In Japan, the new Honda Prelude ran into a social-media storm: posts claimed that many customers canceled orders after test drives, disappointed that the hybrid coupe didn’t deliver the punch they expected. A closer look, however, tells a different story.

One local enthusiast contacted a dealer to verify the rumors. The dealership said it had not received a single cancellation from test-drive customers and, if anything, many people asked to be added to a waiting list for any openings. Hardly the picture of mass buyer remorse.

Official figures back that up: the first two batches of the Prelude were sold out at the preorder stage. More than 2,400 applications arrived in the first month, and sales were run via a lottery to discourage reselling. Most buyers are longtime Honda faithful, including past owners of the Prelude, NSX, or Civic Type R.

As dealers tell it, the online pushback came largely from owners of other sporting nameplates—Toyota GR86, Mazda MX-5, Nissan Fairlady Z—who judged the Prelude’s hybrid setup to be too restrained. Company representatives stress that the car was conceived as a sporty coupe built around balance and comfort rather than as a Type R adversary. Seen through that lens, the backlash looks more like mismatched expectations than a product problem.

Honda underscores the same point: the Prelude is positioned around harmony rather than headline power, aimed at those who want driving enjoyment without extremes.