Honda Legend saloon 2006 - Present

The Legend is proof of Honda's confidence in it's ability to offer cars for any market. Not afraid to put out cars into niche markets or take on the establishment in an established market. The Legend see's Honda take on the German manufacturers in their own back yard, that of the Premium car market. Currently dominated by BMW's 5-Series, Audi's A6 range and the Mercedes E class, the Honda comes to the table brimming over with great gadgetry and the performance to ask questions.

Sitting in the Legend is a nice place to be. Soft leather, expensive-feeling fabrics, and high-quality switchgear. The seats are extremely comfortable and there is ample room for five adults. Taking on such great and established cars has meant Honda really thinking out of the box and this has led to some interesting developments. The air conditioning system can tell if one side of the car is warmer than the other and react accordingly. There is a top quality Bose soundsystem which can even detect wind and road noise and offset it by playing the opposite frequency through the speakers. An impressive touch.

The Legend is powered by a 295bhp 3.5-litre V6 engine which drives all four wheels, and comes with a five-speed automatic gearbox. It will reach 62mph from standing in 7.2 seconds and the top speed is limited to 155mph. Carrying a bit more weight than it's rivals means it's not quite as quick out of the blocks, but it's still no slouch. The V-TEC unit delivers power through the rev range and does so in a nicely understated manner.

The handling of the Legend is something of a revelation and it's here that most people will be surprised. It is fitted with the 'Super Handling All-wheel Drive' (SH-AWD), and boy does that work. The system not only splits the power between the front and rear axles, but can also deploy power to each individual wheel. This means that it can give more torque to the outside wheels if the front of the car begins to push wide through a corner. This in turn keeps the car on it's intended path. This is all done in the blink of an eye so the driver is rarely aware of anything but incredible grip and handling. This is all conducted with a real sense of feel for the road.

Honda is keen to let supply match demand at this point and there are not many people ready to part with £40k for a Honda at this point. The Legend is probably not quite the match for the 5-Series just yet but it's a great car and offers a rewarding drive. As more people look for alternatives to the establishment you'll see more of them on the road and they may even come up second hand. Honda's reliability will make a second hand purchase extremely appealing.

Leave a comment

Type into the box below