The Hubris of Honda: Why Their Refusal to Listen Killed The Legend
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- Опубліковано 13 лют 2023
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In today's video, I drive the rather rare yet wonderful Honda LEGEND - and discuss the painfully obvious reason it died.
#honda #legend #V6
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Please never change this style of presentation.
It’s so nice not to have silly internet music over the whole video like some channels.
Lovely to hear the roar of the car going down the road in your shots of you driving through the countryside.
I also love the sense you speak about cars .
Sure we all like to see the odd super car reviewed but most of us drive normal cars .
I find your Chanel the best on cars in the Uk I have seen . Unpretentious, informative and entertaining.
Keep up the great work you have a subscriber here :)
Thanks, no plans to change too much!
I became his fan after watching few of his videos. EV video especially, sealed the deal.
Well said.
I couldn't agree more. It feels like a very 'British' channel in the best way. Not overly produced and made with the assumption that we are all car fans who actually want to see and hear about the cars. It feels like it's made for adults and not hyperactive toddlers, like most stuff on youtube.
@@djs7734 I agree
The biggest problem for these in North America was internal competition: starting in 2009, Acura offered the TL, which was the same size, with exactly the same drivetrain as the RL (which the Legend was called here at the time) with pretty much the same amount of features and the same styling (which was a controversial update at the time) for less money. The only reason to buy an RL over a TL would be because absolutely had to have your Honda built in Japan instead of Ohio. The next generation of Legend was called the RLX in North America and offered an NSX-style hybrid AWD drivetrain with 350 HP. They sold approximately six of them and the model was dropped entirely.
The TL is SMALLER
The RL was actually a bit bland next to the TL. Build quality was better but the damage was done it looked "cheaper" than the TL
I’ve seen one rlx ever in life
The TL was a beautiful car until that did that ugly beak. I know people say it grew on them but I disagree.
To only sell SIX cars, means they marketed the car very poorly. The six sold must have all been ex-demo’s from the dealer’s lot...
Back when these were current, and I was dabbling in the murky waters of motoring journalism, Honda held a press day at Silverstone. There were opportunities to try cars and bikes on the track and on the road. On a separate handling course, there was a Legend. This was specifically to demonstrate the abilities of the all-wheel drive system. I recall how I marvelled at the tyre torturing direction changing ability under controlled conditions.
After lunch, I took another Legend out on the roads around Silverstone. My pleasure at wafting through villages and down motorways was only exceeded by my astonishment at how this comfortable saloon could be hustled at speed down A and B roads. As you can probably tell, that drive is firmly embedded in my memory, in the way that few other journeys are.
What made them murky waters?
@@Ali-ew9gv ... could it be, a lack of transparency ... 🤗 ...
@@Ali-ew9gv Pond life
@@Ali-ew9gv silt
Add to your driving description Andy Williams' "The Impossible Dream" song and I'm selling my kids to get one of these.
Like the VW Phaeton, a great demonstration of what a manufacturer can be capable of... then completely undermined by public indifference.
Owned one for 8 years to 180,000 miles. Fabulous car. Lovely to see it featured. Slight corrections - the 3.5 was the only engine in Uk from 2006 - 2010. Also there were two specs. You are driving the base model. I owned the ADAS version with adaptive cruise lane keep assist and ventilated seats. Only sold when aluminium arms for MOT cost £1500 a go. Now in a Lexus GS which is nearest equivalent
wow, here in US we had no such animal think, ie in Acura line, i doubt we had adapative cruise, lka in those years, but i'm not sure
I'm on my 6 Th Honda right now, the Elysion which is now a camper van. 17yrs old on private plate, looks brand new! Also had Lexus GS450H, what a flying machine that was...
@@18_rabbit you could get them with adaptive cruise that was radar based.
I recently bought an aluminum LCA from the USA for £250 (incl shipping and taxes). Ordered for the Acura RL, just need to remember to order the opposite side! I have the ADAS model, every button works, it's a superb motor.
@@18_rabbit Adaptive Cruise Control came in the US - it was called the Technology Package.
So refreshing to see a review in which the presenter isn’t just reading the manufacturer provided press kit and quibbling over screen size vs available USB ports. Appreciate your ability to bring some obscure in the weed facts while at the same time giving the shortcomings and strengths with “petrol head context” Love it keep it up
This is why I love this channel, you are reviewing very real and normal cars. Not just brand new or silly super cars
There's a lot to say about this car. Our boss has driven a lot of cars over the years. S, 5, 7, Jaguars, A8s. A lot of different drivers have driven these cars. Anormal conditions and mileage. But this Legend KB1 was the only one that refused to die. No chronic failures. The four-wheel drive system didn't break down over time like other brands. When his son gave him this car as a gift, he made fun of his own son. After 16 years, he threw away his German admiration for durability. It may lag behind most of its competitors in terms of consumption and performance, but in terms of quality, comfort and confidence, this Japanese , without a doubt, belongs to rich men that want to be unknown.
The German and American cars are being sabotaged by their own managements. The powers that be want all the production to go to THEIR plants in China. You heard about the Chinese guy arrested for stealing GE airplane engine secrets heading to China? How do you think the Chinese gained the ability to produce jet planes inside of 2 decades when it took Boeing 5 decades? It's a conspiracy all right. It certain explain the crap the Germans are building these days.
I just got one of these lastweek. A 2006 Honda Legend, 59000 km, such a dream to drive. Love it!
Have a great time with it and amazing journey 🔥
3.5 years into mine, hope you enjoy it like I do.
So much of that voice over could be used for the Mazda Xedos 9 and Nissan Maxima. It is really surprising how Japanese car companies that have mastered small cars, hatchbacks, family cars, MPVs, SUVs, 4x4s, coupes, and convertibles, yet seem to miss with the big luxury saloon.
Because buyers want a premium vehicle when paying a premium price, not a piece of Jap Crap
@@Gordon.. Alas though when that German stuff falls apart, the Japanese cars will go on for decades. Currently German makes are near the bottom of reliability, with Mercedes fighting with Land Rover and Jaguar for worst.
It's the badge snobbery BMW Mercs etc
True, but Lexus is an exception.
Just about every generation of the Maxima was excellent
This one of the cars you forgot existed but glad to be reminded of
I owned one of these in the USA from new, badged as a 2nd gen Acura RL. It was freaking awesome and with a 5Zigen exhaust, sounded good too. SH-AWD provided excellent dry weather handling. It even had an optional A-Spec suspension that improved handling further. V8? RWD? Not necessary for this car.
This is a fair appraisal. Pity it wasn't driven at night. The 3 automatic dimming mirrors are soothing. It has headlights which turn with the car's steering. It is packed with features which the Germans charge a fortune for and don't give you 4 wheel drive. If you know your cars, this one is very under rated by the press. The British government has a car tax system which shows how broken Britain is with £630 per year for this gem of a 14 year old motor. You can obtain parts from a rare scrapped example, but you probably won't need to. So good to read so many complimentary comments instead of the negative moronic ones that are so common on other sites.
Totally agree.
Can confirm that these sold in very small numbers in Australia too - no doubt a result of being nearly double the price of the top of the line Accord, which was just as spacious, quick, had the same 3.5L V6, and had pretty nice interior, and better fuel economy (due to lighter weight). So all you got extra in the Legend for your circa A$30k extra above the Accord was, 4 wheel drive (not a big selling point in a country that only get snow on the tops of mountains), different body styling, and plusher interior. Cheers!
With reference to your comment about getting parts from Japan - I recently bought a Nikon F2as film camera from Tokyo and it took just four days to be delivered to my door. The tracking showed it was in Bangkok the next day, Leipzig the day after and two days later was waiting for me at my mum's house. Not the nightmare of delays I was predicting at all.
Possibly the world's best build quality.
A guy I worked with bought his Legend used. Before setting off on a long trip (1,000+ miles) he changed the spark plugs himself. A few hours into the trip he heard a loud noise and the car lost power. Turns out he hadn’t sufficiently torqued down one of the plugs and it worked its way out. There it was dangling by the plug wire. He screwed it back in a bit tighter and carried on. No evidence of any damage.
one lucky bloke....
I had a Ledged (2006 Acura RL here in California) for about 7 years, just sold her recently. I LOVED that car, strong V6, amazing Super Handling All Wheel Drive, so much fun to drive, super comfortable, and every feature you could think of. It did need a new transmission so that was a bummer. Other than that she was great!
At what mileage did it need a new trans, and what are the symptoms, looking into one myself
@@Helium_Hunter the transmission had to be rebuilt at just over 150K miles. It started as a "grind" when going into reverse. Eventually she wouldn't go into reverse at all, but all forward gears worked fine, which even Acura thought was odd, as reverse and 3rd gear share the same plates. But reverse went out. So I had to have the trans rebuilt.
Keep in mind these cars are also "picky" meaning they like OEM parts, they need the full synthetic oil, they need top tier premium gas, and if 1 light appears on the dash the car will shut off like 4 other random things and then your dash will look like a Christmas Tree.
Don't get me wrong, it was a great car, SUPER FUN TO DRIVE, but be ready to spend $$$$ on her. By the time I sold her I had essentially rebuilt most of the car mechanically. New AC, new suspension, OEM engine mounts (don't cheap out here, she'll shake), brakes, power steering pump, alternator, brake master cylinder, like every emissions related sensor, the whole cooling system, the transmission as noted above, the TMPS tire pressure sensors, the oil pump, timing belt, water pump, I swapped out all the speakers, redid the fuel system in the engine bay (had the injectors removed and serviced), and for some reason this car killed starters. I bought 3 starters in 7 years... Still, I miss that car, seriously.
Also, and I didn't find this out until I sold it, bought a brand new 2023 mini van, and transferred the insurance over and it was less for the brand new van with full coverage. I called to because I thought i made some mistake, and the customer service rep looked up both vehicles, and said the new van is safer, and that the Acura RL's for those years "liked to catch fire" hence why the insurance was so expensive, so that was kind of scary....
Even with all that, if I had the $$ and the room/time for another one, I'd get one to drive for fun on the weekends. Just don't tell my wife that lol
@@accord3000 That sounds close to the German car experience. Well done on keeping the RL in tip-top shape! By the sounds of it, I might just go for the safe choice of a used Accord instead then, lol.
Wow that’s a lot of stuff to replace lol😂
@@Helium_Hunter Yup, basically had a brand new 2006 RL. She drove like new so it was worth it :)
I’m not sure if the V8 would’ve solved Hondas issues with this car. Even Volvo put a V8 into the S80 and sales were still pretty bad.
The problem is that people were buying German for branding and status reasons not for the actual quality of the product. Big saloons with humdrum badges simply can’t compete because people were buying prestige. It sucks because this looks like it was a genuinely good motor.
Lexus LS is selling pretty good. The problem is it just doesn't justify the price difference from the TL or top line Accord with same motor
Good argument. I think the 3.5RL / Legend was simply too big. The early 1990s v2.0 Legend was like the NSX, a perfect blend of beauty, quality and engineering. Then the styling went off a cliff and it was just another boring car.
Honda fabrica los mejores motores del mundo.
@@777jones " I think the 3.5RL / Legend was simply too big." I think it's 5m long, so the standard size of a Jag XF, BMW 5 Series, Ford Falcon, Holden Commodore and (most crucially) Toyota Crown Majesta & Nissan Cima size. With the Crown being the main rival to the vehicle (and selling many times more units, sadly for Honda!). [The Crown Majesta is closely related to the Lexus GS and Nissan Cima is sold rebadged as an Infiniti Q70L, much as the Honda is rebadged as an Acura RLX.]
I agree
My dad had a 2005 RL (Acura version) as a company car to replace his 2002 A6. There were actually 3 RL's in our neighborhood at the time. The tech was pretty good for the time and it all came as standard (for a lot less than the equivalent German). Genesis seems to have captured what Acura was going (hoping) for in their latest lineup.
The TL getting the same drivetrain for less money (and an available 6MT too!) was what killed it in the US.
@@interstate366 The Legend was sold until 2020. The TL was discontinued by 2014.
Owned one of these. Fantastic car. No snowstorm could stop it. Ran through Colorado, Utah and upper Michigan. Had an exhaust system fabricated, also my brother built an intake for it. Surprised many a Mercedes, BMW, and Caddy. Was getting on in miles and decided to sell it. Great car!
Great review! Soichiro Honda demanded Honda never make a consumer V8. It was considered obnoxious to him, which makes sense considering their CVCC beginnings
True. I wish they'd made an I6 engine though, transaxle manual, rear wheel drive. It would kill.
I have a 1993 Legend with 258,000 miles, clean all around, still going strong. Not even the leather has peeled. Honda's finest sedan, only a BMW 5 of the same era comes close, don't see many of those around!
I've owned 4 cars from different manufacturers but my favorite is still the Acura RL 2006. What a beautiful car to drive and to ride in. 11 years with me and she's still going strong, never gave any issues either.
I agree, it's unfortunately a car that never quite knew where it was in any market. In the US (where I lived at the time, and where it was envisioned as a fairly big seller I think), it was sold as the RL, alongside the TL. The problem is that it was only very slightly larger than the TL, and it failed to differentiate itself in many ways. In the Acura showroom, it felt of course more luxurious than the TL (which was sold as a "premium sports sedan"), but it wasn't really larger, nor was it really any faster; while it did feature SH-AWD, and also feature many other bits of interior tech that were cutting-edge, including the best navigation/infotainment system on the market in 2005, it otherwise failed to justify its price, both over the TL, and over its German and Japanese rivals (Lexus, Infiniti). While very comfortable, it also had some strange omissions... For example, the passenger seat only had 4-way power adjustment, while in the US market all its rivals had seats that were far more adjustable.
Ultimately, I think they should have made it larger and even more luxurious, like the previous generation, so that it could compete with other flagships like the Lexus LS, instead of trying to compete in the fiercely competitive mid/full-size segment filled with the 5-series, E-class, A6, Lexus GS and Infiniti M, all of which had better brand appeal at that time in the luxury/sports segment, and which to some extent the TL (with options) already competed in as a "budget" option. Because ultimately this RL/Legend, while very advanced, did not excel in either comfort/outright luxury, or outright performance.
Shame, because as you say, in many ways it's still a great car in its own right!
I agree with you completely I have a 2004 Model RL and it has the size but instead of shrinking them the should had just added a V8 and rearwheel drive option so we could bang with the big dogs.
How is this possible , I was literally scrolling autotrader yesterday looking at these, then boom! A Jay Emm review! I'm so tempted by one of these.
The enthusiast in me likes that these cars exist. The realist in me remembers the guy on my old street who had 1 to run and 1 as a parts car, that said to me 2 things:
1: Parts are hard to find
2: It goes wrong regularly enough that it’s a good idea to buy 2 of them
It’s got VW Phaeton energy, nice if you know what you’re looking at, but to the untrained eye it’s just a weird looking Accord
I so very nearly bought one of these a couple of years ago because for me it was the perfect successor to my ageing e39 540i. Alas in the end I decided I needed more boot space so bought a Range Rover. Now I don't need the space so much, these are a bit long in the tooth so I went and got an Infiniti M37S which is a similarly unknown and ignored car. I do like an underdog!
Nearly bought an import at a local dealer a few years ago but the MPG and tax put me off . Honda build still legendary
The difference is that the Legend is powerful and reliable for its age. You wouldn't get that reliability out of a BMW
But have you driven a BMW? Man can they drive.
@Abhi Singh of course Abhi, owned both - Honda legend definitely is a better ride.
@@theoracle6005 respect to you. Maybe the ones stateside had been neutered. Don’t get me wrong, I proudly own both a Honda and BMW, and agree that Honda steering/handling is incredible.
Come to think of it, I would take an older Acura/Honda over the newer BMWs as far as handling is concerned.
I owned 2 of these. Apart from the small boot they were tremendous I drove 58bmiles home in snow a foot deep and the 4WD worked perfectly
As a kid I remember being mind blown by the fact Honda made a saloon that could do 0-60 in 6.8 seconds
Brilliant car, picked one up in January 2 previous owner , 72k £3
@@juniustobierre890 3 quid mate what a bargain
@@wlwww16 it’s all it’s worth when you consider the running costs
pfft the first NSX did 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds. even the B series Honda's did about that fast.
@@wlwww16 two more than it's worth pmsl
I used to own the first gen 2.7 V6 Legend and I loved it, trying to find parts for that was a nightmare and I would have killed for harsh suspension this thing was super wallowy.
I've got one. It's a lovely barge. Oil changes every 5000km. I've put in new android auto/airplay head unit designed for the car. Handles well enough for almost 200,000 miles now. Will never sell it.
Just seen one of these on autotrader and popped onto UA-cam to see if anyone reputable had done a review so I could find more about them. What a coincidence this was posted only 11 days ago. As a regular watcher, it was a pleasurable discovery!
I have a 2015 model Accord in the US, and I feel the exact same way about my car as you commented on the legend. The steering feel is so good, and you can really hustle it down canyon roads, despite the large size. But the overall ride is on the stiffer side. The Acura TL here was considered a serious competitor to the 3 series at the time, and was faster and cheaper than it too.
got my 07 with 124k 3 years ago and I absolutely love the car. no major issues, replaced motor mounts, timing belt, water pump, tires, struts, rotors. had some coil packs go out which isn't the end of the world. at 172k now the car drives like a dream and I'm going to see if I can run it to 300k.
We had this as a demo at our Honda dealer when new (not this one I guess but same) owner ran it as his car... we never sold any others! I used it a few times and always felt massively over engineered for what it was back then
No one spotlights quirky cars quite like James. Love your super car vids but I'm so here for the weird stuff. Love it.
I have always been interested in obscure Japanese luxury cars. I am going to enjoy this. Thanks James!
It's such a nicely balanced piece of design, very handsome shape - they did a superb job with this but it's if anything a little understated. Always loved the way this thing looked.
The Acura TL TypeS from the late 00's, especially in that blue was and is still today one of the best looking cars IMO. The rims look awesome and Brembos and a manual were available😎
Thanks J, a hidden gem we wished we'd bought before the recent price rises! 🙏🙏
WELL the good news for current owner`s of honda legends who either have a legend for sale, or are thinking of SELLING their legend , is that due to your xcellent video, the value of these car`s has probably risen DRAMATICALLY...............😊😊😊😊😊😊
I agree with you. I owned a third generation 1998 Acura 3.5RL in the US and absolutely loved the very high quality, attention to detail, extreme comfort, smooth ride and silky V6. I bought the car used in 2011 when it had only 56,000 miles. I donated it in July 2022 and it was still running perfectly at 126,000 miles. A fine car that sadly wasn't on most buyers' radar.
Great video! I was looking at these yesterday... Not sure why.
We've owned 4 previous gen Legends and actually own 3 of these KB1 legends. Over here in Venezuela they are less than 50 units only. We love them so much that we own three. Hope one day Honda give us back a LEGEND, again ahead of its time, surprising to the world and regaining his glory as Japan's best sedan
Last time I came this early my girlfriend left me
You're killing me
c'mon u weren't even first 😂
Brutal truth for Valentine's
@@ThePussukka His GF said the same to him.
Do you own a Honda premature EJ the model that's was quick off the starting line but then ran out of steam way before the quarter of an hour run.
I've always liked this particular car, the way it looks, the interior and the way it drives. Such a shame they have discontinued it.
Being in America, it’s such a trip seeing the Honda badge on the front instead of Acura being so used to the Acura RL.
Legend was great! Jack Brabham had one. He knew what a good thing looked like!
The smoothness and quality are showing well in the video
I had one, there were two spec levels in fact. Mine also had lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control. Very impressive car, the AWD saved me more than once on an icy road.
If they weren't so heavy on juice I'd have one... very clever indeed was impressed when I had a very long test drive on slippery roads... didn't even bat an eyelid..... and you could just about detect the clever stuff at work...
Miss those days... Newer one was quite sharp, but we never got that...
The design of these Legends has worn very well. It still looks handsome and has that depth of quality and engineering that the Japanese do so well.
Hi, my Nickname means KA Collector in English and I have seven Legends of the first and second generation at the moment. Glad to see your video. I did a test drive with a new KB1 when it came out 2006 in Germany and I loved how it drove. Also the interior, but the exterior was not made for me. Maybe I will buy a KB1 or KB2 this year. There were just under 50 KB2 sold in Germany bevor the Legend was discontinued. I will drive Legends as long as possible.
Honestly, the problem with high end Hondas are - If you know, you know. And that only makes sense to 1% of the population. And it leads to cars that don't sell well.
My brother in the US has had three of them. First two done in by accidents. He loves them and says it saves him huge as opposed to buying a BMW or Mercedes
I remember in 1987, a friend of mine bought the very first Acura Legend when that dealer first opened in the Southeast Virginia (USA). He let me take it out for a drive. WOW WOW WOW. It was incredible. Smooth handling, good power, such a beautiful machine. Definitely rivaled BMW and Benz of that era and much cheaper. He kept that car for over 15 years before replacing it with another Legend. The second Legend was not as good. It almost seemed like the original engineers did such an excellent job and retired but ever since then, the Legend has gotten worse and worse. The Acura brand now is nowhere close to when it started. The 80s, the Legend and the Integra, both cars will live in Infamy!
The Expensive Vehicle Tax makes most of these older interesting cars uneconomic
I hade the previous version, but the Legend Coupe. It was gorgeous and turned heads with its styling at the time. Had to dispose of it sadly when I moved from the U.K. to Spain. Still miss it. The doors closed that final inch automatically and the seat belt raised to hand automatically also.
Great video as usual - love your insights and presenting style.
Quick question: were those car park shots done in the car park of the Green Man Inn near Silverstone?
They were!
Awesome video. Always liked this car. Felt like a wafter like a JAAAG. Shame about the fuel economy and general economy going down the tubes at the time also.
By today's standards of size, these KB series Legend/RL models are now considered a small car. I love my 2007 Legend, its celebrating its 17th birthday this year. The long travel brakes can be adjusted by reducing some of the excessive free clearance between the brake boosters pushrod and the master cylinder.
Curious seeing a 2000 something legend, as we stopped getting them in the late 90’s here in the states. It’s a shame that the interesting and genuinely good, though somewhat sedate cars are often tossed aside, though I could not be more appreciative of you giving these cars the time of day. In my mind you’re the truest of automobile enthusiasts, willing to engage with anything considered a car, and to attempt to understand how it wants to be driven. A simple ask, but something that especially today is sorely overlooked. Thank you for your thoughts and time James!
We did get this legend here as the Acura RL. My company loved them so we had a bunch as company cars.
Yes this car in United States was the Acura RL
Matt at High Peak talked about the Honda Legend a couple of days ago, I never even knew it existed! Two days later here’s a video on it 🤯😂
Owned 5 Legends starting with the mk1 and all were fantastic, plus 100% reliable.
I think a fair description of this is the Honda Omega because it reminds me so much of the Opel in styling.
I can't believe your timing. I was only looking at these in the classifieds this morning!
We aim to please
Al Gore rhythm at its finest .
I remember seeing an episode of Fifth Gear where Jason Plato demonstrated the SH-AWD on a race track, and it seemed really impressive and cool for the time. Generally this ticks a lot of boxes for me, at least for a car of this type. Given how good the Accord was at this time, basically a bigger, more luxurious Honda with a V6 and 4WD does sound like a really tempting proposition. But, alas, people who actually buy cars like these new are also looking for a brand with certain image.
"But, alas, people who actually buy cars like these new are also looking for a brand with certain image." Like most expensive Hondas (top of the line Civics, top of the line Accords etc), they sold to older buyers. So it's possible to find one owner cars with full dealer service history.
So the used cars are there for people (Honda enthusiasts?) who want to take a punt on something more exotic than an Accord V6 and with more bespoke parts with a buy-in price isn't much higher than the Accord, if at all. Of course if these special features go wrong (carbon fibre driveshaft, SH-AWD box etc) , that's not going to be cheap...
It makes the mechanically simpler Lexus GS350 and Toyota Crown more tempting, even for Honda fans, sadly.
I remember this car very well. My father used to drive it since 2006 i think. After 4.4 V8 in BMW X5 it was very smooth and luxurious car with many good features. I still can spot some of these Legends on the roads nowdays. This car was and i think still is underrated. Pitty i have never had a chance to drive it.
This one brought back some memories. For reasons I do not understand I was invited to a day at the Prodrive site the main purpose of which was to demonstrate the technical abilities of the Legend and compare the "new" diesel Civic against it's petrol stablemate. The diesel was a gutsy lot of fun, I ordered one soon after, and the technology of the Legend quite amazing to me including it's refusal to let me demolish some polystyrene blocks when driving straight at them.
The Legend was also "tortured" by some professional drivers and after the runs I was reminded of the smoking brakes by James' comment about the so-so stoppers. Have often thought about buying one for my dotage, hundreds of thousands of trouble-free miles in Hondas makes me very confident about the reliability.
PS As a reward for my efforts I was also driven on a short course in an Ariel Atom, that experience widened my eyes somewhat and makes me think a Legend and an Atom in the garage would cover most bases.
Still have mine even though just topped 100k - feels hardly run in! Yep - a few faults and niggles but I still look forward to settling down to a long drive in it's large seats and feeling the power under the right foot. Nice to drive something different from the rest. Find it's original Honda satnav significantly easier to use than the modern "generic" ones.
That nav was engineered by Alpine, BTW.
The Legend's biggest asset is also its biggest liability: it's stealthy. It looks like a bloated Accord. Ideal if you want something a bit fancy that looks humble, not so great if you want to flex.
In the US. They were called the Acura Legend. An absolutely beautiful car..
....thanks again James....there goes another used bargain car of being eyeing over the last few months, a blue one in particular. The price now will SKYROCKET after posting this youtube car video!!!!
I was seriously considering this “RL” as my dad car but realized that for another 2-300 on penalty, I could have the same SHAWD and same engine in a second gen MDX and the 6 speed auto as well. So that is what I have now
My dream car after this review! Thank you!
Guy where I live has one - he had one of the previous model for a few years too - no idea where he dredges them up from but clearly knows what he likes and wants and goes the extra mile to feed his habit. Oh and get this before the Honda's he had a Nissan QX !!!
I picked up an 08 1 year ago. I use it as my weekend car. Love it.
The reason the transmission is better in manual mode is because Honda doesn't use planetary gearboxes at this time. They still used a proprietary auto clutch system. If you look into it, they are kind of delicate but they are great. The gears are LONG. You get to much higher speeds in low gears than most cars. That car will win a lot of red light races compared to the competition at this time. Honda is a racing company at heart, and they put that into every car they build. I drive a Crosstour. Its great.
I have never seen one in person but i really like what i see it does indeed look well made .
Why is it that whenever I see an odd car and look it up, a review of that car from you pops up after a few days when I’ve all but forgotten about it 😂
I remember when it first came out and after 2 days as a demo the sales manager hit a pheasant and it set off the exploding bonnet (apparently for safety). Not cheap to replace.
beautiful car, I had a 2nd generation Legend for years, best car I ever had, you would be lucky to see one other one in a year on the roads . . . . .always wanted this model on here, BUT, the killer is the MPG and the ridiculous road tax over £500 a year . . . .
I owned one of these , may well be the underdog off radar choice but no German car and I mean NONE could dream of being as reliable and solidly built as a legend , not possible these days - buy a 13 year old merc or Beamer your mechanic will love you and your debit card , fantastic car , well made powerful and massive spec and none of it have me a seconds trouble not once in 7 years and 46k . Would have another but sadly they don’t supply for UK .
I remember looking at these back in the day and scratching my head about the price, for something based on the same platform as my $30,000 Honda Accord. A very nice Honda Accord, to be sure, but I can think of other cars I'd rather have spent my $85,000 2005 dollars on, if I'd had that much money to spend.
Love how the gap between the hood and fender and the gap between the hood and bumper outlines the headlights in a loop.
A discreet flagship Japanese saloon... what's not to like in that? An excellent video review, though I'd have liked to have heard from the owner, who presumably really enjoys their car, so an owner review segment might have been interesting..?
The steering of an EP Civic is probably the worst you'll find on a Honda. I can imagine how great the Legend feels, my Accord is fantastic in this area. Chalk & cheese an EP Civic & this Legend. I'd love for you to take a look at previous generation Legends too.
In the states, the RL was too close in size to the TL especially when the TL got updated. The back seats were simply never large enough to justify the added cost over the TL.
And the infotainment/nav was woefully old as well which has been the downfall of it as a used car even though the powertrain is beautifully done. With a set of grand touring tires like the Bridgestone serenities, the car becomes a wonderful highway cruiser in the US. But the fact you can't swap out the head unit for something more modern, to add carplay/android auto or even just something with a newer look and feel, make it a horrible used car.
But you are 100% correct. The build quality on the RL/Legend of that era was amazing. Everything felt and looked luxurious. It just needed 5 more feet added on and a bigger back seat, because the TL for less money was the same size.
Completely disagree about the infotainment/nav. It was cutting-edge at the time, and except for mating with phones only for hands-free calls, works very well even today if you retrofit an AUX input (a pretty easy job for a stereo shop). The nav is remarkably accurate, pretty intuitive, and updateable with an easily obtained trunk-mounted DVD. It has surround that sounds great, an implementation of the iDrive knob that worked vastly better than the original, and voice commands that worked too.
Very understated car. Brilliant Honda engineering but killer UK road tax at over £600 a year kills it dead for me.
You should go on Tour to Australia or New Zealand and test drive some of the Ford and Holden product, such as the BA XR6 Turbo Falcon, and the V8 commodores, those were something else that should have caught on in the US but didn't.
Pal of mine recently chopped his '08my in for a Kia Stinger on account of an unresolvable battery drain problem. He loved it but had a number of issues during more than 10 years of ownership.
Here in Vancouver, it was too expensive, too boring too small and it didn't look like a luxury barge , the previous one did.
It drove fantastic. I worked for Richmond Lexus, and we got 2 of them in on trade after they were only a few months old.
I know this sound crazy, but the was no handgrip in the trunk lid to close it. Both women ,both bought an ES350.
Naturally they were Acura's here, but the just didn't look good. The depreciated faster than they accelerated.
Too bad , because is was SO well built.
The government has killed these cars. I wanted one but there's NO WAY I'll pay £630 a year road tax to those pirates in Westminster.
695 now
@@tslondon422 Which has pretty much killed these cars. Such a shame.
Would of been an idea to put a six cylinder diesel in it. The 2.2cdti was a big success for Honda in Europe, strange that they didn't think of making a rival to the German 3.0+ diesels.
I believe these were branded the Acura Legend in the US, and the first gen coupes were such cool cars. Upscale styling and interior, but with Honda reliability, it competed directly with Lexus and Infiniti. It was also available with a manual transmission and was fast for its time. Of course, the halo car was the original NSX.
It’s also not surprising that some of these are still on the road.
Acura Legend/RL in the US was/is a very capable & quality vehicle with the exception of the interior materials which wear out in a very ugly way over time. In AWD guise they handle exceptionally well and are very reliable & quick. Like many have said the car suffered from the runaway success of the Acura TL especially the 2nd gen model which was/is an excellent sport/sedan . In other words the same target audience as the RL which was to all intents & purposes an executive sports saloon. Hence values have dropped considerably. The positive is this incredible vehicle ends up being on of the best used car buys on the market. Great review Sir👍
Always had a soft spot for this shape Legend. Kept looking at them as a daily, fuel economy and road tax killed the idea in the end. Stuck with my Accord instead! Still it's a great car.