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As you read this, the first-ever electric SUV from Honda is reaching our showroom here at Klein Honda. Scheduled to debut early in 2024, the Honda Prologue is the result of a collaboration with GM and has the brand sailing headlong into the automotive future.
Before searching for a Honda Prologue for sale, prospective buyers are undoubtedly wondering how it stacks up in an increasingly bustling electric SUV market. In particular, comparisons are already rolling in between the Prologue and the Ford Mustang Mach-E. There’s no surprise why—first hitting the market for the 2021 model year, the Mach-E has become one of the biggest players in the EV market. It was the second best-selling electric SUV in the United States for 2023 and fourth overall among EVs, making it a vehicle other manufacturers are aiming to beat.
While it’s easy to look at traditional performance metrics such as horsepower and suspension, the move to electric power has changed the game. Now, there’s another standard that may be even more important: range and charging. How far electric vehicles can go and how long it takes them to charge has been a major point of emphasis in recent years. After all, while being eco-friendly is certainly important, you don’t want to constantly be interrupting errands, road trips, or off-road excursions to plug into an outlet.
With that in mind, we wanted to see how the Honda Prologue and Ford Mustang Mach-E stack up in this all-important metric. Which one is going to allow you to spend the most time taking advantage of its crossover SUV brawn and electrified power? Join us as we examine both vehicles up close.
The Honda Prologue: Power Up Fast and Go Anywhere
The 2024 Honda Prologue brings some serious power storage. As part of the brand’s partnership with GM, the Honda Prologue is built with the same 85 kWh Ultium lithium-ion battery as the Chevy Blazer EV. While EPA estimates have not yet been released, Honda is claiming an impressive range of 296 miles for front-wheel drive models and up to 281 miles for the all-wheel drive setup.[a] This is more than the average range of 270 miles for EVs sold in 2023 and particularly impressive for a kilowatt-hungry SUV.
Charging the Prologue is quick and easy as well. You can use any public Level 3 DC fast charger at a rate of up to 150 kW. This translates to 65 miles of driving for 10 minutes on the charger.[b] Home and portable charging kits are also available. The home charging kit adds an estimated 34 miles of range per hour using a 240V outlet, which equates to a full 296-mile charge in about nine hours.[c] You can plug it in before you go to bed and be ready for adventure the next morning. The mobile charging kit has a maximum rate of 7.6 kW compared to the home charger’s 11.5 kW, so you can expect 240V charging to take about 50% longer.
Finally, through agreements with the EVgo and Electrify America charging networks, Honda Prologue buyers can choose from three introductory charging packages as part of the purchase price:
- Option A: Level 2 home charging station, $500 installation credit, $100 EVgo credit, and 60 kWh of free Electrify America charging.
- Option B: Mobile charging kit, $250 installation credit, $300 EVgo credit, 60 kWh of free Electrify America charging
- Option C: $750 EVgo credit, 60 kWh of free Electrify America charging
Pick whichever package is best for when, where, and how you plan to charge up. Using the HondaLink app, you can quickly find EVgo and Electrify American charging stations, plus their roaming partners. The Prologue is chargeable at all Tesla Supercharger stations as well, meaning access to thousands more options from coast to coast.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E: Hurry Up and Wait
True to its name and pedigree, the Ford Mustang Mach-E is one potent SUV. But all that power, combined with a smaller battery, comes at a price. With the standard 72 kWh battery, the EPA estimates a range of 250 miles for the base level Mach-E with rear-wheel drive and 224 miles for all-wheel drive versions. That is substantially less than the Prologue offers.
Granted, Ford does offer an extended-range battery in select models. This 91 kWh battery delivers an estimated 312 miles for the long-range Mach-E California Route 1 trim. On the Mach-E GT, though, the EPA-estimated range drops as low as 260 miles even with this larger battery. That upgrade won’t be cheap, either. When it comes to standard options for everyday drivers, the Honda Prologue has a clear upper hand.
The Mach-E also falls short when it comes to charging capabilities. Although the extended-range battery can fast-charge at up to 150 kW, the standard battery’s peak charging rate is only 110 kW, which is about three-quarters the speed of the Honda Prologue. Furthermore, it’s been found that Ford programmed the Mach-E to slow down to 12 kW or even lower once you get to 80% capacity. So, while you can get from 10% to 80% in about 45 minutes in ideal conditions, that last 20% could take as long as two hours. More time for fewer miles—not the best trade-off.
When it comes to other charging options, Ford has home and mobile chargers available, but you need to purchase them separately. The Ford Mobile Charger can be used with 120V or 240V outlets. In the latter setup, Ford says you can charge up to 80% of the battery’s capacity overnight. We don’t know exactly what span they define as overnight, but the rate seems comparable to the Honda portable charger. As for the Ford Connected Charge Station, it produces up to 27 miles of driving range per hour for the Mach-E. That’s more than 20% slower than the Honda Level 2 home charger—and for those slower speeds, you pay $800 for the charger plus the full price for a certified electrician to install it.
One thing Ford does have going for it is the BlueOval Charge Network. With more than 100,000 charging stations—about 10% of which have DC fast charging—it’s the largest public charging network for a specific vehicle manufacturer in North America. You can find stations using the BlueOval app or website. However, you don’t get any credits or free charging when you buy your Mach-E, leaving you paying the full rate right from the start.
Supercharge Your SUV Experience
As you can see, the Honda Prologue emerges as the clear winner when it comes to range, charging time, and incentives. We haven’t even gotten into the many other reasons to buy a Honda Prologue, including its spacious cargo area, rugged exterior style, wireless phone charging, huge infotainment screen, and impressive Honda Sensing standard safety features. Higher trims will add even more features, such as leather upholstery and seat setting memory.
The best features in the world don’t matter if you can’t use them—but with a Honda Prologue, you can use them longer and faster than the Mustang Mach-E in every way. Visit Klein Honda to discover a Honda Prologue for sale and experience the charge of this electric crossover SUV. We’ve been helping people in the Everett and Seattle area find the right Honda for over 50 years, complete with our never-ending lifetime warranty.