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By
EWAN KENNEDY
1 September 2008
Honda’s
Legend was arguably the first Japanese model to challenge the
might of the European luxury car makers when it was launched way
back in 1985. The challenge was much tougher than anyone had
realised. It soon became obvious that there was a lot more to
being accepted as a luxury car than simply providing excellent
engineering.
It
probably should not have come as a surprise that image and
prestige are intangible, but extraordinarily important factors in
when it comes to influencing buyers. The original Legend was
widely praised for quality of engineering and near immaculate
build quality, but BMW and Merc weren’t exactly flustered by the
results on the sales graph.
Fast forward to 2006 and
the release of a Honda Legend with some stunning engineering
features. Would you believe that the climate-controlled air
conditioning system used global positioning satellites to
establish in which direction the car was facing. Thus it could
tailor the air conditioning to the position of the sun as it
entered the car windows. Not only giving passengers a more
comfortable life, but also to save fuel by only running the air
conditioning at sufficient levels to suit the car’s immediate
requirements.
Legend also had a very
sophisticated ESP system that used all-wheel drive to provide
different levels of traction to each of the rear wheels to best
help the car around corners safely. The “Super Handling – All
Wheel Drive” system also divided torque between the front and
rear wheels.
Then there was a
noise-reduction system that uses audio speakers to send out
signals to counteract and reduce unwanted noise in the interior.
This car was crammed with features to make life better, and to try
and give the Legend a boost in its battle with the European
heavyweights.
Fast
forward again, this time to September 2008. Honda has again
improved its Legend by increasing the engine size from 3.5 litres
to 3.7 litres. Thus increasing power and torque, the latter to 370
Newton metres, or a most impressive 100 Nm per litre, a number
that’s not at all easy to achieve. Yet the 3.7-litre uses less
fuel (a significant half-litre per hundred kilometres) and
produces fewer emissions than the superseded 3.5-litre. Honda has
long been renowned as an engine builder, this brilliant new V6
confirms that status.
Housing
the new engine is a newly shaped bonnet, now made out of aluminium
to reduce weight, and a redesigned grille with a distinctly
European flavour gained by using bolder lines and a chromed
surround.
There's much more to the
latest Honda Legend than simply ultra-high technology. This is a
full-on luxury sedan – indeed, it probably deserves the tag of
‘saloon’ rather than mere ‘sedan’. There is high-quality
material throughout the cabin, including genuine timber to
complement the soft leather of the seats. Leather trim has now
been carried across to the wrapping of the steering wheel and gear
selector lever. A Bose audio system will delight those to whom
quality sound is an important part of their lives.
Functionally is to the fore
in a very Honda manner; the instruments are large and easy to
read, all the minor controls are in logical positions and operate
in a beautifully-engineered manner.
At
only $77,500 the latest Honda Legend costs tens of thousands of
dollars less than competitors such as the BMW 7 Series or Mercedes
S-Class. Now all Honda has to do is work its way around that image
thing…
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Marque Publishing Company
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