First look: Honda's Acura is next Legend

HONDA’S US luxury car brand Acura has issued final production details and pictures of its new RL luxury sedan – the model with which Honda Australia will replace its aged Legend flagship in late 2005.

Having already been shown in prototype guise at the New York auto show in April, Acura RL – as it will be known in the US – will front with a 224kW V6 and all-wheel drive to replace the current, front-wheel drive model’s 147kW version.

While still displacing 3.5 litres, the new 24-valve aluminium V6 features VTEC variable valve timing to produce more power than any previous Acura at 224kW at 6200rpm.

The current Legend’s four-speed automatic transmission will also make way for a five-speed Sequential Sportshift auto, complete with centre console-mounted shift lever and steering wheel-operated paddle shifters.

The new self-shifter will drive through what Acura calls its Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system (SH-AWD), which is claimed to be the first and only all-wheel drive platform that varies torque between front and rear wheels as well as between the left and right rear wheels.

SH-AWD is teamed with four-wheel independent suspension and an Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure that Acura says provides better occupant protection while reducing crash "aggressivity" toward other vehicles in a frontal collision by dispersing crash forces over a larger frontal area.

Under the RL’s strong but lightweight chassis lies 17 x 8.0-inch alloy wheels with 245/50-section Michelin tyres, ventilated brake rotors at all four wheels, four-piston front brake callipers, ABS, electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist.

The production Acura RL’s wedge-shaped waistline, short bootlid and swept-back roofline form a bodyshell that’s about 70mm shorter than the current Legend and about 25mm wider, while offering extra interior passenger space. It differs only in cosmetic detail to the prototype shown previously.

Befitting a large luxury sedan to compete with the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Lexus, the new cabin features leather trim, genuine wood trim and a satellite communications system called AcuraLink that offers the first North American application of satellite-based real-time traffic information.

Honda Australia’s Legend, currently priced at $86,550, will continue on sale here until its replacement arrives in about 12 months.