Added weight is the worst enemy of handling. It is much easier to throw a Civic around then a porky Prelude. Yes, Preludes are faster by model year, but Civics have always been more nimble.
Well maybe it's easier to "throw around" a civic, but as far as handling is concerned, a prelude is much more controllabe(Talking about stock vs. stock here...upgrading the suspension changes things)...
From my experience the added weight makes the lude stick to the road better than a little tin can civic...The Prelude is more of a car

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