Honda: A Legend that isn’t

COULD this era signal the death of the Legend? 29 years in existence and still failing to impress? Could pricing be the challenge? Or, Honda set itself in a league that never was and would never be its own?  The Honda Legend is to Honda what the S-Class is to Mercedes-Benz and what the LS460 is to Toyota’s luxury carmaker-Lexus. But, I think that it is too much a comparison, however. Maybe to be a little bit fair without offending Mercedes-Benz let me just say that the Legend’s Honda’s flagship sedan was meant to showcase the very best of the Honda brand.
Honda is also known as the Acura in other international markets.

Honda vehicles in general have not been widely accepted by the Zimbabwean market just like the Mitsubishi brand, whose only widely accepted product was the Pajero, which took the market by storm during the days of the late Peter Pamire.

What is wrong with these Japanese brands? The only Honda product that is doing well in Zimbabwe in terms of popularity is the “little” Honda Fit. Thanks to its cheap price in Japan and generous (to your pocket in terms of fuel) engine size.
The Honda Legend is not doing well even globally (in terms of sales compared to its perceived competition).

This model is actually on its“death bed” if you ask given that it has failed to hold fort in many markets. It takes a lot to appreciate a certain brand. I will tell you that those that have driven Audi will tell you that there is no better car than an Audi and can actually upgrade their vehicles within the same Audi brand.

Also, those that have appreciated BMW and owned one feel the same. They will tell you that BMW is the best brand around and they would rather upgrade their BMW’s than change to any other brand. Honda? Ummh. That’s a hard sell if you are ask me.

When Toyota created Lexus as its Luxury division to break into the American market, Nissan created Infiniti as its luxury division and Honda created Acura. Honda is known as Acura in the United States of America.

Be that as it may, in the United Kingdom, Honda is still sold as Honda. Yes, the Legend has always been sold as the “premium” Honda model, but my experience with it, makes it fall way below competition.

Its top selling engine has been the 3,5 V6 and it has failed to produce a V8 powerplant like its Japanese peers – Lexus LS460 and Nissan Infiniti Q45 which have V8s. Japanese are not into V12s, save for the Toyota Century, which is the only V12 built in Japan and is not for the global markets.

Leave that to the Germans, the Italians and the British. Honda’s Legend is meant to rival Audi’s A6, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW’s 5 series, but, still the same, it can’t really be compared neck and neck with its German peers, with rear wheel drives powered by V8 engines as well.

It was and still is wishful thinking for Honda’s Legend, if you ask me, just like Brazil thinking it would beat Germany in the 2014 Fifa World Cup. A tall order, I must say. The higher end luxury market is just not for Honda. Without being all negative, as some would think, I must say Honda has been good and excellent in selling smaller passenger cars. Zimbabwe has received a number of Legends, some from the United Kingdom while some have found their way from auctions in Japan to websites and finally to our roads.

The most popular has been the 3rd Generation Honda Legend known as the KA9. In Zimbabwe, the Honda brand has failed to impress. In Zimbabwe, Honda is known more for its generators than its flagship sedan, thanks to load shedding.

No one in Zimbabwe would just buy a Honda Legend for the sake of buying it, unless it is someone who truly loves the car. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that the Legend is a whack piece of metal carrying a smooth powerful 3,5-litre V6 engine. Mind you, the 3,5-litre engine is to date among the smoothest V6 VTEC engines one would ever drive, churning about 296 horsepower.

Again, unlike other car manufacturers who end up confusing you with their engine line-up, Honda had been consistent with the 3,5-litre V6, which has been viewed by some as being “too big” an engine and “thirsty” as well.

This is where, in my view, Honda got it all wrong and it failed to impress the market. Even Mercedes-Benz flagship sedan — the S-Class — offered, and still offers, different engine variants and not a very “boring” line-up of “one” engine size, without giving consumers a choice.
Life is a buffet and full of choices, be they right or wrong and, at the end of the day, one has to make a choice. Who needs a brand or model that doesn’t give you, the consumer, a choice?

The 3,5-litre VTEC V6 was, for a long time, Honda’s final engine, until around 2008 when Honda unveiled the Legend (KB-2) with a 3,7-litre V6. This was an improvement considering that the Legend has come a long way since 1985 with the 2-litre V6 engines to the 2,5-litre V6 engines to the 2,7-litre V6 engines, the 3,2-litre V6 engines and the popular 3,5-litre V6 engine that defined the Legend as we have all come to know it.

But those that own it understand what it means to the Honda brand and they love it. The Honda Legend is a superbly luxurious car and rides on Honda’s reputation for building good cars.

On the local market, the Honda Legend and the Honda brand in general has faced resistance due to the high costs of maintenance. The other challenge is, when these cars are imported into Zimbabwe, the mileage will already be high and maintenance costs of a second or third hand car (if there is any such description) tend to be very high even if the landed cost of the car upon importation would have ordinarily been fair.

The Legend, in particular the 2006 model, achieved a maximum five-star rating for safety after the EuroNew Car Assessment Programme crash tests.  Features like vehicle stability assist system, which combines control of the brakes, engine speed and traction control to help keep the car balanced and stable during cornering and in conditions when a crash could occur come standard in this Legend. In Europe, the Euro NCAP crash test ratings are a serious issue that consumers pay particular attention to because safety is a paramount issue that influences which car one is likely to buy.

The Legend has always been a very comfortable car considering its competition. The Honda Legend is not a bad car but I must say Honda’s flagship sedan has failed to reinvent itself and failed to appeal to many and make its presence felt.

A second-hand 2008 Honda Legend would cost you an estimated US$30 000 to land in Zimbabwe. That’s too much to spend on importing a second-hand Honda. Please forgive me for saying the Honda Legend is a Legend that still has to prove that it is worth the name that it carries.
Good name for a good car but its presence is not being felt.

A luxury car which fits in perfectly again as a family car. I am not taking anything away from the product but, surely, I think its peers need to be reviewed and its marketing needs to be revisited. This car doesn’t hold value when compared to other brands like Mercedes-Benz. In conclusion, this is definitely not a car for our market. You can buy it on the argument of taste, yes, but this car doesn’t have clout for a market like ours.

The 5th generation Honda Legend will go on sale this year and will also be sold as the Acura RLX. I just hope that this 5th generation Legend will justify the name it is carrying.