Honda Legend: Legend and true story
Carmakers of the Land of the Rising Sun have long been successfully competing in all markets around the world. European and American firms have to mobilize all their engineering power to counter the fantastic developments of the Japanese.
C thorough accuracy to find out who first came up with the wheel, and even more so any electronic “bells and whistles” or, say, the newest injection system for a diesel engine, today is quite problematic. But in the case of the new Honda Legend, one can definitely say that, for example, the all-wheel drive transmission design of this car has not yet been used on any other car. For the first time, a pyro cartridge on the hood is installed on the production car: the device raises the hood by 15 cm when meeting a pedestrian, thereby saving the latter from serious injuries.
In addition, it is difficult to name any other brand of car, the next generation of which was suddenly shortened in spite of the current auto-building fashion.
And the new Legend is just shorter than its predecessor, although it is wider and taller than it. Further – more: at home, the car is offered with climate control, independently adjusting its work depending on the position of the car relative to the sun, which is calculated by GPS navigation. If some part of the body falls under the heat of the light, in this place the temperature in the cabin immediately drops. And the car comes with a proprietary intelligent radar cruise control system that can keep the car within its own lane. In general, wherever you throw – everywhere something completely unusual, super-innovative … Not for nothing that the clever robot has recently emerged as a symbol of Honda, emphasizing that the cars of this company are the technology of the future.
Such an impressive set of modern systems, of course, adorns the new Legend, but in our country we meet something according to the clothes, but it is just not very smart. But Honda Legend belongs to the business class, where the exterior and interior – a considerable part of the cost of a car and must meet the requirements of the fastidious owner who is ready to pay for comfort and luxury. The appearance of the novelty is rather modest by the standards of the class – even the Toyota Camry looked more representative, inadvertently finding itself in the neighborhood at the stop line on one of the capital’s traffic lights. The massive “feed” resembles many brands of cars, and the “face” is, of course, its own, but somehow familiar. Everything is in order with the interior – comparable to the quality of European cars of this class. Moderately spacious lounge with an abundance of buttons and keys. Under the wheel, large “petals” of manual gear selection 5-speed “automatic”. By the way, very quick – so much so that, it seems, he does not need a manual mode. Here it is quite real – it is forbidden for the “automaton” to jump up. It is a pity that the speed limiter works roughly, without warning, after which the car starts to twitch – a side effect of the active noise reduction system. Yes, and there is one on Legend. Special sensors in the cabin pick up the extra sounds and make the standard “Bose” audio system send absorbing signals towards them that reduce the noise level by 10 dB.
Everything in the car is solid and thorough. Actually, like the engine, there is a three-hundred V-shaped “six” with a volume of 3.5 liters. Excellent figure for the engine of this volume. The power reserve of the Legend is enough for dynamic acceleration, even though it has to spin the all-wheel drive design. And this, in addition to the additional cardan shafts, is also a planetary gearbox, working only on the rear wheels, each of which also has a clutch with an electromagnetic drive. If they are unclenched, the rear wheels spin freely – the Legend drives like a regular front wheel drive car. If one of the clutches is closed, the car is pushed by three wheels. For example, in the left turn, the right clutch is tightened and the wheel is connected to the overdrive gear, actively steering the steering wheel to the left, thereby ensuring neutral steering, the most reliable turning pattern. Legend confidently slides all four wheels, even in the steepest of them, without straining either the demolition of the front end or the sharp drifts of the stern. There is an amazing feeling of complete control over the road.
Suspension can be considered very successful – a certain balance of comfort and handling. Although the small potholes she seemed somewhat harsh, capable of transmitting a body tremors from irregularities.
The capabilities of the Honda Legend are so extraordinary that it is hard to believe that its owner would prefer to ride in the back seat. Rather, he chooses a sharp steering wheel, though it’s so sharp that one cannot be distracted from it – an attempt to get a cell phone from his pocket led to sharp car throws from side to side.
