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Stephen Ottley17 Apr 2009
REVIEW

Honda Legend

It's the most powerful and luxurious car Honda's ever produced. But the Legend will leave you feeling uninspired

Honda Legend


Road Test


RRP: $79,990
Price as tested: $79,990
Crash rating:
Five-star ANCAP
Fuel: 95RON
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 11.3
CO2 emissions (g/km): 269
Also consider: Audi A6, Mercedes-Benz E Class, BMW 5 Series, Jaguar XF


Overall rating: 2.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 2.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 2.0/5.0
Safety: 2.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 2.0/5.0
X-factor: 2.0/5.0

About our ratings


The Honda Legend can tell you the temperature in Kelvin.


What's that? Kelvin is a scale of temperature measurement developed by Irish physicist and engineer William Thomson, the first Baron Kelvin, in 1848. Quite why anyone driving a 2009 Japanese luxury sedan would need to use a thermometric scale that defines zero Kelvin as -273 degrees Celsius is unknown.


But that sums up the Legend perfectly. It is a car that has been completely over-engineered in almost every department. It is a car that has been overwhelmed by the boffins and engineers at the expense of its character.
 
It's supposed to be Honda's flagship luxury sedan, acting as halo car for the rest of the range. It is fitted with the company's biggest and most powerful road car engine it has ever produced (Yep, stronger than the 206kW (officially) NSX). It is equipped with Honda's grandly named Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system. It has a five-speed automatic gearbox with 'SportShift paddle shifters'.


Sounds very promising on paper doesn't -- the shame is something (plenty!) has been lost in the translation. But that's not to say it is a bad car. It has all the hallmarks for which Honda has become renowned -- good build quality, high levels of safety and impressive refinement.


But people just aren't buying it. February 2009 VFACTS sales figures show the Legend sitting equal seventh in a class with nine rivals. Last year less than 150 Legends were sold.


On first glance it's immediately apparent why the Legend gets lost in the luxury crowd. Ostensibly the Legend looks like a beefed-up Accord which means Honda has run into a similar problem that Audi has with the A6.


There's nothing significantly wrong with the design of the Legend, its sharp lines and angular surfaces give it a suitable look of sophistication. But because it looks so similar to Honda's other equally 'nice' designs, like the Accord Euro and V6, it doesn't instantly scream out that you have paid a great deal more money for the car. It lacks a presence on the road that the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E Class and the Jaguar XF have in spades.


Honda itself says the car has "distinctively understated visual appeal" which sums it up perfectly, but perhaps not in the way they originally intended.


It's a similar story inside with all the right bits but without the 'wow factor' that you expect for the price. But having said that the interior is incredibly comfortable with the thick carpet and soft leather making you feel like you are sitting in your grandparent's lounge room. Few interiors are this welcoming.


The comfort is let down by the complexity and sheer number of buttons and dials that fill the cabin. In addition to buttons for the stereo, air-conditioning and heated seats there is also a dial and more buttons that control the rest of the car's features.


We found some of the systems like the iPod integration helpful and easy to use. There were others, most notably the navigation, that were all frustratingly complex. Before I am labelled incompetent it should be pointed out that further inquiries unearthed similar complaints from others who have experienced the Honda satnav system.


If you know where you want to go and you get the Legend moving the car reveals some more of its positive features.


As mentioned earlier the 3.7-litre V6 (that replaced a 3.5-litre unit in the old model) is the most powerful engine Honda has ever produced for a production car. Power is 226kW and torque is up to 370Nm thanks not only to the increased displacement but also a new VTEC value-train system.


While those numbers are not mind-blowing they are enough to get the 1800kg car up and moving quickly. Initial pick-up is good which makes a sharp getaway from the traffic lights a breeze. An added bonus is the nice growl the engine pumps out when you get the revs up.


That isn't to suggest the car is noisy though. The addition of an 'acoustic windscreen' cuts external noise and vibrations, leaving the cabin incredibly quiet and calm. But the engine note is a welcome, and subtle, invasion into an otherwise serene environment.


The steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters are largely redundant as the five-speed automatic is good enough to be left to its own devices. It's not a fancy double-clutch or CVT unit but it does its job well enough.


Honda's decision to fit the Legend with its grandly named Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system is questionable. The company claims it offers responsiveness that other AWD systems lack by manipulating the torque being supplied to the outside wheels when cornering aggressively. But just how much demanding driving Legend owners will engage in is debatable given the car's size, weight and suspension tune.


The trade off for the SH-AWD is a poor turning circle that became increasing frustrating during our week behind the wheel. There's no arguing the car is surefooted but Honda could have achieved the same result without all-wheel drive and creating the issues that go along with it.
 
The suspension tune is comfortable and compliant and feels ill-matched to a car that claims to have 'Super Handling'.


The end result is a confusing message about this car's intent. Is it a luxury cruiser or is it a sports sedan? It feels as though Honda is trying to achieve both without hitting either target. If the company had instead focused on one or the other, there's no doubt Honda's inimitable depth of engineering expertise could have succeeded in creating such a car.


After a few days it became clear to this writer that the Legend falls closer to the side of luxury than performance. If you think of it this way, the Legend has appeal.


Where the Legend redeems itself is pricing. At $79,990 it represents a good value proposition when up against similarly equipped cars from key European prestige brands. No, it doesn't have the 'street cred' of the Audi, Benz and BMW models but it is a very comfortable and well-equipped car that is easy to live with.


Especially, when you need to know the temperature in Kelvin...


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Written byStephen Ottley
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