TSX69
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Acura: Birth of a Legend
The original Legend was good enough to make Car & Driver magazine’s top 10 list for three years in a row and was joined later in 1987 by the considerably pricier, prettier and quicker coupe with 2.7-litre, 161-hp engine (that found its way into the sedan in 1988). The first generation was produced until 1990.
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PGH
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I always thought the coupe was one of the best looking cars around. It still looks good today.
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longhorn
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It was the thin C pillars and low nose that made it look great. It looked slim and fit, with no wasted sheetmetal. And it could out handle a BMW 3 back then, check the comparos from C&D, R&T and Motortrend. When I saw one on Miami Vice, I knew then the Coupe had transcended into a "gotta have it" car.
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CB77
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TSX,
Thank you for posting this link. It was good to recapture that good feeling about Acura from that era. Unfortunately after those first 3 stellar models: the Legend, the Integra and the NSX, Acura began a slow, but constant, decline.
Part of this decline is caused by increased competition, with the creation of Lexus and Infinity...plus Europe (being shocked by Honda's first effort in this market) realized that it had better get its ass in gear and improve its luxury offerings. And it did.
But I can't help but consider that part of this unfortunate direction may be tied to the passing of Mr. Honda in August of 1991. After that date, Acura (and indeed all of Honda) lost a lot of its ballsyness (a willingness to take risks and shock the market) and a lot of the magic that used to be displayed with the excellence of each new model. I know we all hope that these qualities can be recaptured, someday...but after a 20 year wait, we are getting weary.
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Phil17
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I still remember when my parents got their 1989 Legend. People on our street would literally come and ask them about the car. We had the car for 7 years, gave it to my aunt and she drove it for another trouble free 7 years.
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Nick GravesX
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It's probably impossible today, but I do wish they'd re-discover that super-clean, achingly elegant style.
Still think the 3G 'Lude looks fantastic.
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Powered by Honda
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It feels like Acura knew they were gonna start disappointing fans and scare away customers to other brands...
so they changed the name to RL in order to save the integrity of the "Legend" name. It was a smart move if that was the case.
Since the RL name its been straight downhill.
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ipribadi
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Luxury brands never give names their cars.
It's a marketing tactic to bolster the brand name image instead of the product name.
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CB77
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The whole reason for dropping the Legend name and adopting RL, is due to something noticed at customer focus groups. The Japanese staff in attendence at these meetings, noticed that all the Acura Legend owners always said "Oh, I drive a Legend"...not "I drive an Acura". This upset them, because they felt that it was undermining the Acura brand, so it was mandated that the RL name be adopted.
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P54
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Even overseas people talk about the Legend. The Legend built a good reputation and when Acura dropped the Legend name they brought hurt to themselves. Its like Honda should quit the Civic or Accord name and introduce a new name. The reputation and goodwill built into these name sell a lot of cars for Honda.
I think Acura should still have used the Legend name, the name brings about good memories. RL... what is that? Don't sell Civic, sell Honda. Which Honda? People don't say I'm going to buy Honda, they say Civic or Accord etc. and when they buy that they buy a Honda. Legend got a good reputation and a good name, and if people buy a Legend they buy an Acura. People within Honda is disconnected to the market or listen to wrong advice. Legend and Integra sold better in the first 3 years than all the models of Acura do today, or close to it. Legend and Integra brought customers to Acura, when the names disappeared so did sales. I guess people thought the cars were no more. Why build good reputation and then toss the names away?
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FiSH-Chan
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P54 wrote:
Even overseas people talk about the Legend. The Legend built a good reputation and when Acura dropped the Legend name they brought hurt to themselves. Its like Honda should quit the Civic or Accord name and introduce a new name. The reputation and goodwill built into these name sell a lot of cars for Honda.
I think Acura should still have used the Legend name, the name brings about good memories. RL... what is that? Don't sell Civic, sell Honda. Which Honda? People don't say I'm going to buy Honda, they say Civic or Accord etc. and when they buy that they buy a Honda. Legend got a good reputation and a good name, and if people buy a Legend they buy an Acura. People within Honda is disconnected to the market or listen to wrong advice. Legend and Integra sold better in the first 3 years than all the models of Acura do today, or close to it. Legend and Integra brought customers to Acura, when the names disappeared so did sales. I guess people thought the cars were no more. Why build good reputation and then toss the names away?
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It's interesting reading that branding because as we probably all know the Legend is known as a Honda elsewhere and even not many are buying them nowadays. But even before, where I am from, a Legend is known as a Honda Legend and that is how people perceive it, I still see several turbo version first gens going around town in pretty good condition.. but I think it is the cost of one that is prevented it from selling in my country and they dropped it some time in the 1990s.
I still see some new models from a (rich) neighboring country, and to be honest, it doesn't really stand out from others. It needs a good outstanding redesign like the 2nd gen.
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superchg2
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CB77 wrote:
This upset them, because they felt that it was undermining the Acura brand, so it was mandated that the RL name be adopted.
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Pompous, Bureaucratic Bullshit. February 2012 RL sales, 29!
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superchg2
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CB77 wrote:
This upset them, because they felt that it was undermining the Acura brand, so it was mandated that the RL name be adopted.
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Pompous, Bureaucratic Bullshit. February 2012 RL sales, 28!
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TurkMan71
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I wonder why they nixed 'Legend' and not 'Acura'? Maybe they should have replaced the latter with the former. 'I drive a Legend RL' or 'I drive a Legend RSX'...yea, ok, i know, just thinking out loud (and typing)....
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CB77
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Yes, I agree, it was a ridiculous decision to drop the Legend name. I was in the Motorcycle division of American Honda when this happened, and we (in that division) all freaked out when this happened. We asked our friends in the Acura division "WTF?!?"...they explained to us the story I related in my first post on this, about the Japanese getting upset at the focus group meetings.
The Japanese have a funny place in their heads, sometimes, in making a decsion like this...and there is no reasoning with them, once they make their minds up. This reminds me of the decision to drop the Datsun name in favor of Nissan, and makes about as much sense.
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Nick GravesX
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Trouble is, there's far too many marketing wonks with their cod psychology in the world today zombieing off worthy businesses.
If they'd spent the money on making the later HONDA LEGENDS more distinctive and desirable instead, maybe they'd not be in this pickle!
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revvin
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caddillac escalade
mazda miata
acura legend
sometimes there's no denying the name.
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superchg2
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In Kansas City, Kansas there is a new housing subdivision known as Escalade Heights.
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Grace141
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You folks are overlooking the fact that the 1st gen RL was actually the Three Point Five RL. And you weren't allowed to say "Dot" or "3 and a half" either. Also available were the 2.5TL and 3.2TL. No 1.8IL though. The '90s were a strange time for the luxury auto brands with the Japanese feeling the need to equate themselves with the Germans so the alphanumeric names were an easy step toward accomplishing brand equity.
Toyota threatened legal action against Ford for the orginal Lincoln LS6 and LS8 names being similar to LS400. Ford's solution was to rip off Acura's three-letter model designations instead.
I'll never understand the Jeep vs. Hummer "7-Bar Grill Trademark" legal case.
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emgarf
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TSX69 wrote:
Acura: Birth of a Legend
The original Legend was good enough to make Car & Driver magazine’s top 10 list for three years in a row and was joined later in 1987 by the considerably pricier, prettier and quicker coupe with 2.7-litre, 161-hp engine (that found its way into the sedan in 1988). The first generation was produced until 1990.
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I had a 1987.5 Legend Coupe - think I paid $23K (?) for it new. It was our first really nice car - got tons of "thumbs-up" and positive comments and loved driving it.
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