(first posted 12/15/2017) Following up on a Legend is no easy task, especially when referring to the Acura Legend. Despite it lacking a V8 and rear-wheel drive, it was a highly successful and recognizable enthusiast-oriented luxury flagship and all-around competitive luxury car, offering a balance of athleticism and poshness, and averaging annual U.S. sales of over 40,000 units in its climactic second generation (1991-1995). Indeed, it had style, it had grace, it even gave good face and above all, boasted a high level of owner passion and pride that few competitors could ever dream of achieving.
Yet as stated, replicating a legend is a tough act to follow. In truth, at least at the time of its introduction, the 1996-2004 Acura 3.5RL (third generation “Honda Legend” in many markets) was not a bad car. On paper, its merits were every bit as impressive as the 1991-1995 Legend: offering a powerful V6, high level of fit and finish, and numerous standard luxury features for a competitive price.
Sadly, in real life, the RL lacked the style and distinction that made the second-generation Legend so recognizable, appealing, and well, legendary. Styling, while inoffensive, seemed melted down and generic in comparison to its edgier predecessor.
While undeniably elegant, it was utterly forgettable, especially considering its slab-sided design carried on for nearly a decade and was largely replicated by the third-generation Lexus LS.
Truthfully, the edgier 1999 facelift should have just been the look the RL wore when it premiered for 1996. While hardly drastic, its more aggressive front fascia with larger trapezoidal grille and HID headlights, very early-90s Mercedes-eque wheels, and “jeweled” taillights at least added a touch of dignity to an otherwise forgettable design.
Inside, the situation was far superior. As one would expect from a Honda product, let alone the brand’s global flagship, the RL’s interior was one of impeccable craftsmanship. Trimmed in high-quality leathers, vinyls, plastics infused with pearlescent flecks and mica, and genuine burled camphor wood trim by way of Tendo, the acclaimed Japanese woodworking firm, Acura’s flagship was as posh as any big Mercedes or Lexus, and boasted all the latest in comfort, convenience, and technology features.
Standard amenities included power tilt-telescope steering wheel with automatic entry-egress assist, multi-stage heated front seats, power moonroof, six-disc CD changer, eight-speaker Bose stereo system, and in later years, side-impact airbags, Xenon headlights, Homelink universal garage door opener, satellite radio, On-Star (before it was a GM exclusive), and in-dash navigation.
It should be noted that the RL was one of the first vehicles on the U.S. market to offer in-dash GPS as an option (beginning on late-1996 models), and then make it a standard feature. Over the course of the RL’s first generation, the system was consistently updated as the technology improved, with the touchscreen enlarged to seven inches and the addition of voice-recognition feature to enhance user friendliness.
With regards to its performance, the RL could be described as a relative letdown, at least in terms of being anything noteworthy. Ditching the Legend’s sports sedan pretensions, suspension was softer, steering was lighter, and power from its enlarged 3.5L V6 peaked at lower rpms for more somber acceleration.
Despite a larger displacement, horsepower was actually down 20 from the Legend’s “Type-II” 3.2L, though torque was up 18, a nod to the RL’s less sporting image. Manual transmissions, coupes, and the performance-oriented GS model also disappeared, to little surprise.
Initially offering 210 horsepower and 224 lb-ft torque, the 3.5L V6 was an adequate powerplant, though it hardly stirred the same level of emotion as the Type-II 3.2L, and paled in comparison to the V8s offered in the competitors it was chasing.
The 2002 model year brought welcomed enhancements in the form of 15 more horsepower, 8 additional lb-ft torque, stiffer springs and dampers for its double-wishbone suspension, and thicker, solid anti-roll bars to reduce the pronounced body roll, but it was merely too little, too late. By that point, even the 3.2L found in the smaller TL Type-S offered greater output.
Too little, too late is how I’d describe the infrequent, yet meaningful enhancements made to the 3.5RL over the course of its nine-year first generation. While undeniably a better, more appealing car in 2004 than it was in 1996, “more appealing” must be taken with a grain of salt, as competitors had nine years to further up their game. To no surprise, the RL was a less competitive car in 2004 than it was in 1996.
With its clouded mission in life, Acura 3.5RL sales were never anything impressive. Even in its strongest sophomore season, the RL trailed even the Legend’s weakest and abbreviated final year, with U.S. sales of just 16,004. Compared to the second generation Legend, which averaged just over 41.6 thousand units per year, the first generation RL averaged a mere 12.3 thousand units per year in the U.S.
So while we all like to lament Honda’s decision to drop the name “Legend” for the North American market Acura, maybe it was best that the Legend name went out on a high note here, even if it did continue on in other parts of the world.
Living up to its namesake, the Acura Legend will forever be remembered for the perfection of its climactic second generation, perfection the 1996-2004 RL could never achieve. While the all-new 2005 Acura RL (4th generation Honda Legend elsewhere), represented a significant leap forward in every respect, it too was unfortunately a car with a confused mission in life, and saw even less success.
Initial and Final 2002 Acura 3.5RL Photographed: Financial District, Boston, MA – July 2015
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I never liked this car, and I find your perception of its interior being as posh as contemporary MBs and BMWs somewhat hyperbolic- it was nice, but not THAT nice.
My across-the-street neighbors replaced an S320 and a Volvo 850 with a matching pair of these, and kept replacing them (I assume leased) until the end of the run, when they got a Lexus RX and a Saab 9-3 convertible.
I never got their love for them, especially as they had the steepest driveway on earth (45 degrees maybe?) and they’d always scrape the bumper coming out- quite a feat with the short front overhang.
I dunno, these had a pretty nice interior… A contemporary W210 E-Class, for example, was no nicer inside.
He said top end. I agree the interior is not demonstrably inferior to a W210, but it is to a W124, an E39 5-series, a E38 7-series, a W140 S-class, or even a W220 S-class. And obviously the First gen Audi A8 puts all of the above to shame in that regard. Except maybe the W124.
I think Acura was trying to carbon copy the Lexus LS. In doing so, the RL was now posh and sedate, losing some of the uniqueness the Legend had, not to mention squandering one of the best vehicle names of the 80s and 90s. Instead of “Hey look, a Legend!”, it became, ” Hey, it’s an RX, er, RLS, uh, you know, that big Acura thing.”
Biggest mistake – ever – getting rid of the Legend name!
Time has softened me in my opinion on the RL. When new, they seemed incredibly retrograde compared to their predecessor in style. In the context of Japanese luxury cars being developed after the asset price bubble burst in 1992, they make much more sense. Practically every Japanese luxury car from that era went conservative in direction from their previous generations; Crown, Cima, Leopard, Mark II, Celsior, Chaser, you name it. Japanese manufacturers weren’t willing to push the envelope like they had in years past because the economy in the home market drastically slowed, and traditional buyers were all that seemed to be left. I really like the previous Legend in appearance compared to these, but after riding in an acquaintance’s 1993 (?) Legend sedan circa 2000, that interior was not up to luxury car standards. This generation RL deviated from that in which the interior didn’t mimic the look of a high end Accord. I also prefer the pre-facelift cars in that their conservative appearance isn’t at odds with the trapezoid face (welcome to the beak look) and busy refresh tail lamps. Now I’m curious if these also had that damn glass transmission most Honda V6 cars came with in that era? My parents ’05 TL had one that busted at 50k, but Honda foot the bill for a new one, much to their appreciation.
It seemed like all the Japanese automakers largely went to this blocky, conservative design language around the mid-90s, especially for their JDM vehicles. The RL looked like a Lexus LS, which was a more expensive car, but it was also an old design (visually).
I still see the odd one of these around Brisbane but these were unpopular (although their predecessor wasn’t a huge seller here either). The rising Yen made these very overpriced for what was a V6 FWD sedan, albeit one with a nice interior and a lot of features. Honda badging here eliminated any snob appeal, a lack of marketing further undermined it, and yet these couldn’t really serve as a good halo car because there was nothing terribly exciting about a FWD V6 sedan that cost twice as much as an Accord V6.
At least the Legend was stylish. These were a non-entity that even an attractive facelift couldn’t help. These were, what, $AUD70-80k new? Cheaper than an LS400, sure, but there were a lot of other options at that price.
Good write-up about an utterly forgettable, if competent, vehicle.
@cjiguy
You are onto something there and I’ll go even further to say that this was the first Acura sedan, inside and out, to not look anything like a contemporary Accord. They very much did succeed in that aspect, which I overlooked in this article. Thanks for pointing that out!
Thank you! You are very right in that observation. The first Legend literally looked like the 1985-1989 Accord +20% across the board. The second generation was notably sleeker on the outside, but that interior is 90% 1990-1993 Accord with better detailing.
Now look at the window line on this RL, especially the rear passenger doors. Do you think it looks like the 1998-2002 Accord? I wouldn’t be surprised if the glass is interchangeable… Honda was still very smart technologicaly, yet conservative in terms of running their business during this era. Now? I’m not so sure.
That in itself was a step backwards. The gen 1 and 2 Legends were unmistakably Honda products, the gen 3 looked far too Mercedes-like for its’ own good. The impression was that Japan had lost their confidence and gone back to copying.
Agreed. Especially from the rear, it’s a blatant MB copy. But the Lexus did the same thing with their LS around this time too. They lost their confidence, and it is quite likely a consequence of a massive loss of national confidence after their economic bubble burst. That really hit the Japanese psyche hard.
And the exact same thing was happening over at MB, with them aping Lexus taillamps.
I marveled at this while at a Seattle auto show in the early 2000s. If you took the vehicle logo off of the rear, a vast majority of people wouldn’t have been able to tell the Lexus LS apart from the MB, especially from the rear.
As I understand it, this vintage RL used a different transmission, avoiding the woes of other Honda products.
That is correct. These use a 4 speed automatic that is unique to their longitudinal engine layout. It shares nothing with the problematic transaxles in the minivans and TL’s.
The 1990s Japanese financial crisis and surge of Audis basically killed the Acura RL. Now Acura survives with selling SUVs. It would not suprised tp see Honda will close its door, combined Honda and Acura together as seen in Chrysler store.
Are you aware that Acura’s current sales are on par with Cadillac, and well ahead of Lincoln? Do you think those two brands are about to be shut down?
In case you haven’t heard, SUVs are what’s hot; sedans not.
I meant Honda would close its Acura division if the current trend continues, Honda even tries to establish this band in China with little success. The sales figures could be misleading, its real problem is product lineup, they are dated and inferior against Audis, BMW and Mercedes-Benz . While its products in general are reliable, we can not discount its transmission problem. Cadillac now has good product line up. Its sedans are easy outrun any Acura these days. And its big SUVs are darling of reality stars.
From what I have seen, read, and heard about these cars the write-up and first 3 comments say just about all there is that needs to be said about the 1st RL.
it looks like the folks at Honda aimed for the S class, or at least the Lexus LS and decided that the key to success was to go conservative/more conservative. It probably didn’t help Honda that it’s competition had V8 engines, and at one point near the end of this model’s generation even Acura produced a smaller and cheaper car with more power.
From what I know (purely anecdotal), these cars, at least this generation, are VERY reliable…including the transmissions. But then, so is their competition. So if you buy one now, and it’s in good shape, I guess you “console” yourself with the knowledge that it (probably?) gets better fuel mileage from it’s smallish engine, looks A LOT like other contemporary luxury sedans, and you are driving a well built car.
This gen seems to have developed a reputation for amazingly reliable. My mechanic owns 2 one he uses as a shop loaner. I test drove one with 180k miles this summer and it felt amazingly good for the age mileage.
My dad had gen1 and gen2 Legends – at the same time.
They were pretty much flawless and he never saw a reason to buy another car.
Through a good part of gen1 and gen2’s lives, the Legend was the best-selling imported luxury sedan in the US.
Was it the name change? The marketing whizzes decided the name “Legend” was too strong – people always talked about their Legend, not their Acura. I’d love to know what became of them because Acura has never recovered from their marketing misadventure which includes the demise of the Integra and Vigor names too.
These have always seemed to me the (better built) Chrysler Imperial of Japanese luxury sedans. Yes, it had many features and the manufacturer invested a lot of money in places the Customer might not see, but in the end it was too much like a Honda.
While the Lexus LS had a V8, this car offered a 3.5 V6 (“Isn’t that the same engine as the Honda minivan?”). As a used car it’s a bargain. But as a new car, there just wasn’t enough there to justify the extra money. Cars in that price class need either major capability or major snob factor. This car was good but not great in both categories.
That said, I would happily drive one of these today.
The beginning of the end for Acura. When the brand first launched, it was brash and boasted of “precision crafted performance.” As noted in the comments, the cars came across as the best Hondas ever, which was quite a compliment. But instead of being confident in what they were offering, they decided to copy rival Toyota/Lexus and create blandly nice cars with no edge whatsoever. I never cease to be amazed by how many car companies/brands lose sight of their mission and seek to copy competitors that they deem to be “more successful.” Problem is, the resulting products are usually never as good as the ones being copied. Acura made a poor substitute for a Lexus, and in the process lost all the charm that had originally made the brand unique and appealing. Likewise, note to Cadillac: you are not BMW and never will be.
While I lament the passing of the Legend name, I completely agree with Brendan’s point that it was a good thing the name went out on a high note, attached to a car that could carry it. This RL was in no way a Legend.
Umm. Open a Japanese luxury car market history book and you’ll see the LS400 was in fact copying the Legend from the start. Your assessment is likely based on a pre-2002 RL. Drive a post-2002 RL and tell me it’s not the same. I’ve had numerous friends who own Legend coupes who’ve driven it and some who have preferred it to theirs, and I let my friends race my cars sometimes, (the lack of manual trans being the only fallback, and something I take issue with too).
The LS400 20 years later is struggling to tick on, most of them have rusted to absolute crap with frames and entire quarters being devoured by the stuff, and while the RL has its own share of rustable spots, it affects them a lot less than the LS400, and doesn’t touch the frame. I love the 1UZ V8, but the KA9 Legend (3.5RL), as long as it’s a post-02 model, it holds true to its predecessors.
The side by side picture of the Legend and 3.5RL says it all. The RL is a fine car, I’m sure a comfortable and reliable cruiser. But the Legend looks so much better to me. It’s sexy even. I’d still like a red one with a 5 speed.
We owned a near-twin of the feature car (no GPS in ours) when it was a few years old. I think it’s an incredibly handsome design–I like big, conservative sedans–though the preceding Legend was better-looking.
It was a disappointing vehicle, though. The interior materials were high quality, but the seats were too firm–maybe even more firm than classic Mercedes seats. It was loud at highway speeds, and a real gas-guzzler, too. The back seat was smaller than you’d expect for such a large car.
Compared to a Lexus LS, it was hopeless (but cheaper). Compared to a Lexus ES, it was much better-looking but otherwise inferior.
I find it odd that Honda can usually go “all in” when they decide to target a specific segment (compact car, family sedan, minivan, sports car, SUV), but they refused to aim high with their luxury sedan platforms. (Same goes for their pickup truck, but a full-size truck would have no synergies with the rest of their line, so it’s less surprising.) The company that gave us the NSX should be quite capable of building a big, plush RWD V8 sedan. Some might argue that it would go against their minimalist, Lotus-ish philosophy… but so does the Odyssey!
It’s not that they’d be incapable of it, but that every time they’ve done the math, they’ve decided the cost of developing a big RWD luxury sedan wouldn’t pay off. There were rumors before this generation came out that Honda was going to do a real flagship sedan with a 4-liter V-10, but the Japanese economic crash put an end to any serious possibility of that happening.
Part of the problem was that unlike Toyota, Honda had basically no home-market luxury car presence. The first TL (Inspire/Sabre in Japan) was the first upmarket Honda that really did decently well at home. The earlier Legend did most of its sales volume here; European buyers didn’t really take it seriously for the most part and it sold well below expectations at home.
Toyota was in a better position to invest in stuff like the clean-sheet UZ V-8 engine because it wasn’t just for the LS400; they could and did use it in their high-end home-market luxury cars like the Crown and later in trucks and SUVs. That was much harder for Honda, which would have had to make the numbers work based on selling maybe 50,000 cars worldwide, mostly in the U.S.
(The reason Honda had reportedly been contemplating a V-10 rather than a V-8, incidentally, was that they could make a 4-liter V-10 by putting two of their G20A fives together.)
At some point, Honda decided Acura no longer needed to sell good looking cars. It’s almost as if the entire division is committing a slow motion suicide.
This RL may’ve been no Legend, but it was a very nice car, especially from the inside.
To my Dad, this was his departure from the “Buy American” mentality (to which he’s only looked back once – a 2014 Mustang); and it was his “entry level luxury vehicle”.
His RL was a 2004, the last of this generation, and he got an extremely good deal on it since the new generation (which he did not like as much) was about to come out. I tried to talk him into the TL, which was a more modern Acura at the time, but he still liked his cars big at this point (the previous car being a Buick Park Avenue).
This RL hands down had the nicest interior of any car he has ever owned. The brochure picture (sixth one down) shows that off nicely. That leather is as comfortable as it looks, and the burled wood did not look fake on that car… and upon further review of Brendan’s text below that picture, apparently it was real!
He tried a Lexus next (an RX-350), and that car’s “wood” was fake (or looked fake at least), IIRC. He went back to Acura next, trading for an MDX, and now has an RDX, which Mom finds to be a more manageable size. Although he’s happy to be back in the Honda camp, after the brief dalliance with a Toyota product, his SUV(s) were not as nice inside as that RL.
Recently, he recently traded the Mustang in for a 2017 Accord, and said, “This car reminds me of my RL.” – which was probably his favorite car of all time – but although nice, this new Accord is no “Legend”.
Ironically, history repeats itself with him… he always seems to buy a car on the trailing edge of a platform. Even now, the all new 2018 Accord is on my 2016 Civic’s platform.
Dad would say, “Phew, I’m glad I bought it before they downsized it”.
(although I think he was sorry he didn’t wait for a 2015 Mustang. ;o)
I have no doubt that these were great cars to own, and I’m glad you father loved his so much. I’d say it was a good transition from the Park Avenue, offering the same level of comfort but with a far superior driving experience and level of quality.
Thanks Brendan (nice write up BTW). Yeah, now that he’s had positive experiences with his Japanese cars, he may not ever go back to the American cars. Although he’s always wanted a Vette, and loves the new one, his comment when he traded the Mustang for the Accord, “at 79, it’s about time I bought a grownup car.” I think he satisfied his lifelong want of a sporty car with the Mustang.
So now he has the Acura RDX and the Accord EX-L, both nicely appointed. Big change from the Chevy/GM guy I remember as a small kid. ;o)
All Lexus vehicles have used real wood only (If they have it all). You will never find fake wood in a Lexus. All generations of the RX have had very rich looking wood.
Thanks for the clarification. I’ve seen so much fake wood in cars over the years, I just assumed it was all fake.
A guy I work with has an RX-330 about a year or two older than my Dad’s RX-350 was… some special edition that had a unique color (or lack thereof – a metallic darker gun metal gray). This was my Dad’s car’s exact shade.
The wood in Dad’s RX was a natural color, stained of course. But my coworker’s car’s wood was stained an unnatural looking dark gray or black. For this reason I thought the wood was fake. I stand corrected! ?
I think the Honda’s mistakes in this era were triggered by the death of Sochiro Honda as much as the economic crash. The changed leadership failed to ask themselves the the fundamental question: why do people buy Acuras? What separates them from other luxury car makers.
Mercedes answer was quality and engineering
BMW said performance and engineering
Lexus said quality and reliability
Acura had previously said engineering, quality, and fun to drive. They were at the top of the Formula One world in those days, and while their street cars weren’t the fastest they felt quick and tossable. Very much the Japanese BMW.. with better quality for less money.
(By the way, if anybody can tell me what Cadillac said in those days, I’d love to know.)
Then with the end of the Legend, the technology and performance legend ended. Acuras weren’t much fun to drive any more.
Finally, there’s no getting around the disaster of the name change:
“I just bought a new Acura!”
-.”Wow did you buy a Legend??!!”
“No, this is an RL; they don’t make the Legend any more.”
-.”Oh, that’s too bad. Those Legends were great cars.”
“…what Cadillac said in those days…”
From what I’ve read here, maybe “Zzzzzz”?
Acura survives selling [leasing mainly] the RDX and MDX to upper class Suburbanites, looking for the lowest monthly payment for a Lux ute. “They are all the same anyway, so we got the best deal” [cross shopping Lexus, Infinity and maybe Audi SUV’s.] Either white or black, aka “his and hers”.
My brother owned a two-tone 1997 RL with a grey interior – just like the pictured car below. It served him well for six trouble-free years. I called it a “Japanese LeSabre” and he never disputed that. Personally, I really liked the 2005-2008 (pre-beak) RL, even if it does look a smidge too much like an Accord. I drove one for a couple hundred miles – a seriously nice and capable car.
I’ve seen a few two tone pre-facelift RLs of this generation and think they looks great. The two tone adds a touch of class and distinction to the design.
These were good cars, with appeal to a lot of people. The real issue was price, in my opinion. The Legend was no Lexus LS, but it represented good value at a somewhat lower rung on the prestige ladder. The RL was still a rung low, but the price no longer made a compelling case for purchase.
“So while we all like to lament at Honda’s decision to drop the name “Legend” for the North American market Acura, maybe it was best that the Legend name went out on a high note here, even if it did continue on in other parts of the world.”
I have always wondered if Acura had slapped a Legend badge on the back of it would it have sold better? Every new version of the Camry and Accord that is released seems to be more blander then the last version yet folks line up to buy them. Brand recognition counts for a lot of things. Legend is a familiar name. I also wonder if the fact that the TL arrived at the same time and from 96-98 bore a passing resemblance to the RL also cut sales down for the RL? it seems the TL stole the RL’s thunder.
I was actually surprised to discover that the RL still was being made up until 2012. I thought it died along with the CL back in the early 2000’s
I think that a big reason the RL wasn’t that popular was not that it was a bad car, but it’s TL sibling was so good. Shopped both back in 2002 and while the RL was very nice, the TL was near its equal in every category, for $15K less. I bought the TL. Noticed the same thing in subsequent years, when I would get an RL as a loaner. It just wasn’t exclusive enough, as say a Lexus LS over an ES.
Count me in as part of the group that lamented the passing of the Legend. I have checked out a couple of RLs and while the interior is nice, they just don’t seem special enough. Part of the problem was that the first two series filled a particular niche, lower than the Lexus LS but much nicer than their Integra sibling. The emergence of the TL stole the Legend’s thunder. Much like how the Cadillac CTS replaced the STS as the most popular Cadillac sedan. Since Honda didn’t have a V8 for the Acura division, it’s flagship sedan was always going to be a runner up, it couldn’t move upmarket and compete with the premium makes. All that is water under the bridge. I just don’t find anything they offer compelling. But a second gen Legend coupe with a six speed manual, well that’s a different story!
I inherited a 2001 RL in late 2006. As the years have passed, the car has completely won my wife and I over. As others have noted, it is essentially a Japanese Buick. It’s a very pleasant car to drive and it’s built like a tank. In 11 years, ours doesn’t seem to have aged at all. The materials in and out are of such high quality and the mechanical engineering is so competent, that it still drives and presents like a new car at 150k miles. It’s really impressive. While it’s a bland car, it looks strangely contemporary to this day and, much to my surprise, I can’t say enough good things about it
This year our car was due for it’s second timing belt service and a new set of tires. Classic motivators to replace an aging car. I offered my wife all kinds of alternatives to replace it. She turned them all down and decided to keep the RL. So I put a new set of Continental DWS06’s on it, paid for a T-belt service, and we’re keeping it for several more years. Sometimes it’s the cars you least expect that capture your affection…
Nice to see this entry republished 6 years later. I’m still rocking my inherited RL at 180k miles. Still looks mint and performs as it should. Amazing.
I actually like this generation of Honda Legend, and I think they should have kept the name because it was more appealing than the RL designation. It actually looks nice here, but I wonder why Honda never went ahead and built an RWD V8 luxury car to go head to head with Lexus and Infiniti.
2002 RL owner here, I agree with little that was written in this article regarding post-2002 models. Once the suspension was redone, it more than competed. Hell, it still competes with modern luxury cars to this day.
They never should’ve dropped the Legend nameplate from this car, I’ve actually rebadged mine as a Legend as the chassis code being one numerator higher than the KA8 (Legend), the KA9 (3.5RL) is simply a rebadged Legend. The dropping of the manual transmission and coupe options are what killed the KA9 Legend off. But they were counting on volume sales and an adjusting market when they went parts bin on the next generations of Acura’s/Honda’s. In my eyes, aside from the RSX, this was the last Acura/Honda car made that had any semblance of character and high level build quality/craftsmanship.
People don’t take this Legend as seriously as they should, because post-02 it was every bit as sporty as it’s older brother was, just have to be brave and pay the $$$ for good tires, as it’s a touch heavier. Albeit mine is a lot heavier, sitting at around 5,000 lbs loaded down by high end audio gear and tech I’ve added myself for a VIP style build, but achieves a 50/50 weight ratio as a result.
Vermont Green Pearl on a cream leather interior. Still looks and drives like new, with only 108xxx on the dash, 20 years after it was built. Got very lucky to find mine, a one owner from Florida with a full dealership service history. I jumped at it as fast as I could and have loved it ever since.
The reason they never went RWD or V8 to “chase the market”, is because the Legend is responsible for making the market in the first place. The Legend and Integra paved the way for Japanese Luxury cars.
I *sort* of like the featured RL, but three things turned me off of it- lack of V8 power, front wheel drive, and their fragile, short-lived automatic transmissions- the perpetual bane of every V6-powered Honda / Acura product ever made.
The transmission on these cars is unrelated to the minivan, etc. transmissions that are famous for failing. The 1st gen RL and the Legends before it have a longitudinal V6 with a conventional transmission. It’s not even a transaxle. A parallel driveshaft is driven off the trans running forward to a separate diff. The transmissions usually outlive the vehicle.
The interesting part of this layout is that it would have been very easy for Honda to make the car rear wheel drive or AWD. They just chose not to do it. The C series V6 is a 90 degree design, so presumably they imagined expanding it to a V8 at some point too when it was conceived in the 80s.
TLDR: These RL’s share nothing with most contemporary and later V6 Honda products. They don’t use the J engine or the problematic transaxles that went with it. They are the end of their evolutionary branch.
I purchased a 1996 RL from my local Acura dealer in 2010.It had just over 100,000 miles on it and looked showroom new. Since purchasing this car I have driven it daily for 11 years. l drive it everyday and it has never left me stranded, always been reliable and always garnered compliments. I just turned over 401,000 miles on it in January 2021 and laugh at my neighbors with BMW’s, Mercedes and Range Rovers that constantly break down and run up huge repair bills which impact their retirement portfolios. My car is triple black…..paint is black, seats are black and carpet is black. Anyone dismissing this car has never lived with one for 11 years and 300,000 + miles of reliability. Even 25 years since it rolled off the assembly line, the interior is beautiful. This car has been driven nearly every day since it was sold here! This is my third Acura and combined they have been driven 700,000 + miles! The Acura brand blows away Lexus (recall King of the Japanese cars) and the German competitors. Is it as exciting as an NSX? No, but my RL has more than enough horsepower and torque to drive 5 adults in speed, comfort and quality!
PS. A picture of the 401,000 mile 1996 Acura RL!
My 1996 RL finally met its end at 425,000 miles in Winter of 2022. The fit and finish was better than any Lexus, BMW or Mercedes. The car was remarkably reliable, low cost to maintain and a fantastic daily driver. Best car I have ever had. I am attaching a pic from its last year. One next to a ridiculously overpriced POS Range Rover Finch (or some such stupid name). Even at the end that car garnered compliments parked next to finch! Acura’s rule!
Having had a 2004 in my family since the day I was born (Dad signed the papers at the Acura dealer on my birthday) I’ll say that it is the right car for the wrong era. It reminds me of the golden era of early 90s import luxury. I don’t know about pre 02′ RLs, but post 02′ RLs are stiff as hell. It borderlines on being too stiff. From what I’ve heard, it is stiffer than G2 Legends and are about the same stiffness as the 2nd gen TL-S. To be honest, the car has a great feel. The car is like a finely tuned pencil. Not as smooth as say a high-end fountain pen, but has more control. This car just has a great torque curve and engine breaking is perfect on this car. Also, the car holds up very well. 18 winters in the Northeast and the car is mostly rust free. (Car has rust from a bad collision repair from early in its life.) A thing about this car is that the 04′ MY is one of the last complete cars when it comes to styling. It is extremely hard to find an angle where this car looks bad.
I’ve probably seen these cars on the road, but they are instantly forgettable. The first generation looked special – but not these. That’s too bad. They were good cars that should have gotten more attention. That has always been a problem with Acura. I just don’t see them or notice them. They don’t look bad, but they bring zero attention to themselves. It would pain me to spend that kind of money for something that looks so generic.
My 1996 RL finally met its end at 425,000 miles in Winter of 2022. The fit and finish was better than any Lexus, BMW or Mercedes. The car was remarkably reliable, low cost to maintain and a fantastic daily driver. Best car I have ever had. If you wanted a reliable, low cost, and exceptionally well built solid vehicle than Acura’s are the way to go! My car was amazing!!!! I saved so much money over my friends who drive Lexus (too many recalls), BMW (way too expensive to maintain) and Mercedes (overpriced beautiful cars)!
John Hansen
It’s one of those cars that makes you question your preconceptions, and wonder whether you’re over-influenced by the enthusiast media.
Does it really matter which wheels drive the car – unless you’re doing heavy towing? A well set up FWD chassis can be quite entertaining, as many other Hondas proved.
So what if it isn’t a V8 – is there enough power to handle the worst you’re going to subject it to? Nobody in their right mind would try for Nurburgring lap records in one of these.
I was never in their market segment, and like many others found the styling a step backward – maybe reflecting a lack of corporate confidence. C’mon Honda! Nice basics there, but you could do better than this.
Not really, but I think the more specific issue for Honda was, “If you’re happy enough with a competent V-6 FWD sedan, why not the significantly cheaper 3.2 TL?”
That two-tone version reminds me of the Rover 200/400 – the grey lower section made it so much classier than the Honda Concerto version.
I quite like the restrained, timeless styling – it’s quite similar to my old 5G Prelude. Which is another identity problem in itself, even if it is more elegantly proportioned than my KB Legend.
The KAs made a lovely taxi cab, second only to a W140. I thought I was in a particularly nice big Opel, until I realised my mistake!
There was a perennial image problem and also a perennial size problem; for generations, the Japanese Legend and the American TL(X) were just too close together and people didn’t notice the higher quality of the former from the off.
Welcome to Acura…
I had 6 of these Honda Legend ka9s in the UK. . It was the best car I have ever owned and I’ve had a jaguar and various German competitors. I loved the anonymity and the fact that it was not flashy. We don’t all want to drive around in bling. I’d have another one tomorrow if I could find a good one.