7 February 2011
Do you spend 30 minutes meticulously setting the grey scale and colour temperature on your plasma screen, just so the kids can enjoy Spongebob in true RGB definition? Does your PDA's outlook wirelessly configure with your laptop? Got more Bluetooth devices than you have actual teeth? If you answered yes to any of these you're a technophile, and Honda has a new car you're going to love.
Honda's latest version of their luxury model, the Legend, has just been introduced to New Zealand. In addition to the obligatory luxury features the Legend has always offered, the hi-tech exponent now promises something to make this variant easily more legendary than its dowdy predecessors...This Legend offers an inspirational driving experience.
The exhilarating alliance between road and car is optimised by Honda's new intelligent all-wheel drive system, Honda felt the handling it enabled was so super they called the technology Super Handling All Wheel Drive - of course.
The name makes sense, but how it works isn't quite as simple. Honda is renowned in the technical field for often over-complicating systems, this proves no problem however as peculiarly their systems rarely give trouble. The Super Handling All Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) is another tricky Honda system to get one's head round.
By monitoring throttle inputs, steering angle and lateral g-forces, the SH-AWD's control module manipulates current to the centre differential's electromagnetic clutch, enabling up to 30/70 rear bias (or vice versa) torque split. Torque is also distributed, when needed, through two electromagnetic clutches and a speed-multiplying device on the rear axle. As cornering forces increase up to 70% of the engine's torque can be sent to the outside rear wheel, accelerating it relative to the front wheel speeds. This generates a yaw that opposes under/oversteer situations, allowing the car to accurately follow the driver's intended line.
It is eerily effective, throwing the Legend into a corner aggressively you can really feel the system engage drive to the outside rear, giving tremendous grip especially when maintaining throttle. Keep the throttle on and the car feels quite neutral around the bend. This actually takes some getting used to, as the familiar 'oneness' between car and driver at times requires overruling by an occasionally unnerving faith in the SH-AWD's tenacious abilities.
You have to try hard to initiate understeer and accelerating through a gravel bend, or some icy tarseal during our brief, snow-smattered drive at the vehicle's launch, the car was sure-footed and showed only a hint of oversteer. Let alone intervention from the electronic catcher's mitt of Vehicle Stability Assistance (VSA).
A discreet digital display below the speedometer illustrates how much torque is being sent to each wheel mid corner, but we found it too difficult to monitor and maintain visuals on the road ahead simultaneously. Although, watching from the passenger's seat, the display illustrates just how efficiently the SH-AWD is working beneath you.
Straight-line performance isn't blistering, and despite an extensive use of lightweight aluminium subframes and suspension components the 1855kg Legend feels a tad portly for the 3.5 litre, 217kW V6 power unit. The five-speed automatic transmission offers a sporting touch however, with the inclusion of F1-style paddle changers behind the steering wheel. A 0-100km/h-sprint time of 7.3 seconds is claimed.
Electronic wizardry is by no means limited to drivetrain technologies. While Kiwi's miss out on the Japanese domestic market's night vision and active cruise control systems, there's still an abundance of bells, whistles and automotive i-Podery designed to keep you safe, comfortable and entertained.
The modernistic centre stack sits below a tasteful wood-grain accented dash panel, and LCD multi-function screen. A default display shows latitude, longitude and elevation co-ordinates as monitored by the Legend's standard GPS system. Factory satellite navigation will also be available for the New Zealand market, carrying $5000 premium over the entry spec versions.
Audio, heater controls, trip computer and reversing camera functions all make use of the multi info display, there is also a calendar, calculator and units conversion tool that can be utilised easily via a logical central control dial. Important dates and meetings can be programmed, for the vehicle to remind you of at a later date.
The dual zone climate control is also GPS dependant, and based on global positioning and a sunlight sensor the vehicle knows whether you're driving into the sun and perfectly caters ventilation to suit conditions.
Bose provides audio, and an Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) system that listens for unwanted cabin noise through microphones and emits low-level sound waves to counter the wave frequency of road and wind noise. Occupants can enjoy the crystal clear, 5.1 Dolby surround and DVD Audio from the 6-disk CD player, or via an optional i-Pod direct connectivity port.
Safety too makes use of cutting edge new features, in addition to the six airbags, ISOFIX Child restraints and adjustable active head restraints that aid occupant safety; a pyrotechnic device also 'pops up' the bonnet 100mm from the engine bay in the blink of an eye, should a pedestrian be struck. Honda U.K. suggests a 10% reduction of pedestrian casualties could be expected thanks to the pop up bonnet system.
The Legend also comes equipped with an Active Front Lighting System (AFS) that swivels the high-energy discharge lamps as the vehicle turns a corner.
Safe, exhilarating to drive and packed full of goodies, the Legend is just the car to help you unwind from the stresses of Managing a bustling I.T. company. Our biggest bugbear was with the exterior styling, while attractive; the Legend fails to stick out from the crowd with very understated looks for the luxury category. Being offered in only four austere exterior colours doesn't help this. Though in Black, Silver, Gold or Gunmetal, Technophile's won't have trouble matching it with their home surround sound system.
The looks play down some of the Luxury car appeal, which is a shame as badge snobbery at this end of the market hits the Japanese brands hardest. On looks alone the $86,750 Honda may struggle against arguably prettier Lexus counterparts or the more established European nameplates.
Still for the money, the Legend presents itself as one of the most hi-tech luxury sedans on the market. Sleeper styling aside, a formidable foe for anything at that price point.