A future classic? The Honda Legend is a forgotten tech showcase

Big saloons have been the preserve of moneyed folk for some time. It used to be a market where the mainstream brands could compete with the premium brands by offering a ton of kit for less money, but by the 2000s the Germans had it pretty much sewn up.

But that didn’t stop the Japanese having a go on more than one occasion. Toyota used its premium brand Lexus to compete with the established contenders, but Honda took a different approach – going large on the tech front.

Previous generations of the Honda Legend had been sold in the UK and didn’t make much of an impact on buyers. Unfortunately the fourth generation Honda Legend KB1 version didn’t manage that either. But it wasn’t for the want of trying...

It was taller and wider than its predecessor but shorter in length and had a reduced wheelbase while increasing passenger space, which is an impressive feat of packaging.

The body was made up of high-tensile steel and aluminium with carbonfibre driveshafts to help keep the weight down. And while the US market was demanding a V8 and rear-wheel-drive to compete with key rivals, Honda did what Honda does and instead created a 3.5-litre V6 with VTEC that knocked out 295PS without recourse to turbocharging.

It had a five-speed auto with manual control including steering wheel paddles and there was also Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, which could juggle the power front to rear but also side to side at the rear – an early version of torque vectoring to help turn in.

The Legend was also one of the first cars available in Europe to offer Lane Keep Assist. Unlike previous iterations where you would receive an annoying beep in your ear if you ventured out of your lane, the Legend would actively apply torque to the steering wheel to nudge you back into line.

Motoring journalists at the time discovered that a suitable weight wedged between the spokes would allow you hands-free driving for an extended period of time. Allegedly...

To drive, the Honda Legend was almost spookily competent in all departments. Effortlessly fast, quiet, a breeze to drive and very comfortable. Calling it a sports saloon was probably a stretch it could be hussled along a B-road at a serious rate of knots without causing you to break sweat. But there were a few problems too.

Firstly, the Legend was almost impressively anonymous in its design. Considering it arrived at roughly the same time as the seventh generation Accord, it’s hard to believe that Honda made its humdrum saloon look more interesting than its flagship offering.

Then there was the price – £36,000 before options in 2006. Admittedly there were few extras with Honda choosing to include just about everything as standard. For £2000 less you could have a BMW 540i M Sport which was more fun to drive, had that big V8 and the inevitably stronger cache of that badge.

You could argue that the Legend wasn’t a failure. Right at the beginning Honda said their annual sales target was just 400 cars, but the reality was probably even worse than that. Data suggests there are less than 250 currently licenced on UK roads, with another 50 SORNed.

And this is why we think it’s a potential future classic. Fiendishly clever with ground-breaking technologies and built by a manufacturer that knows how to make cars work. Yet it was almost universally ignored by buyers. It’s the kind of car you could stick in a supermarket car park and no one would even notice.

It may be a Honda but it’s still a complicated car, so if you are considering one we would strongly advise you check everything works or better yet, get a friendly Honda specialist to give it a good going-over.

The gearbox and four-wheel-drive system are the elements most likely to cost a fortune if they go wrong, so pay particular attention. Skimping on tyre replacement can cause issues, so a simple check is to look at both the tread depths and tyre makes all round – four branded tyres with the same tread is good news.

With the oldest examples now 20 years old, a full Honda service history is unlikely, but walk away from any car with patchy paperwork.

It’s also worth looking at suspension components and in particular bushes, as worn elements can upset the ride and handling as well as cause tyre wear issues. With so many electronic components make a point of checking everything works as it should.

With so few sold in the first place you might thinking finding one would be a challenge, but that’s not the case right now. Just £2000 is enough to get you behind the wheel, with £3000 being the starting point for something with more reasonable miles. We even found one with under 70,000 miles and full history for less than £6500, which isn’t outrageous.

Yes the VED will sting and fuelling one is going to be very expensive too, but the Legend is a deeply impressive car from a mainstream manufacturer that went under the radar when it was new. Even in 2006 it was a rare sight on the road, so 20 years on it’s almost reaching unicorn status.