2-seaters. And typical of Honda, all controls and instruments are located where

they're easy to see and/or use.

Driver sightlines aren't quite so typical of Honda designs--the sizeable rear roof

pillar creates a small blind spot in the rear quarters, although the good-sized

exterior mirrors keep this from being a problem.

Forward vision over the sloping snoot is excellent.

Excellent also applies to the bucket seats. Upholstered in a high grade cloth, the

seats in our test car had a nice range of adjustability and very good lateral

support--just what you'd expect of a car with outstanding handling credentials.

While the Prelude's interior is generally exemplary among cars in this class, two

elements have drawn consistent criticism since the most recent redesign.

The first is rear seat legroom, which is scant, even for a small sport coupe.

Accommodating adult-size people in the rear seat requires exceptional cooperation from

the folks up front, and even the rear seat passengers are likely to emerge with cramps

and unhappy faces.

The second complaint is of a cosmetic nature. In an effort to make the front seat

passenger feel more involved in the driving, the Prelude design team scattered some of

the secondary instruments across the dashboard. The idea is commendable, but the

execution hasn't played well at all.

Like every new car sold in this country for 1996, the Prelude is equipped with side

impact protection and dual airbags. And as we noted earlier, ABS is standard on the Si

and VTEC models.