FR-S/BRZ VS Prelude

[SquadRogue]

Close to the same horsepower, what's better in your opinion?

[WazzuGrad]

You must be trolling.

No one actually comes on a FRS/BRZ forum and asks such a question seriously...
And in case you were not aware of this, the twins we not designed with high speed or drag times in mind.

Your comparing a FWD to a RWD.

/thread

[andrew1021]

I had a 4th gen prelude vtec before my brz...compared to the frs/brz, I still like the preludes engine, transmission, and clutch better than the twins. The Honda engine is so much smoother and sounds better all across the rev range. Pretty impressive the engine is nearly as powerful as the twins' despite it being over 20 years old. The shifter is smoother in the Honda without any difficulty shifting into second when cold. Clutch is much easier to drive smoothly as well.

The twins come out ahead with the steering precision, handling, and modern amenities. Fuel economy is better in the twins, especially on the freeway. Seating position is a wash...visibility out of the prelude is much better, and you feel the car is smaller and lower to the ground since it was designed before the regulations caused all the hood lines to be higher. However, if you use inflation adjusted prices for these cars, the prelude was much more expensive of a car when it was new...so maybe not the most fair comparison.

Bottom line is that today, the twins are a better car when judged on an absolute scale...but they should be given the 20 year age difference.

[DAEMANO]

The twins are better in every dynamic category (acceleration, top speed, grip, agility, transient response, handling, and braking). Hello RWD. It's not even close.

[tennisfreak]

Man I wanted a Prelude so bad when I was younger but they went out of production before I was able to buy one.

[funwheeldrive]

VTEC > *

[chaoskaze]

Prelude are really great cars back then & don't forget .....anything honda from that era are just a joy to own.

Love the fifth gen that my friend had. First time with Vtec was fun. lol

[GTSRolla34]

It depends on which prelude and which engine. My brothers 4th gen originally had an H23 non-vtec and it was quick, but my BRZ would have been quicker. He swapped in an H23 VTEC and there is no comparison. His car is much faster and is power band is much wider. More torque and horsepower with close to the same weight as the BRZ.

[ScoobsMcGee]

I drove a friend's 1998 Type SH this weekend. It was quite spry and eager to rev despite its age, but could probably use new shocks. Just keep in mind that you're comparing a 15+ year old car to a relatively new one, so there is potential for a lot more upkeep. Also I was told the tuning options are really limited if you get a Type SH with the active torque-transfer system. The shifter really is easy to use, especially when compared to the BRZ's 1-2 shift. Honda is known for making a good manual box for a reason.

From a performance perspective the two cars are surprisingly close, but the BRZ feels more composed and is almost certainly faster in all regards, even though it doesn't always feel it. The BRZ is also much newer, so there are a lot more modern amenities that can be taken for granted. Finding an Offspring tape in the Prelude was great, though.

Throwing the huge difference in cost aside (which will likely earn some ire) the only reason I would see to get a Prelude over a twin is if you're not used to and nervous about RWD. The two cars are a decade and a half apart at least, there is just no comparison.

[tahdizzle]

Last gen preludes were nice cars.

[NWFRS]

I learned to drive on my Mother's '82 Prelude. The 3-spd automatic was bitchin'. Even back then, my '77 Celica coupe struck me as the better car.

I guess Honda rubs me the wrong way by harping on and on about their "V-TEC", it's variable valve timing, it's for fuel economy, and it's nothing new. It's like Glock going on and on about "we had the first mass-produced polymer frames", it's old news, furthermore they have to add that "mass produced" qualifier because H&K actually did it first in a lower volume handgun. :-/

[Speed2th]

I had a lightly mod 97 prelude 5MT. With AEM v2 and light weight flywheel, the VTEC really live up. I love the car, it is a very good sports touring car. handing well and very agile. but how is it compare to my BRZ? not even close. my BRZ is more fun, more agile. the only thing is comparable are trunk space and seating room size. however, it doesnt get the vtec rush and mid range torque dip is kinda annoy.

[DohcTor]

Honda > Toyota

/Thread

Inb4 haters

[hmong337]

My baby sister drives an 01' prelude 5mt. Nuff said!