It’s no surprise that a growing number of new car buyers are sorting out what electrification means to them and whether embracing the technology is worth the effort. For many, an emerging conservative approach to electrification means leaving all-electric vehicles for another day and instead taking a much smaller step with a gas-electric hybrid.
Honestly, it’s a smart move. Hybrid power offers an attractive balance of efficiency and everyday usability while generally requiring just a modest premium in price. Plus, with a hybrid there’s no learning curve…you just start the car, shift into gear, and drive. There’s never a need to charge the vehicle’s battery and range is limited solely by the amount of gas in the tank. Honda understands this well. The company’s hybrid electric models now account for about one third of its U.S. sales, and the brand plans to push that number past 60 percent in the coming years as it makes a strategic shift away from its all-electric vehicle plans.
Given this heightened interest in hybrids, it’s no surprise that Honda is expanding its approach and has brought back its storied Prelude sports coupe in hybrid form. The reemergence of the Prelude transcends mere nostalgia. Rather, it’s a statement about where Honda sees opportunity. In the case of the Prelude, that opportunity is filling the needs of drivers who embrace the joy of driving and appreciable performance as part of their daily experience, while also benefiting from the fuel efficiency or environmental performance of hybrid drive.
The 2026 Prelude has been reborn as a sleek, modern liftback shaped to read as a coupe. It carries a wide stance, a low and sharp nose, flared fenders, full width taillights, and a distinctive double bubble roof. Inside, the cabin is a driver centric 2+2 layout with synthetic leather, contrast stitching, a 10.2 inch digital instrument cluster, and a 9 inch HD touchscreen. This is a sports coupe designed for the present, not a retro callback. It is purposeful, efficient, and engineered to deliver the kind of driving experience that made Prelude a favorite in its earlier life.
Honda’s two motor hybrid electric powertrain is at the center of this new model. The system integrates a direct injected, 2.0 liter Atkinson cycle engine with two large electric motors to deliver 200 system horsepower and 232 lb ft torque. The result is quick acceleration and a responsive feel that encourages spirited driving. The system foregoes a traditional transmission or CVT. Instead, drive force from the traction motor reaches the wheels through a fixed ratio, with engine power blended in as needed through a simple lock‑up clutch. This layout delivers smooth, predictable acceleration and supports efficient low‑rpm cruising when the gasoline engine is operating.
Prelude’s performance character is shaped by more than its hybrid system. Honda incorporates high performance chassis hardware from the Civic Type R, including its dual axis strut front suspension, wide tracks, and large brakes. Prelude applies its own tuning to these components, supported by an Adaptive Damper System that adjusts damping characteristics across four drive modes: Comfort, GT, Sport, and Individual. This combination provides precise steering, responsive handling, and a composed ride that fits the model’s grand touring mission. It also reflects Honda’s focus on driving dynamics that maintain comfort during everyday use.
Adding to its engaging character is Honda’s S+ Shift, a new drive mode debuting on Prelude that creates the sensation of a performance transmission. It manages engine RPM and coordinates the engine and traction motor to deliver quick, engaging shift simulations through the paddle shifters. S+ Shift enhances Honda’s Linear Shift Control to provide a more responsive and convincing shift feel, including virtual rev‑matched downshifts, gear holding, and richer engine sound. This adds a performance edge that complements the Prelude’s hybrid‑electric character without relying on a traditional gearbox.
Braking performance is equally serious. Prelude shares its front and rear brakes with the Civic Type R, including lightweight two‑piece 13.8‑inch front rotors and Brembo four‑piston aluminum calipers finished in a Prelude‑specific blue. Rear rotors measure 12.0 inches. The coupe rides on 19‑inch Berlina Black alloy wheels and 235/40R19 tires, with high‑performance summer tires available for drivers who want maximum grip.
Five exterior colors are available, including a new Winter Frost Pearl with either a body color or black roof. Interior choices include blue-and-white or black, both with blue accent stitching that ties into the Prelude’s blue brake calipers. Those who want more have options to further reinforce the Prelude’s sporty character. A full line of Honda Genuine Accessories allows further customization, including machine finished Berlina Black wheels, a black decklid spoiler, underbody spoilers, black emblems, and mirror covers.
Honda offers the Prelude in one well equipped trim starting at $43,195 including destination. EPA ratings come in at 46 city, 41 highway, and 44 combined…pretty impressive for a performance model.
Honda’s decision to revive Prelude as a hybrid sports coupe reflects a broader shift in the market. Drivers want efficiency, but many also want engagement, with a desire for a car that feels good on a winding road while remaining comfortable on the daily commute. The 2026 Prelude delivers this balance with a hybrid system that’s designed to be lively, chassis hardware with real performance cred, and a design that stands out without relying on nostalgia. It’s a well-executed, modern interpretation of a familiar idea, engineered for those who appreciate having it all while going about their daily drives.
The 2025 Toyota Crown Signia, a midsize five-seat hybrid, is neither the largest nor the fanciest set of wheels in the automaker’s gas-electric stable. But it just might fit the bill for those who find the full-size Sequoia or midsize Grand Highlander hybrids too big or too pricey and the RAV4 and outgoing Venza hybrids too small or unpolished.
Signia is a tall, wagon-like version of the Crown sedan that debuted in 2023 . It shares most of its parts with that model but starts at almost $45,000, about $4,000 more than the base Crown sedan. There won’t be a turbocharged performance-oriented Signia version like the top-of-the-line Crown Platinum sedan, at least not for the 2025 model year. Toyota calls it an SUV, but we think the Crown Signia is more wagon-like albeit with a slightly raised stance. It’s pricier than most of its likeliest competitors but offers a roomy cabin, good looks, and great fuel efficiency in exchange.
With its standard electronic all-wheel drive, we expect the Crown Signia to compete against the slightly smaller Subaru Outback as well as various trim levels of other midsize SUVs, including the Kia Sorento and Honda Passport. It may be a bit pricier than those, but as a hybrid it also is a lot more fuel-efficient, which could make up for the price difference over time.
It isn’t terribly powerful, but we found the highly efficient Signia to be a comfortable, nicely equipped, mostly quiet, and quite competent daily driver and long-distance cruiser that’s up to most tasks you’d care to throw at it.
The base Crown Signia XLE starts at $45,040 including Toyota’s $1,450 destination fee. It uses the fourth generation of Toyota’s hybrid drive system, configured for electronic on-demand four-wheel drive. Standard equipment includes fabric and imitation-leather upholstery, heated and ventilated eight-way power-adjustable front seats, a heated leather steering wheel, leather shift knob, two-zone climate control, a heated and flat-folding 60/40-split rear seat, and a customizable 12.3-inch driver’s information screen. Also standard are 19-inch alloy wheels and LED headlights, running light, and taillights.
Inside, the dash is dominated by a pair of 12.3-inch screens like Kia and Hyundai EVs, except not under a single pane of glass. There’s a multi-configurable digital driver’s information screen to the left along with a digital touchscreen for the infotainment system that dominates the center of the upper dash. Among the model’s other standard electronics is a six-speaker audio system, wireless phone charging, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and five USB ports. Toyota’s Safety Sense 3.0 package of safety and driver assist is also standard along with power-folding exterior mirrors with turn signal and blind spot warning lights, and a kick sensor (hands-free) power liftgate.
The Limited starts at $49,440 with destination fee and builds on the XLE with 21-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, driver’s seat memory settings, a digital rearview mirror, rain-sensing windshield wipers, a panoramic glass roof, and an 11-speaker JBL audio system. Unlike some new Toyotas, the Crown Signia won’t have a two-tone paint option among its five exterior color choices. Standard exterior colors are black and dark gray. The others – red, white, and bronze – are $425 options. The Crown Signia’s two interior color choices are tan and black.
For an additional $1,865, the Limited can be upgraded with an optional Advanced Technology Package that adds to the standard safety and driver assist systems with front cross-traffic alert, lane change assist, and front and rear parking assist with automatic braking. Traffic jam assist is included in the package with a subscription to Toyota’s Drive Connect suite of connected car services. Also included are a panoramic 360-degree camera system with overhead and curb views, and power-folding exterior side mirrors with puddle lights and automatic tilt-down when the transmission is shifted into reverse.
The Crown Signia gets the basic Toyota HEV all-wheel-drive system with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine and two small electric motors, one for each axle. It isn’t intended to be a performance vehicle so suspension is tuned for comfort, making the Crown Signia more at home cruising on the open highway than being pushed on twisty roads. It is a fairly well-balanced vehicle, though and handles mountain roads with aplomb – and little bothersome body roll – until pushed to the limits of its all-season tires. There are three driver-selectable drive modes including Normal, Eco, and Sport, though there’s little difference in handling no matter the mode. Sport provides quicker throttle response while Eco slows it down and puts some limits on climate control system output to improve fuel efficiency.
The 240 horsepower hybrid system delivers 178 lb-ft torque from the gas engine with the electric motors providing additional torque – up to 134 lb-ft to the front wheels and 89 lb-ft to the rear. On-demand all-wheel drive is biased toward front-wheel drive, so the rear motor powers the rear wheels only when extra oomph or traction is needed. Among likely competitors, only the V-6 powered Honda Passport offers more horsepower.
The Signia powertrain provides okay, but not outstanding, grunt for passing and climbing hills and can manage a Toyota-estimated 0-60 mph sprint time of 7.1 seconds on flat ground. That’s almost half a second quicker than Toyota claims for the sedan with the same powertrain and may just reflect a real-world adjustment since some testers have timed the sedan at 7.2 seconds.
We were able to experience a Crown Signia Limited on a recent jaunt that combined freeways, country roads. and some steep mountain twisties. Along the way we found it to be quiet and comfortable for the most part, though it can get a bit loud inside when the gas engine has to work hard at peak demand and a buzzy whine permeates the otherwise hushed cabin. We missed the adaptive suspension that is standard in the Crown sedan’s Platinum trim, but overall found the ride quality to be good except over badly potholed asphalt. Braking is nicely linear without the mushiness sometimes felt in hybrids. Steering is responsive but could be a little quicker and, as with many electrically assisted setups, doesn’t relay a ton of road info to the driver.
In our 235 mile Southern California drive we achieved an overall 36 mpg in a Signia Limited without babying the throttle. Official EPA estimates for the model come in at 39 city/37 highway mpg, or 38 mpg combined.
Competitively, the Crown Signia’s fuel efficiency looks to be near the top of the class, trailing only the 2024 Toyota Venza’s 39 mpg combined rating. The all-wheel drive Kia Sorento hybrid is rated at 34 mpg combined, the Subaru Outback at 29 mpg combined, and the Honda Passport gets just 21 mpg combined. The Honda and Subaru are not available as hybrids.
The 2025 Toyota Crown Signia’s cabin mirrors that of the Crown sedan, although the SUV’s 60/40-split rear seats are more bench-like than the sedan’s back seat. Overall, the Crown Signia offers a more upscale version of the standard Toyota interior, bordering on Lexus-like. It is roomy, comfortable, and quiet except when the 2.5-liter gas engine is winding up.
Crown Signia is as much as five inches longer than its likely competitors and has a longer wheelbase, which tends to soften the ride and create more interior space. But it is also lower and narrower than its competitors, negating the spatial benefits of the longer wheelbase. While fairly roomy in the second row, the Signia has the least rear head and legroom of the competitive set. Up front, it beats both the Honda Passport and Kia Sorento in front legroom but trails the segment-leading Subaru Outback. It also has the least front headroom of the pack. All of those measurements except rear legroom, though, are within 1.5 inches from model to model.
Out back, the cargo floor measures a full 6.5 feet in length when the rear seatbacks are folded flat. With the seats up, total cargo bay capacity is 25.8 cubic feet. Drop the rear seats and that swells to 68.6 cubic feet. Either way, it is the least cargo capacity among competitors. The Signia is also rated to tow up to 2,700 pounds – think small utility trailer. But that, too, is less than most of its all-wheel-drive competitors provide. The Honda Passport is top of class at up to 5,000 pounds, the all-wheel-drive Sorento hybrid is rated at up to 4,500 pounds, and the Subaru Outback is rated at 2,700 to 3,500 pounds.
Bottom line: The new 2025 Toyota Crown Signia hybrid SUV should appeal to drivers who prefer wagon- or crossover-like functionality wrapped in a stylish, upscale and fuel-efficient package.
This was originally published on thegreencarguy.com. Author John O'Dell is a distinguished career journalist and has a been an automotive writer, editor, and analyst specializing in alternative vehicles and fuels for over two decades.