Just Short of Immortal : BY PAUL DEAN
It has been seven years since Japan served notice on the world and began ripping velvet holes in luxury car sales.
And in the brightening light of big, whispering V-8 brutes from Lexus and Infiniti, it is easy to overlook Acura’s bold achievement as the first Japanese car manufacturer to step up-market with a line of quick smoothies.
Acura, a division of Honda, is a four-vehicle family appealing to motorists who like a bit of ginger with their walnut and leather-trim.
Opening the line is the Integra--in 19 levels of trim and body style--priced at an average $15,000 and selling like warm baguettes. Acura’s halo car is the NSX two-seater super car priced at $65,000 and selling slower than cemetery plots.
Still, last year Acura’s overall sales were 30% higher than Lexus’ and swamped Infiniti 3-1. Although a distant and logical also-ran to Lincoln and Cadillac on their home turf, Acura continues to double BMW and Mercedes sales in the United States.
Credit most of this success to the well-behaved Acura Legend sedan--introduced in 1986--and last year’s more athletic coupe, which has been vastly improved for 1993.
The car has been given a 230-horsepower V-6, a healthy increase on the 200-horsepower engine of last year’s coupe. It is mated to a six-speed manual, a particularly long-legged form of transmitting engine power that is growing in popularity and current on Corvettes and BMW’s 850Ci. Automatic is an option. For 1993, the Legend LS Coupe has a new traction-control system--borrowed from the mid-engined NSX--that automatically retards power and returns stability to the car should front or rear wheels spin on slimy surfaces. Or should the car skid through driver transgressions.
Brakes have been beefed up for virtually fade-free stomping. Honda’s racing-inspired double wishbone suspension has been recalibrated for more sensitive road touch. Driver- and passenger-side air bags and leather interiors are standard. And the body--always a little on the limp side--has been stiffened for a tauter handling.
But why such a drastic mechanical remake on a year-old coupe?
It’s those sales statistics. They deceive.
Although Acura is building numbers in luxury and near-luxury categories, the competition is piling on pressure with a cluster of stylish luxury performance cars that dazzle.
Lexus has its ES300 and SC300, runaway sales winners. The very quick Infiniti J30 offers four-wheel steering and an engine adapted from Nissan’s 300ZX sports car. Audi roared through the pack with its superb handling and elegantly appointed 100, closely pursued by BMW’s redesigned, handsome 325i--with a new generation convertible in the wings.
These are luxury cars with soul, technological superiority, stirring performance and a definite exclusivity of styling.
Under such heat, Acura has been forced to grope into its bag of goodies and do the best with what it had in a brave effort to rework the Coupe and hold the line until the next generation of Legend.
That it does.
What the Coupe doesn’t really achieve is any major advance on the opposition. Externally and internally, styling is virtually unchanged. Back seats--a problem with all coupes--have just enough knee, head and hip room to be barely bearable.
The worst news is that prices have gone up.
And at $38,650, the Legend Coupe LS with automatic transmission is more expensive than its counterparts from Lexus, BMW, Infiniti and Audi.
On the other hand, the Legend has never been a poseur.
It was born to the manner of high performance. Its leathers could have come from Coach and the carpeting from Wilton, and there was enough rich walnut on dash and center console to worry serious environmentalists. Or issue coasters to passengers bearing cups.
Despite an absence of sizzle and a body roll that would have you stiffening both legs when challenging tight turns, Legends have always held a reputation for reliability, running far and hard and adding a touch of largess to any driveway.
The 1993 Legend Coupe LS remains all of these things.
And it definitely has been enhanced for 1993.
The ride is just a little stiffer and more responsible during sudden maneuvers at higher speeds.
New engine mounts, thicker window glass and additional body insulation reduce interior noise considerably--maybe too much for feeling drivers with a sixth sense for monitoring performance by engine note.
The click of switches, the positioning of instruments and the set of window, radio and climate controls are typically Acura, which definitely is Honda, which is the ergonomic standard.
That six-speed manual transmission was installed to squeeze maximum benefits from the new engine while improving gas mileage. By EPA measurement, that gives a bonus of 2 miles per gallon on the highway over Coupes with automatic transmission.
Some, however, may find that top gear a little superfluous. On any freeway, at any legal speed and maybe a handful of miles per hour more, the Legend ambles along beautifully in fifth, making it easy to forget there is another cog to go.
Others may object to a definite lack of acceleration potential when rolling in sixth. To locate emergency power, it becomes imperative to shift down twice--even into third should braking be an interim part of the panic--and that can be an enormous fumble.
This six-speed was notchy. Nothing that would require shifting with both hands, but definitely a gearbox with a stern resistance producing a few high-revving, embarrassing spurts in neutral because the shifter hadn’t locked smoothly into second. Most odd for Honda, pioneer of the satin shift.
The traction control--TCS in Acurese--is a dream for those who can adapt to a computer telling them how to drive a car.
It is much more gentle than most, smoothly reducing the throttle without snapping power off and producing the sensation of an unbalanced car. It allows a mild amount of wheelspin when sensing dry surfaces, which provides better acceleration times from rest.
This year’s improvements will bring no immortality to the Coupe.
But it clearly remains a Legend.
1993 ACURA LEGEND LS
Cost
Base: $37,850.
As tested, includes double air bags, leather interior, walnut trim, 6-speed manual transmission, cruise control, automatic air conditioning, power doors and windows, anti-lock brakes and traction control.
Engine
3.2 liter, 24-valve, V-6 developing 230 horsepower.
Type
Front-engine, front-drive, luxury performance coupe.
Performance
0-60 m.p.h., as tested, 7.9 seconds.
Top speed, manufacturer’s estimate, 145 m.p.h.
EPA mileage, city and highway, 17 and 25 m.p.g. with manual transmission.
Curb Weight
3,516 pounds.
The Good
New engine, higher power.
Same high level of Acura refinement.
Well-equipped and quality build.
Sophisticated traction control system.
The Bad
Pricey
Notchy gear shift.
Makes the cut, but still on a par with the competition.
The Ugly
$37,850.
