The Legend
 

Dealer salesman told me recently that the Legend name is coming back at Acura.

I wish this to be true, and for the associated car to be legendary. We’ll soon see!

That's interesting.

I noticed at the dealer yesterday that no fewer than three people engaged me on the Legend nameplate on the car.

This particular salesfolk has been there for ever. He is surrounded by newbies who come and go.

He remembers that I once owned a Rl and a RLX because he sold them to me.

I tried to get interested in a TLX, but it is too small for me.

I guess I will be driving the RDX until the Legend II arrives.

It's still a Legend in Japan.

ITS also a HONDA LEGEND !!!!!!!!

More on Legend
 

AutoBlog
 

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/05/24/...end-trademark/

Is the Acura Legend coming back?

A trademark in Europe (and plenty of rumors) suggest it is

Zac Palmer
May 24th 2019 at 2:10PM



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Great news for fans of the Acura Legend: Honda has applied for a trademark in Europe for the word "Legend," pertaining to "Vehicles; Apparatus for locomotion by land; Apparatus for locomotion by air; Apparatus for locomotion by water; Parts and fittings for land vehicles; Parts and fittings for air and space vehicles; Parts and fittings for water vehicles."

This trademark was 1st spotted by AutoGuide.com, and gives more credence to our speculation from a couple months ago about the possibility of the Legend nameplate returning to the Acura lineup in the States. If you were reading closely before, you'll notice that it was actually Honda that applied for the trademark, not Acura. The Legend was sold with a Honda badge on it in Europe back in the day, so this trademark filing in Europe makes perfect sense.

In our previous report, we put forth the idea that Acura could bring the Legend name back with a successor to the RLX flagship sedan. Specifically, we were thinking that Acura would use the 4-door coupe form previewed by the Acura Precision concept. That story also suggested a new Legend flagship could debut during Monterey Car Week.

The 1986 Legend sedan was one of Acura's 1st 2 vehicles when the brand launched (the other being the Integra). It had a smooth 2.5-liter V6 that made all of 151 horsepower at the time. A sweet-looking coupe soon followed the sedan. The name Legend would be applied to a 2nd-generation, which is arguably the 1 best-remembered. The coupe in particular has lived up to its name. Much of that legendary status, though, is the result of what followed: the Legend name and coupe body style dying for 1996 in favor of the RL, a 4-door sedan as bland as its name. Acura's flagship has never recovered.

We'll be quite pleased if Acura ultimately decides to reveal a totally new Legend to blow us away in Monterey. The return to actual names for the lineup would also be lovely. It's certainly working for Lincoln. Now if they'd only trademark "Integra" ...

Featured GalleryAcura Legend

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I've been saying for years that Acura should go back to actual names for their vehicles. No one other than Acura enthusiasts understands the alphabet soup, and a confused consumer is not ideal. Also, I think it could help differentiate Acura in the premium/luxury market and also be another tangible sign that the brand is revitalized.

So maybe leave the MDX and RDX because those names do have some cachet and recognition, obviously leave the NSX alone, but naming the sedans seems like a smart move. The question is, what would they call the TLX, as "Vigor" was not embraced by the marketplace anywhere near the same way "Integra" and "Legend" were...

I seem to recall that there have been rumors of a sedan (and SUV) slotted ABOVE the RLX (and MDX) in the Acura lineup as part of an attempt to move the brand more upscale.

This could mean that the RLX would continue as something similar to the Precision Concept from a few years back with a relatively conventional drivetrain not unlike the current RLX Sport Hybrid. The Legend nameplate, would then be saved for the new flagship sedan moving more upscale in size, performance, luxury and price with the rumored all-electric SHAWD (front and rear torque vectoring), fuel-cell powertrain bringing "knock your socks off" performance along with the kind of environmental responsibility that could make it a favorite of the rich and famous and give the Acura brand a big boost.

A much larger sedan that produces ZERO greenhouse gases and scorches runs to 60 mph in the 4 second range while handling like it is on rails would indeed be worthy of the name...LEGEND.

This is 100% my speculation based on rumors gathered from here and there, but such a vehicle would look very nice in my garage sometime in the next five years or so (assuming it comes in sub $90000 and doesn't get into the NSX price range).

Well if they produce it, and it becomes the new flagship, they better step the game up to be more in line with what you would expect from a flagship vehicle. The current RLX is decent, but not decent enough to be called the flagship of the brand.

500 to 550 overall hp & tq should do it, along with 14 inch or bigger brakes, active suspension, 275 section width or wider tires and exposed dual exhaust. Winner! Put that in the Precision Concept Car and I'll race you to be first in line to buy it.

So a Tesla Model S? Don't get me wrong, if Acura built that vehicle I would be among the first to buy one, but it wouldn't exactly be groundbreaking.

Also, if they're going to offer a true flagship sedan in that realm, they really need to work on their dealership experience as well.

^^^It would be more like a much larger Tesla Model S with vastly superior fit and finish AND a range of 600+ miles thanks to the fuel cell. It would also be the first to offer front and rear torque vectoring which all of the SHAWD lovers out there should get excited about.

The "big deal" would be the fuel cell runs on hydrogen ie. you don't plug it in and draw from the electrical grid. If they could develop a home electrolysis unit to sell with the car, a couple of solar panels and any water outlet would produce all of the hydrogen you would ever need. No power from powerplants, no greenhouse gasses, no gasoline, no carbon output at all AND plenty of grin inducing performance.

I agree with your comment on the dealer experience and I suspect the "Legend/NSX" area of the dealership would be isolated from the rest of the Acuras as would the service.

Again, 100% speculation and rumor-based dreaming.

I assume you may be just rambling and not actually expecting to see a fuel cell vehicle. It's a little bit of chicken and the egg. No one wants to build out the infrastructure until there are enough vehicles, and no one wants to build the vehicles until there is infrastructure. We would need to have a government led effort to build the infrastucture. Plus, safety concerns will increasingly surface. Norway has been on the leading edge of a hydrogen infrastructure and vehicles. However, there has been several instances of explosions, including refueling stations. Toyota and Hynudai have both halted sales in the country, though Hyundai suggesting it's plans to sell a fuel cell vehicle in the U.S. are uneffected.

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/06/12/...ai-halt-sales/

I do think a hybrid only powertrain is very likely. Acura needs to more pretty quickly to replace their ancient sedan line-up.

Just passing on highly speculative rumors that I read on other sites. I have no idea of their validity, just sharing what I read.

BTW, I'm sure there have been plenty of explosions and accidents at gasoline refilling stations, yet thousands of them still operate. There are a lot of propane barbecues around the world and pressurized propane tanks are an accident waiting to happen... and yet we have found a way to sell them. The environmental benefits of fuel cells may push the infrastructure along - eventually.

Again, not judging or making predictions, just passing on rumors.

I agree that hydrogen is not the only volatile fuel source. In fact, every fuel/energy source has inherent dangers including electricity. The short term obstacle for hydrogen is still infrastructure. In 2018, there were only 39 hydrogen refilling stations in North America, and most are in California. Hydrogen will likely power vehicles in the 22nd century, but I'm not sure how far out in the future before they become mainstream.