1991 Acura Legend LS Tested: Fearless Follow-Up

From the April 1991 issue of Car and Driver.

As any show-biz entertainer or Honda executive will tell you, it's a bitch to fol­low a Legend.

Honda's butterflies are understand­able. The first-generation Legend, intro­duced when Honda's upwardly mobile Acura Division opened for business in 1986, has accounted for about half of the more than 100,000 Acuras sold here dur­ing each of the last four years—helping the division trounce such mighty marques as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Saab, and Volvo on the U.S. sales charts. So Honda faced the unenviable task of messing with a decidedly good thing when it began designing the new-for-1991 second-generation model.

Not to worry. The new Legend sedan is bigger, faster, and more fuel-efficient than its predecessor. (As is the new two-­door Legend Coupe, which should also be on sale by the time you read this.) None of which is going to make life any easier for the folks at Lexus and Infiniti.

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The new Legend sedan rides on a wheelbase that, at 114.6 inches, is 5.9 inches longer than the original car's and more than an inch longer than the big Infiniti Q45's. This steady platform sup­ports a body that is more than four inches longer and two and a half inches wider than the previous model's. True, the new Legend still isn't as big as the massive Q45 and LS400, but right away, you know that it's more of a threat than before.

The increases in wheelbase and body size pay dividends in the interior, which shows gains in nearly every dimension­—particularly hip and shoulder room. One noteworthy exception, however, is rear-­seat legroom, which has shrunk an inch. Not that the back seat has become cramped, mind you: the six-footers on our staff were able to fit in back—two at a time—with room to spare.

The new Legend retains the old car's front-drive layout, but with a twist—liter­ally. Squatting directly over the front axle is a new SOHC 3.2-liter V-6 mounted not transversely (the conventional front­-drive layout) but longitudinally. Such a configuration has helped improve the Legend's weight distribution from 63/37 front/rear to 60/40, but it has also neces­sitated a complex arrangement of drive­shafts and gearsets to route torque from the end of the transmission back to the front wheels. A spokesman says Honda opted for the north-south engine "purely as a means to improve handling," but the layout could be so easily modified to drive the rear wheels that we suspect Honda plans an all-wheel-drive Legend in the future.

Whatever its orientation, the new six-­cylinder engine is a beauty. Bigger in both bore and stroke than the 2.7-liter V-6 it replaces, the new 3.2-liter unit de­livers 200 hp at 5500 rpm and 210 pound-feet of torque at 4500 (versus 160 hp and 162 pound-feet for the old powerplant). Fired by a new direct-igni­tion system and, as before, breathing through four valves per cylinder, the en­gine winds to its 6300-rpm redline with a smooth and stirring whine. Cruising on the Interstate, though, it's all but silent.

On the test track, the engine is a dy­namo. Our 3509-pound Legend LS test car, fitted with the electronically con­trolled four-speed automatic transmis­sion (choosing a five-speed manual saves $800), rushed from 0 to 60 mph in just 7.3 seconds. That's not enough punch to blow off the strapping Q45 (which reaches 60 mph in just 6.7 seconds), but it's enough to outgun the LS400. The Acura's 136-mph top speed falls well short of the 150-mph potential of its ri­vals, but it's well up from the old Leg­end's 124-mph maximum. And more than anyone will ever use anyway.

The real magic of the new Legend's performance is that while speed has gone up, so has fuel economy. With the auto­matic, the Legend's EPA city rating has climbed 1 mpg—to 19. We were disap­pointed to note, though, that that figure betters the rating of the 250-hp LS400 by only 1 mpg. And the Legend's automatic transmission doesn't even come close to equaling the seamless, silky shifts of the Lexus's gearbox.

Our initial impressions from the Legend preview in Japan hinted that the new car's ride might be on the too-pillowy side. Happily, that conclusion merely showed us once again how unreliable a test-track evaluation can be. On real roads, the new Legend feels firm and poised—almost Germanic in character. The suspension, a revised version of the old Legend's front unequal-length con­trol arm/rear multilink setup, never floats—even at very high speed. Yet the ride isn't harsh; the long wheelbase helps soak up bumps and thumps nicely.

If improved handling was the aim of the unusual engine layout, then Honda has succeeded. The new Legend solves the old model's debilitating understeer problem, resulting in more grip—0.78 g versus 0.73. The new Legend bends into turns almost neutrally, and it reaches its cornering limits without unduly tortur­ing the outside front tire. The tires, by the way, are Michelin MXV3 205/60VR-15s fitted to new 6.5-inch-wide alloy wheels.

We were pleased with the brakes, too. The Legend's four discs, aided by Honda's own anti-lock system, hauled the car to a stop from 70 mph in 183 feet. A fine showing.

For 1991, the Legend gets a new elec­tronically controlled, speed-sensitive variable-power-assist steering system that feels vastly different from the old car's similar system. Whereas the previ­ous Legend's steering felt overboosted at low speeds—so light you could twirl the wheel with a finger—the new system feels almost too heavy. The system is at its worst when you brake hard into a tight corner: the steering forces come on too heavy, too soon. During more relaxed motoring, though, the steering displays good feel and directness.

The new cockpit drew generally good reviews but didn't escape criticism en­tirely. There is nothing amiss here: the seats are beautifully crafted, the dash is reasonably swoopy, and the switches and gauges are arranged where you'd hope to find them. But when you consider the LS400's inspired simplicity and the Q45's sheer style, the Legend's cabin seems a little, well, dull.

Some staffers also put the knock on the cockpit for not being as airy as many of Honda's other designs. Admittedly, the hoodline doesn't drop away in the dra­matic fashion of certain other Hondas, but neither does it intrude. The view out of this big luxury sedan is exemplary in all directions.

Anyone griping about the Legend's new body should know that photos don't do justice to the car. Spied on the street, the new Legend looks clean, trim, and handsome. Look closer, and you'll see lots of pleasing details—expensive-look­ing headlamps, artful Mercedes-type pull door handles, evenly aligned seams. If the shape isn't as original as some, well, that didn't bother the many onlookers who oohed and aahed over our sleek black test car. Much as it may look like an overgrown Accord, the Legend radiates quality and refinement.

Honda offers the new Legend in three editions: base, L, and LS. All three are well equipped (including lots of power amenities and ABS), but our top-of-the-­line Legend LS came with such standard extras as burl-wood trim, leather seats, an automatic climate-control system, an Acura/Bose AM/FM/cassette system, and a power passenger seat. The only available niceties our test car didn't have were a cellular phone and a remote CD player, both dealer options.

A driver-side air bag is standard on all Legend models, but LS editions also get a neatly designed passenger-side air bag that fits into the top of the dashboard without intruding on glove-box space. We applaud Honda for joining the hand­ful of automakers, including Mercedes­-Benz and Porsche, that offer an air bag on the passenger side.

As the Legend has moved up in size, so, as you'd expect, has its sticker. The base five-speed-equipped Legend sedan now starts at $26,800. An LS edition like ours, equipped with the four-speed auto­matic, goes for $34,200. At that price, the Legend is coming dangerously close to the Lexus LS400 ($38,000) and the Infiniti Q45 ($39,000).

Then again, the Legend is now a legiti­mate competitor to the Lexus and the Infiniti. Though not quite as large or as roomy as the two rear-drive V-8 sedans, the Legend is big and spacious and offers every imaginable amenity. Plus, it offers the alternative of front-wheel drive. And perhaps most importantly, the Legend now has the performance to run with its rivals.

All of which proves that the show al­ways goes well when you follow one Legend with a bigger one.

If good engineering is truly an art, then Honda employs quite a few art­ists. A nagging question artists often face is: When is the work complete? The new Legend seems to be, strangely, the work of many talented engineers who likewise are not quite sure of the answer to that question. Take, for example, the variable-assist power steering, rendered schizo­phrenic with so many different detect­able modes. Or, how about the odd, Holley double-pumper-like two­-stage throttle feel? Its raison d'etre is beyond me. Most significant is the Legend's wholly redesigned, and un­doubtedly expensive, fore-and-aft front-wheel-drive powertrain. For all its complexity, it honestly feels no more responsive or refined than the relatively simple and pleasing layout in a Park Avenue. This Acura is a very substantial and competent sports se­dan. But I wonder how much nicer it would be if Honda got the basics right and spent the rest of its time on, say, a more attractive dashboard and interi­or, or a little weight reduction. Maybe next time. —Don Schroeder

The Acura Legend began life as an undercover if not downright anony­mous luxury car, and it continues in that vein. If dignity, sensible size, and a restraint that borders on the self­effacing describes your approach to the road of life, the Acura Legend will serve you well and, based on its record, faithfully and failure-free. However, I did have trouble deciphering the climate-control system, and I found that the car's otherwise satiny demeanor lost its composure under accelerating shifts. The auto­matic transmission just did not seem up to the quality and performance levels of the rest of the car. But the interior continues to set something of a standard for smaller luxury cars. Here again, restraint is the watch­word. The driver's main impressions are quiet, comfort, quality, and quick­ness. Not a bad combination. —William Jeanes

Acura's marketing department must think that rich Americans are hope­lessly square. Why else would they clothe their new Legend in such a Brooks Brothers-esque set of body panels? Although pleasant enough, the new Acura's appearance is unlike­ly to win many admiring and envious stares. Not unless bystanders confuse its bluff profile and soft edges with the justly heralded but equally undramat­ically styled Lexus LS400, which in my book it greatly resembles. The con­servative theme continues inside, with an upright dashboard that detracts from the open and airy feel that has become a Honda and Acura trade­mark. Strangely enough, the unin­spired styling is totally out of phase with the new model's spirited road manners. The uprated engine moti­vates the '91 Legend so effortlessly that one would think it had lost rather than gained several hundred pounds. And the old mushy suspension has been replaced by a taut setup that would do justice to a product from Stuttgart or Munich. A drive this good deserves more than a plain brown wrapper—no matter how tasteful it may be. —Csaba Csere

Specifications

1991 Acura Legend LSVehicle Type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

PRICE Base/As Tested: $34,930/$34,930

ENGINESOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection Displacement: 196 in3, 3206 cm3 Power: 200 hp @ 5500 rpm Torque: 210 lb-ft @ 4500 rpm

TRANSMISSION4-speed automatic

CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilink Brakes, F/R: 11.1-in vented disc/11.1-in disc Tires: Michelin MXV3205/60VR-15

DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 114.6 in Length: 194.9 in Width: 71.3 inHeight: 55.1 in Passenger Volume, F/R: 55/41 ft3Trunk Volume: 15 ft3Curb Weight: 3509 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 7.3 sec 100 mph: 20.5 sec 1/4-Mile: 15.7 sec @ 90 mph130 mph: 58.7 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 3.8 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 4.7 sec Top Speed: 136 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 183 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.78 g

Interior SoundIdle: 44 dBA Full Throttle: 77 dBA 70-mph Cruising: 72 dBA

C/D FUEL ECONOMY Observed: 18 mpg

EPA FUEL ECONOMYCity/Highway: 19/23 mpg

C/D TESTING EXPLAINED

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