2024 Honda Prologue First Drive Review: A Perfectly Fine Electric Family Crossover

Honda hasn’t been the fastest mover in electrification, but the 2024 Honda Prologue is a step in the right direction. When a car company starts planning a new model, the first step is designing the vehicle’s ideal hypothetical customer. When work began on the midsize Prologue electric crossover, they thought of someone a lot like me. Maybe even exactly me. I already drive an adequate crossover that I don’t particularly care about. My family activities require something larger than a sedan. I’d like an EV but don’t want something that advertises it. I’m fine with anything over 250 miles of range, and I’m not status-conscious. I also like specialty coffee and long bike rides if Honda wants to get real personal.

The Prologue checks all the boxes for most buyers. The EX front-wheel-drive single-motor base model has an EPA-rated range of 296 miles and that barely shrinks to 273 miles if you upgrade to the all-wheel-drive dual-motor fully-loaded Elite. It’s spacious inside, feels more premium than most competitors, looks decent enough without being flashy, and maybe most importantly, it doesn’t feel like a big switch from a current, conventional crossover.

The Basics

I suspect most of you know this already, but the Honda you’re staring at is actually a Chevy; more than one actually. It’s also a Cadillac. And it will be an Acura soon. So start working on your clever nicknames now for the Blazer, Equinox, Lyriq, ZDX, and Prologue. Having thought about it the entire flight home, I’m leaning towards Equilogue. The platform is GM’s Ultium, which also shares its battery technology and architecture with everything from Hummers to Escalade IQs; even Sierras and Silverados.

The Prologue wears a design language Honda refers to as neo-rugged; which to my mind is the person in full Patagonia whose idea of mountaineering is an occasional off-trail excursion at the disc golf course. It handsomely splits the difference between the somewhat bulbous and bland Equinox EV and the bro’ed-up Blazer EV. To put it in Honda context, the Prologue is roughly three inches longer than a Passport at 192 inches, a quarter of an inch narrower at 78.3 inches but 7.5 inches shorter in height at 64.7. In person, it looks sleeker than your average SUV. Aside from the solid black grille in front and the charging door in the front fender, most people wouldn’t suspect that it’s an EV. Those in the know will recognize the font used for the “HONDA” badge on the tailgate is reserved for the brand's electric cars, but only salespeople, and now all of you, will realize that.

The Prologue’s low roofline necessitates a lower seating position from the typical crossover barstool. A low hip point and more stretched-out heel position remind me of the original Acura ZDX, still one of my favorite Honda products. The Prologue’s interior is spacious and full of storage. Honda claims four inches more legroom than competitors without naming them, but a quick look at the Tesla Model Y and Kia EV6, which are slightly smaller vehicles, says the Prologue’s 39.4 inches is about average. Either way, the materials are nice, and the two-tone leather looks and feels more premium than the class requires. The two front cupholders are designed to fit 32-ounce Hydroflasks—shots fired, Subaru! There are plenty of modern necessities: two USB-C ports in the front and two in the rear, a 12-volt socket up front, a 110-volt in back, and a somewhat poorly designed wireless charging pocket in the front console. A phone sits upright in the pocket and tips over when turning—a small nit to pick.

I do, however, joyously celebrate Honda’s use of physical buttons and knobs for HVAC and seat temperature. There’s even a volume knob standing proud beside the 11.3-inch infotainment screen. I know, commenter, you hate the unintegrated screen, but average car buyers reportedly love them. The gauges are supplemented by another 11-inch screen which looks fine. The Elite trim you see in the photos includes a head-up display, also fine. Standard on all trims is Google Built-In, along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Wireless CarPlay with my iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 17.3 worked flawlessly—YMMV with your particular phone and OS.

All trim levels of the Prologue (EX, Touring, and Elite) include keyless entry and push-button start, but the top Elite trim includes Smart Access. Instead of using the standard keyfob, you can carry what looks like a hotel room key card which you hold up to the door handle to lock/unlock the car. So, either carry a bigger keyfob that stays in your pocket/purse or have to take the credit card-sized key out of your pocket to use. The person who came up with this definitely wears their work badge on a lanyard at all times as per company policy.