very short time.

Car alarm goes off frequently for no apparent reason (anywhere from 1 once every 6 weeks to 4 times/week, dealer just shrugs about this and says he doesn't know what's causing it).

Front window defog doesn't come on right away - sometimes takes more than ten minutes for the air system to switch up to front window.

General Comments:

Stereo sound is excellent. Performance and handling are great! Well-designed sunroof. Fuel economy -- I get about 9.5-10 km/l city, 12 km/l highway. Car requires premium gas (minimum 91 octane). A great looking car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th July, 1999

22nd Apr 2005, 08:38

To the author, I think you mixed up the fuel usage. More fuel is used in city driving, less on the highway.

16th Feb 2006, 21:59

He said that it was km/L not L/km so he was right, he put more km to L on the highway (12) than in the city (9.5-10)

19th Sep 2010, 12:37

You can easily put 87 octane gas in your engine if it's still normally aspirated.