the new one. The cockpit still provides the same blend of sports car intimacy,

supportive sport bucket seats, high quality materials and plentiful comfort/convenience

amenities as its predecessor.

But there are also a couple of welcome improvements. Honda has put most

of the new car's increased length to work in the rear seat area, which

makes it useful as a people perch, rather than mere parcel shelf status.

And there's also an extra cubic foot of space under the rear decklid, and

the rear seatbacks now fold forward to expand cargo volume.

Just as welcome is the new dashboard and instrument panel, which reverts

to a classic Honda gauge package rather than the peculiar, spread-out displays

of the previous model. The slightly taller roofline affords more glass

area, which improves driver sightlines in the rear quarters, and there

are several bins and pockets for stowing small stuff, another typical Honda

touch.

Standard equipment for the basic Prelude includes air conditioning,

a 160-watt AM/FM/CD sound system, power moonroof, cruise control, driver's

seat height adjustment, tilt steering with a leather-wrapped wheel, map

lights, ignition switch light and power windows, mirrors and locks.

Besides ATTS, the SH version adds leather wrapping to the shift knob,

and the rear spoiler with integrated LED brake light. The automatic, a

$1000 option, is available only on the standard Prelude. And leather seating

has disappeared from the option list, an effort by Honda--questionable,

in our view--to keep prices down.

Safety features--ABS, dual airbags, side impact protection--are contemporary,

but not extraordinary, though Honda has adopted a new Key Code security

system, similar to the PASS-KEY system developed by General Motors.