Honda Legend test drive since 2009 sedan

Fourth "Legend"

Honda SH -AWD Full -wheel drive is a special story
 
Soon the car will turn into a vacuum cleaner. Not because now some models outwardly more resemble household, and not road equipment. And in the sense of simplicity of circulation in the absence of special skills. As a small and unreasonable driver today, ESP, DSC, EBD, Active Steering, Distronic and other similar systems take care today. But this is only the beginning. In the near future, you look, and the steering wheel will not be needed - I introduced the destination, and relax! I will probably be boring then. But while it’s fun: every time, faced with this kind of innovation, you are trying to either outwit them or use them for the best drive. In the case of Honda Legend, stuffed with innovations, like sunflower with seeds, this fun gave me a special pleasure. Because I, perhaps, have not met the all -wheel drive systems. Potentially SH-AWD (Super Handling All-Wheel Drive) gives new, unprecedented possibilities of an active driver. In any case, according to the first, dry impression.
 
The all -wheel drive system in the new Legend is undoubtedly the main dish. It is customary to start, however, with an aperitif and snacks. Therefore, I note that Honda worked on the fourth generation of her flagship for eight and a half years. It is understandable: against the background of competitors, the company could not afford to do with an ordinary product, without special claims or with blurry market prospects. In addition, in the process of changing the image, when such bright models as Accord and Civic are already built. Now we can safely say that Legend has become a revelation.
 
Monolithic design
 
In the business class, appearance plays a special role. A self -respecting person will never sit in the soap dish, even if she is big. He needs a style that would emphasize his status and talk about good taste. Honda designers did everything. They managed to create a body, monolithic (as they themselves say) and the sports of which with all unambiguity indicate both ambitions and the active lifestyle of the owner of the sedan.
 
Outwardly, Legend is actually perceived as a whole, from which it is impossible to remove any details without prejudice - everything is so harmonious. By the way, the peculiarity of the process of working on the design was in the repeated cycles of aerodynamic tests, each of which required certain adjustments to the exterior. Moreover, sketches were made in Germany, models in Italy, and aerodynamic tests were carried out in Japan. As a result, the wedge -shaped body shape, a successful combination of sharp faces and rounded surfaces, excellent aerodynamics and pleasant, moderately aggressive appearance. Compared to the predecessor, the new Legend sedan added 25 mm in the sides, grown 15 mm, but became shorter by 40 mm.
 
The original lighting technology deserves several kind words. In front, these are rotary lenses under the cap with dark metallic spraying, and in the back are combined lanterns with 28 LEDs in each. Side mirrors have water -repellent properties, and front door glasses have a special coating, which allows them to remain clean in bad weather. I could not check how it will work in Russia - the weather was all sunny. However, we still plan to return to the car in winter in order to experience Legend handling in full, on slippery coatings, then we will pay attention to the glass.
 
Sensual comfort
 
This definition of comfort was not invented by me, but by the relevant services of Honda. But you can agree with him. Therefore, for example, that, having flopped into the driver's place, I immediately felt at ease. It can be seen that the designers took care of the man at the wheel of the wheel: the spacious salon was built around him. All devices, screens, indicators look into the eyes, on the sides of huge burdocks of mirrors, in which even what you do not want to see. The seat has a complete set of adjustments - electric, of course. The steering wheel moves both in height and by departure. The instrument shield with three rings and automatic backlight in blue tones looks perfectly. Under the speedometer there is a display of the on -board computer, which not only supplies different useful information, but also demonstrates the distribution of torque between the wheels, as they say - in ON -Line mode.
 
But the central console with a large monitor personally caused me strange and ambiguous feelings. Firstly, this very monitor is able to provide you with a lot of unnecessary information, like longitude and breadth at the moment you are, or altitude above sea level. But the most interesting details cannot be brought to the large screen - about the work of the same SH -AWD, for example. Maybe this is done so that the driver is not distracted once again from a beautiful picture, but it is also not easy to look at tiny scales under the speedometer. Secondly, information about the current time, temperature overboard and the settings of the audio center is simultaneously displayed on a narrow auxiliary display at the very top of the console (sandwich, and only). And all these bends and dials are perceived with a cursory look, like a Chinese letter, which is very difficult to figure out. Thirdly, there are a lot of buttons on the console and the joystick of the on-board computer below. To understand where to press, what to twist, how to move - you need to seize the instructions and train for hours, you will not reach everything intuitively. In general, not very convenient.
 
It is good that the audio center can be controlled using buttons on the steering wheel. There are no complaints about the sound quality - it was specially developed for Honda at Bose. As there are no complaints to other life support systems. Taking the same climate control is genuine innovation. The system, quite naturally, is able to provide different conditions for the existence in the cabin to the driver and passengers. But! There is also the opportunity to control the temperature in the upper and lower zones - separately. To keep your head in the cold according to the Russian proverb, and the legs are warm. Finally, the Japanese were not too lazy to tie the climate control to the GPS system: where did the sun's rays fall from - there is cooler. I suspect that Legend’s electronic brain is also capable of other miracles that I simply did not have time to realize in three days.
 
And even inside is spacious. Despite the decreased overall length, the salon, in all respects, has become more. Hence a sufficient place for the legs of the rear passengers and a rather roomy luggage compartment - its volume is 452 liters. Moreover, there are side curtains in the stern - they rise manually, and the rear, with an electric drive. Only this drive is half: it is worth transferring the automatic transmission selector to position R, as the curtain drops, but does not rise back on its own, you need to press the corresponding button again. But is this the main thing?
 
Super handling
 
The main thing is, of course, a full -wheel drive system. I will not load the reader with detailed descriptions of the principles of the central differential or planetary reducer, two electromagnetic couplings - one for each rear wheel. By the way, no other automaker has yet offered this. But to know that the torque is walking between the axes in the proportion of 70:30, and between the left and right rear wheels - in a proportion of 100: 0 (and vice versa, of course) - this is perhaps useful. But the whole highlight of SH -AWD is that this moment is walking with a great meaning, and, most striking - of course, predictable. At least on dry asphalt.
 
I will make a reservation again: a slippery test that will make it possible to understand everything to the end - we still have to. In the meantime, I will say very briefly that it is written in an official press release and will share some personal impressions.
 
So, Honda states that the distribution of torque is carried out by prohibiting correction, the source of which is information about the actions of the driver. In other words, electronics constantly analyzes information from numerous sensors - about the angle of rotation of the steering wheel, side acceleration, the degree of pressing the accelerator pedal, the speed of rotation of each wheel, and selects the best option for distributing the torque between the wheels of the car.
 
Pretty theory, turn to practice. At a sharp start at dry asphalt, most of the moment is directed to the front wheels, as evidenced by the scales on the monitor under the speedometer. When driving along the highway - on the contrary. When passing the ligament of the turn on this very monitor, such a whistle begins that you can’t keep track of it, especially behind the wheel. So I can only rely on personal sensations.
 
These sensations are such. On even gas in a bend, the car demonstrates neutral rotation, striving for the entire body of the turn. Exemplary, I would say, behavior. Legend is so loyal to the driver that inevitably I want to provoke it to some more decisive actions. And then what? Then the rear external wheel is loaded, and the car literally diversifies into the turn. From which it, with skillful handling of the gas pedal, pull out the front wheels. Amazing! But that's not all. If you decide on an outright provocation, at the moment when the feed according to all the laws of physics should go to the skid, the electronics unloads the rear wheels. Skillful drivers driving a rear -wheel drive car are well known for this technique: when driving under the traction, squeeze the clutch pedal (transfer the automatic transmission to position N) to straighten the trajectory. In Legend, SH-AWD brilliantly does such an operation. The driver can only correctly twist the steering wheel. Fortunately, the steering mechanism is quite competently. It is very significant: if the driver does everything correctly, the VSC stabilization system does not interfere, allowing liberty - within reasonable limits, of course. Environmental control is also promoted by the elastic suspension. Providing the level of comfort corresponding to the car, it, at the same time, does not allow too large body rolls. Therefore, a large car is very stable not only on straight lines.
 
Another undeniable advantage of Legend is the power unit. The 6-cylinder engine from the leader of the motor design has a working volume of 3.5 liters and develops 295 hp. maximum power and 351 nm torque. In fact, this means excellent dynamic characteristics and typical character for Honda. So, the greatest return is achieved as soon as the tachometer arrow passes 4000 rpm. At such moments, the salon, which seemed hithered almost soundly permeable, is filled with a pleasant grooved sound. I was pleased with the quick-minded automatic transmission, which is standardly installed on Legend. It allows you to fully realize the potential of the engine, and with a sharp press on the gas pedal, it is quite sply jumping to the step, or even two lower. You can manually switch the gears by pressing the petals at the steering wheel knitting wheel.
 
In a word, it is easy to accelerate, but to brake? Also, of course, it is possible, and there is no doubt in the brake caliper power. But the brake system has a strange feature. You have chosen, it seems, the desired degree of pressing the pedal, and slow down exactly at the pace as you suggest. But in front of the stop, although you do not reduce the effort on the brake pedals, the car suddenly makes a short jerk forward, so you have to do it. I can’t say what such a strange two -stage setting is caused. But in the torn rhythm of urban movement, this is not a gift, and you do not get used to such an algorithm at once - it is so unusual. Although, I must admit, I did not have any real problems in this regard in three days.
 
Good price
 
Successful design, high level of comfort, all -wheel drive and excellent motor - all this is offered for $ 69,000. So Honda Legend will surely take its rightful place in the Russian market, it is quite possible to compete with Lexus GS, Audi A6, Mercedes -Benz E350 or BMW 5th series. If there is no one but - queue. As, for example, on Civic. Buyers of this class are not used to waiting for too long. And this cannot be considered.
 
Text: Andrey Osipov
 
 
Brief technical characteristics of Honda Legend
  
Engine volume, cubic meter. See 3471
The number of valves per cylinder 4
Power, l. With. at about./min. 295/6200
Max. Torque, NM at about./Min. 351/5000
Acceleration to 100 km/h, p. 7.3
Maximum speed, km/h 250
The average fuel consumption l./100 km. 11.9
The volume of the fuel tank, l. 73
Car mass, kg. 1860
Dimensions, mm. 4960x1845x1455
  
 

Source: Newspaper "Automobile Izvestia" [No. 19 (108), 2006]