Honda Legend Saloon 1996-2004

The first generation Legend was built mainly with the Japanese customer in mind. It was a popular car among local mid-size officials and functionaries for those who couldn't afford the Toyota Century. When it was decided to place the Legend on the European market, the large Honda was eagerly anticipated. The Honda's engines were highly acclaimed and known as powerful, economical and quiet. Those who expected the luxury sedan have a suspension to match the fine engine, were quite disappointed. The 2nd generation was only a slight improvement, but the 3rd generation that made debut in 1996 seemed to have everything that a large luxury car should have.

Pros and Cons:

• A good-quality luxury car
  A superb V6 engine
  Much cheaper than a similar age Mercedes S-Class

• No choice of engines or gearboxes

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Exterior and Interior

The new design of the massively reworked Legend does impress. It's a large car with a modern sedan body, short front end and a big cabin. With the properly selected alloy wheels, the car looks dynamically attractive. The 3rd generation Honda Legend flourished after the 1999 facelift, it's when the radiator grille got a more aggressive shape and the boot became higher adding to the car's wedge-shape appearance.

The exterior is sumptuous and lavish. Every single detail screams luxury. If the previous Legends were built as chauffeur-driven cars and lacked any refinement or comfort in the front seat, the 3rd generation is a good all-rounder. It's a very enjoyable car regardless of whether you choose to drive it yourself or get somebody else to get you from A to B. It's a full-size 5-seater and provides plenty of space for everyone.

The car has a very high level of equipment. It came in only one trim level so you simply couldn't get a poorly-equipped Legend. After the 1999 upgrade all Legends come with front and side air bags, four-channel ABS, electronic traction control, leather seats, CD multi-changer, electronically adjusted seats with memory function, climate control and many other gadgets.

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Engines

The Legend comes with only one engine and that's something that slightly lets it down. It's the 3.5-litre V6 205bhp petrol engine.

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Performance and Economy

The 3.5-litre V6 is a lovely and responsive engine. When you turn the ignition lock, you can barely hear the engine but that's not because it lacks the oomph. The Japanese engineers have done a great job of counter-balancing the engine vibrations and packing it in an efficient sound insulation. Driving a Legend is like living in one's own world ‐ almost no noise protrudes into the cabin no matter how fast you go.

The engine, as is expected from the Honda, provides a great power and traction. It accelerates the heavy car to 60mph in mere 8.8 seconds and that's with an automatic gearbox. Unfortunately, there's no manual gearbox available on this car. Imagine what it could do with a finely-tuned 6-speed manual if it had one.

It's not the most economical full-size sedan, you will get a return of 23mpg so you will be frequenting the petrol stations more than you would like.

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What it's like to Drive

The cars that are built for government officials rarely excel with drive qualities. It's not supposed to be exciting to drive a government limousine. However, with the Honda Legend, the subjective feelings of the person sitting behind the wheel aren't totally ignored. They've done a lot to improve the usability and driveability since the previous generations of the Legend. Driving this car is an enjoyable although you cannot stop thinking that with just a few tweaks the Legend would have been much more fun to drive.

It's a quick and agile car and the Honda's suspension does a good job of keeping the vibrations and bumps out of the cabin. The controls on the other hand are rather lifeless. Power steering is a very convenient system, but only as long as it responds to the driving conditions and returns information about the road surface. With a steering system like Legend's the driver cannot help but feel as if they are just another passenger.

You are bound to like the layout of the controls. All the knobs and buttons are laid out in the most possible logical way. If you've driven an Accord or Civic before, you'll be familiar with the controls of the Legend, it will feel like home, only a much bigger one.

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Faults and Repairs

The car being as reliable as other Hondas, the Legend is a good choice for people who are looking for their first luxury car. It can be obtained at a cheap price and unless it has seen some abuse, the car should be able to provide many happy motoring miles without requiring serious repair work.

The most expensive part that can go wrong is the automatic gearbox. It is more complicated than auto gearboxes found on other models. It is very advisable to choose a post-1999 Legend. Not only you get a much better-looking car, it's also less likely to break down.

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