Honda Civic Car INSURANCE

The Honda Legend

The brand new Honda Legend was released on the world in 2006, as Honda's answer to the likes of BMW 5 series and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Knowing that these giant car manufacturers have loyal customers who are more about buying the name than the car, this was a risky move by Honda.

The Legend comes in two models, both fitted with the same engine. Both feature Honda's signature 3.5 V6 i-VTEC petrol unit and have a starting price of £36,250. The 5-speed automatic gear box includes a feature which enables the driver can switch from traditional fully automatic mode, to manual mode by selecting gears using the shift lever in the center console or by using the paddles behind the steering wheel. I preferred to use the manual gears, mostly due to the fact that when in automatic mode, the car seemed to lurch into inappropriate change-ups which would not be useful if driving in snow conditions for example.

The performance of this car is adequate for a saloon of its' class. Had Honda decided to not to compare the Legend against the likes of BMW, I feel this review would be a little bit kinder. It lacks the power it says it has on paper. Honda tell us this car does 0-62mph in 7.3 seconds, but I found it needed a lot of encouragement to overtake on a duel carriageway. Having said that, I don't think a BMW 5 Series would be able to follow the Legend around the bends with the same enthusiasm and safe handling.

Honda's four wheel drive system, called the Super-Handling All Wheel Drive (SH-AWD), comes as standard on the Legend and is a leader in its class. It's what makes driving this run-of-the-mill executive car a little more interesting. While some All Wheel Drive (AWD) systems can distribute torque between the front and rear using a center differential, or between left and right rear wheels using a rear differential, the Honda Legend is able to simultaneously control torque from front to back and regulate lateral torque to the rear wheels.

The Legend is fitted with a reversing camera, which uses the centrally mounted Telematics TFT screen to show you exactly what's behind your car. In theory, this is a marvelous idea, but in practice, it needs a bit more thought. When driving in adverse weather conditions, the lens will need cleaning quite regularly, plus the screen can be hard to see in bright light…I certainly would rather the old-fashioned looking over my shoulder when reversing. I believe that all round parking sensors would have been an improvement instead.

Space in the cabin's front and rear is good, but this is at the expense of the boot space. This is just too small for a saloon car. The strangely shaped boot at 452 liters of space is smaller than the Honda Accord with 459 liters of storage.

As always, Honda have fitted the Legend with the same array of safety features as they do with most of their cars. Front, side and curtain airbags, anti lock brakes with brake assist and vehicle stability control (VSA). Alongside these features, Honda have developed Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), which predicts the possibility of a collision and warn the driver when this looks likely to happen. The warnings come in the form of an audio warning, a flashing brake light and gentle tensioning of the drivers' seatbelt. In extreme circumstances, the car will brake lightly for you at first, then, it will brake hard if still no action is taken.

All the usual Honda refinements are present. Both front seats and the steering column are electrically powered, with the driver seat and the steering column having memory settings.

For the motorway driver, Honda has introduced a couple of great features designed to combat driver fatigue and increase safety levels. ADAS, comprising of a Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) technology shows us the future of driving. LKAS recognizes the lane the car is traveling in via a camera mounted inside the upper front windscreen. It then applies the appropriate input to the Electric Power Steering (EPS) to help keep the car in the correct lane taking the burden off, and improving driver safety and comfort. That's not all folks, it then calculates the optimum steering torque which is a combination of driver input (20%) and the assisted steering torque (80% maximum), to keep the vehicle in the center of the lane. Should the vehicle start to stray across the lane, a continuous beep will sound to warn the driver. LKAS will only activate at speeds between 45mph and 112mph, and only if it can recognize two white lines on the road.

The ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) is a really clever gadget. It uses a radar mounted inside the front grille to measure the distance from the vehicle in front. Vehicle speed and yaw rate sensors detect the vehicles driving parameters. This cruise control is different to others in that it will constantly adjust your speed to fit the car in front of you, always keeping you the same distance apart. This distance can be changed manually along the lines of 1, 2 or 3 chevrons. Should a car pull in front of you, the ACC will alert the driver to apply brakes. Should the car in front of you increase speed or pull away altogether, the ACC system will increase to the speed predetermined by the driver.

Honda's new AFS Xenon Headlight system is a new feature with the Legend. When cornering, the headlights swivel by up to 20 degrees according to the input from the steering and the cars' speed sensors. This movement illuminates a larger area of the road throughout the bend, minimizing blind spots.

The exterior of the Legend leaves a lot to be desired. Looking like a grown up version of the Accord, the Legend isn't an awe inspiring car. The interior isn't much better. It feels dated, nowhere near as modern as BMW or Audi. In short, this really doesn't scream out £40,000 car.

The Legend does redeem itself slightly with it's standard DVD satellite navigation system. It was easy to use and even features voice recognition. The Telematics system incorporates a hands free telephone system, allowing you to integrate your Bluetooth, also allowing you to use voice recognition to dial numbers and answer calls.

In closing, it's safe to say we were not all that impressed with the new Honda Legend. It has some great features that really work well, but the car itself is a bit disappointing. If Honda want to play with the likes of BMW and Audi, they need to re-think the interior of the Legend as it lets it down enormously. The value for money is not up to the usual Honda standard. It's doubtful that the Legend will ever be considered a good second-hand car like a Mercedes, and beware of the 9,500 mile service intervals.