Test Drive Honda Legend Sedan 1996 - 2005 Sedan

Honda Legend Car Overview

Update mechanical part
In the spring of this year, the ACURA RL ACURA model was exhibited in New York, intended for the North American market. With this, Honda was slightly awarded the curtain of the mystery over his new LEGEND model and further rooted interest in the debut of his brainching on October 7, 2004. Will there be at least one newspaper that would not dedicate in his heading to lead from the automotive market a fair number of lines to this event? And this interest is quite clear: As many as 8 years old, the former generation of Honda Legend was kept on the market, and now it's time to make a complete replacement of the model range.
What was reported in the press in connection with the upcoming debut of the new model? First, the interest of the new engine, which became the first to overcoming the restrictive barrier in 280 horsepower established in Japan. Then it was reported that the drive of the new machine will be carried out on the front and rear, as well as on the left and right wheels according to the 4WD SH-AWD scheme. Then we were talking about an infrared navigator warning the driver about the appearance of a pedestrian in front. And what turned out to be actually? First, the car became the most upscale sedan manufactured by Honda. Indeed, a 3.5-liter engine with 6 cylinders, located V-shaped, which is called, obliges to a lot. But that is not all. The main thing is that between the former car Legend and its new model, there is practically nothing in common in the plan of mechanics or in terms of technology. And this, of course, news from the news!
The new Legend is driven by a constant drive diagram for all 4 wheels, and the transmission itself is controlled by electronics. But on the layout, it cannot be considered a continuation of the Legend of the former generation, which, as you know, had a type of body MID-TOP, drive on the front wheels and a longitudinal engine. This car is more appropriate to put in one row with Honda Accord and Inspire cars, which have front-wheel drive and cross-lined motor. Compared to INSPIRE, the new Legend has an increased 60 mm wheelbase (2800 mm). Let me remind you that it is less than the last generation of the machine, 110 mm. If you take the full body length, it has become less than 65 mm. The transverse location of the engine in the front of the body looks like a retreat back. But but the salon became more spacious. For example, the distance between the fastening points of the front and rear seats (the technical term pair distance) increased by 20 mm. The volume of the engine and the layout of the cylinders, however, it seems to be the same as the predecessor. But the case is that now cylinders are located at an angle not 90, but 60 degrees, that is, like an Inspire engine.
Large all-wheel drive sedan is a rather massive car, which is not very comfortable. But at the same time, this is not a contrary to the general policy of the maximum possible reduction in the weight of the models produced. Here, however, it has not yet reached the body fully made of aluminum alloy, as, say, Audi A8 or Jaguar XJ. But, nevertheless, the wings, and the support of the carrier body, and most of the pendant parts are already aluminum. And there is still a carbon-magnesium cardan shaft, which made it possible to alleviate the overall weight of the design by as much as 151 kg, and which is the subject of the pride of Honda engineers. In addition, such, for example, body parts, like a trunk lid, which has a complex surface, is very difficult to press aluminum because it is poorly pulled out. But Honda applied a new technology pressing under high pressure gas. This special kind of presses is called high-speed blowing. It is remembered, about this aluminum press, it was even due to the advent of Honda NSX and S2000 models.
 
This perfection is when no one remembers about him!
You know, for what thought I caught myself almost immediately after the start of a trial trip on this, you can say the car long-awaited in Japan, like Legend? I'm afraid to be misunderstood, but I thought: how everything is not interesting! The developers of the company Honda told me about the challenges of the new car, that it laid a lot of potential that it should capture the spirit that it can be driven on it, like on a sports car, etc., etc., and the like. But let me, if we talk about the sports family of cars of the company Honda, then, for example, all cars of category R, \u200b\u200bsay Accord Euro R, by all truth and untrue, but won a recognition. But as for Legend, what kind of athlete he is, if his suspension is a suspension of a representative class sedan, no more and no less! And after some time, after the start of the movement, you only feel the comfort of control, and nothing more exciting. In a sense, the suspension is even softer than that of the modern version of Toyota Crown.
This impression did not change even after I went to the winding road in the town of Hakone. Soft, with deep amplitude Turning along the longitudinal axis, the suspension compensates for all road surface irregularities on a small free course of shock absorbers with a slight friction. Landing in a soft chair, as in an ordinary high-class representative. Even riding on the mountain range of the Hakone road did not, as usual, the test for my professional driving skills. That is, an externally even account has not happened. I wanted to sharply turn the steering wheel or became randomly acting the gas pedal - and the feelings that we fly down, no! And there is no feeling that it is necessary to somehow actively act a brake or gas.
But at the same time you realize that the reason for such sadness when driving the new Legend is just suggests otherwise. The fact, in particular, that the car is really brought to a high degree of perfection. In the car, as I mentioned, lightweight materials are used. Its length exceeds 4.9 meters, the weight of 1760 kg (if you hang on the car all the proposed optional equipment, it will all be 1800 kg with a tail). As you can see, it can not be attributed to the number of light or small cars. And it's all driven by a 300-horsepower heart of torque at 36.0 kg / m. At the same time, I was driving on a dry road, never resorting to the help the system maintain stability and gauge control! In short, the impression is as if under you car type Honda Civic, light and agile - so quietly she walked all the cool sites.
 
SH-AWD system accepts the challenge of the 300-horsepower engine
Legend Inside the cabin there is a special display that shows in real time the distribution of the engine power between all 4 wheels. If you carefully follow its work (although what I mean, because in the course of dangerous!) Then you can see how the transmission in all three directions of transmission. I mean the direction of the front pair of wheels, the wheels on the right side and left side wheels. Particularly significant in this case turns. In such a region the main force is transmitted to the rear wheels, especially on the wheel, which moves along the large (outer arc). If we talk about the distribution of efforts by the scheme left wheels right wheels, then there is a system developed by the company of Mitsubishi, which is denoted by the acronym AYC (Active Your Control), and Honda's technology, which it has already been tested in the last generation Prelude. I mean ATTC system (Active Torque Transmission System). The fact that these controls are on the machines, and no one pays attention to it - is not conclusive evidence of the fact that we all have of this came in the XXI century?
You probably already know that within the framework of the SH-AWD system installed on a new legend, the engine force is distributed between the front and rear pairs of the wheels in the proportion of 30:70 or 70:30. At the same time, between the right and left wheels, the gear ratio can reach 0: 100 or vice versa, 100: 0! Automation is responsible for it, and it also as it would rather evaluate all the actions of the driver. The driver also does not recognize about all these tricks. So it turns out that you turn the car's steering wheel in 1.8 tons, inside which 300 horses are stubcounted, completely relaxed. Before relaxed, it is even boring behind the wheel. This is exactly what can be called the perfection of a new Legend: to control 300 horsepower, not even thinking that it is for the power - 300 horsepower!
Someone may seem that the engine that has a 3.5 liter of the working volume of such high power, at the modern level of development of the technique, cannot be considered completely communicated to the mind. But on the other hand, and stop, as before, on the 280-silent line would also be unnatural. And possessing such a potential power, the new Legend can easily demonstrate to everyone to sit behind her steering wheel, as far as it can be a fit or expressive - depending on the circumstances. By chance during a small temporary segment, almost such competing classmates, as Toyota Crown and Nissan Fuga, were published almost simultaneously with Legend. I think that if we evaluate these models by their ability to easily move around the city streets, then taking into account the factors such as the style and trim of the cabin, the car company Honda looks the most rational. Personally, it seems to me that in terms of stylistics or interior, developers could have been done more resolutely. But if you consider the nature of the technological innovations applied in the car, then I can fully say that the debut of the new Legend, which is called, took place!
 
 
 

A source: Carview.co.jp.