Honda has developed many applications for its sophisticated VTEC--Variablevalve Timing and lift Electronic Control--system, but the configuration
employed in the Prelude is still the most stimulating. Using two sets of
cam lobes per shaft--one set mild, the second aggressive--the mechanically
activated system engages the second set of lobes at about 5200 rpm and
voila!--we have liftoff.
In the lower gears, particularly, power comes on with a dramatic rush
reminiscent of some turbocharged cars, transforming the engine from mild
to wild. At maximum thrust, the little 2.2-liter engine propels the Prelude
to 60 mph in about seven seconds, making an engagingly refined snarl while
doing so.
The five-speed gearbox is precise, although the gear ratios aren't quite
as close as they were in previous VTEC-power Preludes, probably for a little
better fuel economy.
Honda's painstaking work with the chassis is immediately apparent in
hard cornering, even in the basic car. And the function of the ATTS wizardry
in our SH tester lends an amazing new dimension to front-drive motoring.
When cornering speed increases, it simply makes the driver forget that