Honda Prelude vs Toyota GR86 vs Mazda MX-5 RF

Under the hood, Honda pairs a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder (141 hp) with an electric drive motor (181 hp, 232 lb-ft from zero rpm) for 200 hp in total. There's no conventional gearbox: a direct-drive unit does the work, and Honda's "S+ Shift" uses the paddles to simulate shifts, backed by four drive modes (Comfort, GT, Sport, Individual). Chassis hardware is genuinely sporty for a hybrid — adaptive dampers, a multi-link rear, 13.8-inch front rotors with Brembo four-piston calipers, and a 63/37 weight split that shows how front-heavy the layout is.

The cabin is where the Prelude stops being a rival to purist coupes. A 10.2-inch digital cluster, a 9-inch touchscreen with Google built-in and Alexa, an 8-speaker Bose system, and wireless Apple CarPlay all come standard per Honda's spec sheet — and the photos show real, labeled buttons on the steering wheel and a row of push-button gear selectors, a welcome contrast with the touch-panel trend we covered in our steering wheel piece. It also seats four, with a listed 32.0 inches of rear legroom and a 15.1 cubic-foot cargo area under that big hatch — the MX-5 is strictly a two-seater.

The GR86 is the simple one: a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter boxer four-cylinder making 228 hp and 184 lb-ft, a six-speed manual as the enthusiast's choice, and power going to the rear wheels. At about 2,838 pounds with the manual it's roughly 420 pounds lighter than the Prelude, and on paper it makes more power too — 28 more horsepower to move 423 fewer pounds works out to about 12.4 lb per hp against the Prelude's 16.3 (our arithmetic from the published figures).

Inside, it's the opposite philosophy from the Honda: the photos show a stubby shifter, a compact touchscreen, and physical climate dials on the console, with red-accented sport seats. What it doesn't have is the Prelude's tech breadth or, in fuel-economy terms, its efficiency — Honda's own comparison table lists the automatic GR86 at 25 mpg combined against the Prelude's 44.

The RF ("Retractable Fastback") is the Miata with a power-operated targa-style roof that opens or closes in roughly 13 seconds, which is the feature that separates it from a plain soft-top. Under the hood is a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four with 181 hp at 7,000 rpm and 151 lb-ft, sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual (a six-speed automatic is available on the Grand Touring trim). Mazda's EPA ratings are 26 city / 34 highway / 29 combined with the manual.

It's the least powerful of the three, and it has two seats and no rear-seat pretense at all. What it offers instead is the open-air experience neither of the others can match — the cabin photos above are worth zooming into to see how simple and driver-focused the dash is, with a small screen, big round gauges, and nothing extra. (Most of our photos show 2017–2018 cars; Mazda has updated the infotainment since, so verify details on the current model.)