Honda Legend KB1 Review *with LOUD VTEC*

[@t1ltedd193]

Never knew the Honda Legend came with paddle shifters, crazy how much i’ve learnt about cars over the past little while watching the magnificent videos of KiwiCarLife

[@KiwiCarLife]

Haha if only...

[@gyorgyelod1660]

I used it twice in my accord still not a manual :(

[@tony16217]

It’s a acura rl 05’ 8

[@kingmarz3635]

And the paddles turn with the steering wheel, unlike the 3.0R and GT Legacy’s Ive owned

[@alanbatten6066]

This exact car was mine! Blew my mind to see this pop up in the feed, see the corner cameras, and check car jam with the new plate. Had it for about 4 years, sold like a year ago. Really was an underappreciated car, enough grunt, and AWESOME around corners - often gave me a fright to realise the speed it carried around them. Full of safety tech and comforts. Heaps of bass from stock subwoofer. I hunted for one with this spec for a few years, kinda rare. My son learnt to drive in this and daily drove it for a bit too. I just stopped driving it enough after getting a Fuga Hybrid that's a hair under 5 secs to 100 and uses under 7L per 100km 😅. Was a great spare car at that point though. Happy to see it is still being taken care of 😁, as I always look after my cars and hoped that would continue.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Awesome man! That's so cool

[@lachlanwong8160]

It's a fantastic car for the money and very underrated. Although not the cheapest to run it's a small sacrifice for the amazing car it is

[@dTHUNTR]

It's been modified alot after you sold it too

[@superspeedworld6260]

Awesome ownership there, loved the Legend during its years and alse the Infiniti M45 Fuga at the same time. The nex gen Fuga Hybrid is a blast of tech and power.❤

[@timfeatherstone-griffin6056]

I've been driving one of these in the UK for 7 years, inherited it from my old man when he died, fell in love with it as soon as I took it out to check it was running OK. Immaculate with 37k miles at the moment. It's just a superb vehicle

[@KiwiCarLife]

Oh dang only 37k? That's insane

[@timfeatherstone-griffin6056]

@@KiwiCarLife quite. May well be the lowest mileage of any in the UK, they only sold about a thousand of them here anyway

[@senseofthecommonman]

@@timfeatherstone-griffin6056 I think I have that accolade, mines on 18500 on an 07 plate. I’ve owned it for 3.5 years, previous owner averaged 500 miles a year!

[@e1337prodigy]

I've been looking at these in the UK too, but the massive thing that puts me off is the car tax!! About £700 a year I believe? If someone could confirm

[@SBBUK]

@@e1337prodigy yes, unfortunately for 2006-2007 year cars it's an eye-watering £735 a year. Before 2005 it is "only" £415 a year but I don't believe the KB1 was sold in the UK until 2006. You can get a big diesel barge and pay way less tax but then you have to pay ULEZ charges is major cities now. Driving old luxobarges is never a cheap endeavour...

[@Evaldas256]

That VTEC sound is to die for :)

[@KiwiCarLife]

It's nice aye

[@TonyKimtheamusementparkfan]

Honda’s J-series V6 with that VTEC is addicting to listen to~~

[@SwapBlogRU]

As someone who has been driving cars with J-series motors for 12 years now (of various iterations - 2.5, 3.2, 3.5 liter) - I wholeheartedly agree, they sound amazing.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Oh yeah definitely man

[@user-wd5ri8dp5z]

4年前有个人提出用他的kb1交换我的CRX delsol，我拒绝了。但一个月前看到了你的视频后，我上周买了，这是一台非常棒的车，那时候我低估了它😂；honda legend完全颠覆了我对本田的印象；它有很好的舒适感和很强的动力表现。

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yes

[@basilfabian05]

I love how it handles. With the SH-AWD, it just hugs the road through the conners even tho it’s a little heavy and the steering feel is so nice. That v6 with the vtec too, sounds wonderful and grunts so angrily. It does some sporty drives fine but at the end of a day… it’s a really great smooth cruiser.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Indeed

[@karmadelic1]

*with LOUD VTEC* you got my attention right there BruH! What a beautiful car :)

[@KiwiCarLife]

Haha clickbait at it's finest. Hopefully it didn't disappoint!

[@karmadelic1]

@@KiwiCarLife Very well done clickbait my dude, and I could definitely see myself rocking one of them cars, slammed with airbags, chrome 20's, VIP style haha :)

[@skydive7054]

that clickbait definitely delivered!

[@skydive7054]

the accord, the civics, i think the 2000's was where all vehicles from honda were in their best form in both looks, features, quality, etc

[@nikko1984]

Carbon driveshaft on a commercial car, Yamaha with Bose hi-fi soundsystem is worth more than 18k$. Active sound cancellation, what a crazy good Honda 👍

[@KiwiCarLife]

Lovely

[@Pixels1920]

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much, I have been trying to find a legend review for the longest of time that isn't an old man talking about how smooth the ride is, you have made me want the 3.7l kb2 version of this xd 👍

[@KiwiCarLife]

Haha yeah hopefully I did it justice

[@Pixels1920]

@@KiwiCarLife Tysm

[@chrisnewton2325]

I've never seen one of these but what a gem. It looks like the mid 00s was peak Honda for sure.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Absolutely

[@jhonsok]

Ya for sure. 8thgen Civic Si, FD2 and DC5 just feel so raw compared to the newer Honda's.

[@realnathandsouza]

I would say that this is a pretty LEGENDARY car ❤️

[@KiwiCarLife]

Quite the Fitting statement! I'll go on an Odyssey to make it my Civic responsibility to agree with you in Accordance with the Prelude outlined above

[@ManaPower027]

@@KiwiCarLife this reply was Integral to the video and would make the City go wild.

[@KiwiCarLife]

@@ManaPower027 now that's Jazzy!

[@realnathandsouza]

@@KiwiCarLife That response was quite Insightful

[@KiwiCarLife]

@@realnathandsouza now we're at a Crossroad... Do we carry this on till the Horizon lights up, or do we Beat it?

[@alfonsoiranzo3686]

Great video! I own a european Legend KB1 and it’s a wonderful car, I’d add the driving feels as if it was lighter than it actually is and the SH-AWD makes the handling great and it turns so well. Plus it has a SNOW button that blocks differentials and helps you in very bad road conditions. A downside is the fuel economy which is not great.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Nice man glad you’re enjoying it

[@spadgm]

Another great review, interesting car, fairly overlooked, which is not a bad thing as they would be cheaper and less likely to have been thrashed!

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah absolutely!

[@oscarkabowski8413]

Please get your hands on the KB2! I love these newer Legends, never had the experience of driving one or even being passenger. I can’t imagine them to be the fastest things on the road but they bloody look amazing!

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah they're really nice. KB2 is very similar so is there much point?

[@Xbox360Barbados]

Oscar I have to echo your statements, I think @kiwicarlife should do a review of the KB2 as its from a different era with the J37 which is Honda's last V6 with Vtec on both exhaust and intake. It would be nice, there is even a later model from the JDM market that is a hybrid with even more power

[@bluewanderer9903]

@@KiwiCarLife yeah if you can find the latest one I dont think anyone would mind you doing the review on it.

[@oscarkabowski8413]

@@Xbox360Barbados yeah the KB2 is awesome and its a massive shame that the newer generation never made its way outside of Japan. Im noticing more JDM hybrids around though, so I'm hoping one day they come to Australia...

[@jaxketchum]

Best car I’ve ever owned. Reliable, torquey response and amazing road control.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Mmm lovely

[@arnasarmonas3357]

Same for me, love this car!

[@christopherlee4319]

What’s the fuel economy like and what does it take?

[@KiwiCarLife]

@@christopherlee4319 most j series run on 91, but as this is the more performancey one it could be 95. I'd say 11-12L/100km

[@arnasarmonas3357]

@@christopherlee4319 About 14-16l/100km city driving

[@lachlanwong8160]

Truly legendary content

[@KiwiCarLife]

Haha thanks man!

[@tommynobaka]

These were the RL in the US and they have aged well. Classy, sporty and practical

[@KiwiCarLife]

yep!

[@TonyKimtheamusementparkfan]

Idk why some people hated this interior, this is one of the best Honda interiors I've seen.

[@Nicknamed13]

Own one since 2016. Was my DD for 5 years. It might be time to move it but I just can't because it is THAT good. It is fantastic on NZ open roads. Good on motorways and very comfy on long journeys where it doesn't suck all your energy on the road. The awd has usable torque vectoring on twisty roads and while not very rewarding in terms of steering it really changes direction quite well for a 2000kg car, very predictable in terms of driving dynamics. It can keep up with... shall we say... more prestigious vehicles of that era. However, you are spot on about that transmission. I personally find it a big weak spot. The ratios are very weird and they don't always help you. It feels slower at certain speeds no matter what you do to it. If they had one more gear in there it would feel more alive. Also fuel consumption is quite high in city but can be great for a V6 on the open road once it gets moving and you're not too aggressive. Really happy to see someone in 2022 still appreciating the KB1. Glad I found your channel.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah agree

[@ShaiyanHossain]

honda always struggled with their automatics until their own inhouse 10AT

[@Ken-NZ]

Along with some help from the J37, the new 6-speed transmission fitted to the 2011 KB2 significantly helped to smooth out the acceleration. Apparently it also reduced fuel consumption... although I'm still inclined to think my fuel gauge could be capable of overtaking the speedo, lol.

[@Nicknamed13]

@@Ken-NZ Never drove the KB2. Would be interesting to see the difference though as it sounds like it basically solved my gripe about it. "Reduced fuel consumption"...LOOOOOOOOOL...

[@Ken-NZ]

@@Nicknamed13 Despite many people thinking the KB2 was little more than a facelift of the KB1, there were actually quite a lot of alterations/improvements; including to the AWD, suspension, performance etc, plus the 6-speed auto in 2011-12. I've driven KB1&2, and think the 6-speed KB2 is the one to have, as it's even better equipped and more refined overall. The acceleration is more fluid with the 6-speed, and interestingly it still does that thing with the changes resembling a manual, which I suspect is an intentional thing from Honda to make them sound/seem more sporty, and I love hearing it!. As luxury cars, the Legend KB's are definitely aimed at the driver experience... and you clearly see that enjoyment in this video, lol.

[@skydive7054]

i never even knew this car existed untill you brought it up! i love this channel!!!

[@KiwiCarLife]

Well there ya go!

[@Brodie_34]

Wow for a v6, I was not expecting it to sound that good.

[@KiwiCarLife]

It's not bad huh

[@lachlanwong8160]

Stock it is quiet and a bit dead tbh but this has the biggest filter I could find, 4 resonator delete, cat delete and a bad weld for an exhaust leak

[@TonyKimtheamusementparkfan]

Honda V6 engines always sound really good, especially this J series V6. Honda still uses this engine to this day in the Pilot, the Odyssey, the Passport, the Ridgeline, and also many Acura products as well.

[@kingmarz3635]

Been watching this channel for a while now but didn’t realize you had done a video on the car I own. And after I finish typing this I going to order a K&N filter:)

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah man! The VTEC is epic on these

[@str8shooter2]

Owned a few Honda's, engines are tough ,can handle being driven hard all day.Follow the correct maintenance schedule and theyll never break down.The legend looks like a fun car to drive.Has anyone modified these much to decent power gains?

[@KiwiCarLife]

I think that applies to any car tho haha. If you maintain it properly it’ll probably be reliable. And nah don’t see Legends being modified often. Too heavy

[@jaxketchum]

Down side is the transmission, wish we would’ve got a 6 speed manual option. Looking to build a Frankenstein j series mated with the tl type s 6 speed manual!

[@jaxketchum]

And still retain the awd

[@KiwiCarLife]

@@jaxketchum would be cool!

[@vincecarlo]

That VTec Growl is just music

[@KiwiCarLife]

Oh yeah mate so so good

[@gazasqreech]

Had one as well couldn’t get enough of the sound and quality all round

[@jurajmaslej4075]

this video is partly the reason I bought one. You owe me hundreds of euros in petrol costs :D Parts are hard to come by in Central Europe, but Ebay saves me regularly, just need to wait couple of weeks. So far, after 16 000km, car is quite reliable for having 316 000km. Never broke in year of ownership, just maintance and regular oil top ups.

[@KiwiCarLife]

@@jurajmaslej4075 how good! Glad you’re enjoying it

[@kingmarz3635]

Front lower ball joints? You have to buy whole alloy cast control arm $700-$1k each from Honda. These Legends are now getting scrapped solely for worn ball joints and nothing else wrong with them here in NZ If anyone has a KB1/2 Legend and need front lower ball joints replaced Try Beck/Arnley 1027676 and 1027677 I found Rock Auto to be the cheapest at around $350nz each delivered

[@jurajmaslej4075]

@@kingmarz3635 that is exactly what I did :D so far, after 5000km they did not fall apart, lets see after 50 000 :)

[@jrhpng]

These are a wonderful car, still relativity undiscovered by the kid racers. Can pick one up for a steal still.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah absolutely

[@lachland1379]

This one's definitely been discovered by a kid racer

[@alitoroganan2442]

Its a unicorn here in Melbourne and thank god i found a pair of brake calipers from a wreckers after 3mos of looking.. Gonna chuck it ona Dc5😊

[@KiwiCarLife]

Nice!

[@Banana.a]

Your channel is underrated

[@KiwiCarLife]

Thanks man!

[@kebzaccord]

My brother had this car it was awesome, the only bad thing was it was bad on gas because of its 6cly and awd.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah that's true

[@Lee-rf2ov]

Great video, Hoping to buy one like this in a few weeks from A family member. Subscribed!!!

[@KiwiCarLife]

Thanks man!

[@mroberts7519]

I wished so bad Honda would have come out with something like the Mugen Legend Max with a small displacement high revving NA V8 with ITBs. I think the Max was RWD....can't remember, but AWD with a rear bias would be perfect.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah that would have been really cool, or put a v8 in the NSX

[@scareyaf]

Just picked up a base model GD1 Jazz/Fit for work. Would love to see a review on the first gen Jazz/Fit!

[@KiwiCarLife]

Bother I was gonna do a review of a manual 1.5 sport but alas

[@jonathanrecinos7905]

This is the Acura RL in the states if im not mistaken, I always thought these cars were cool, you dont see them here thay much

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yes it is

[@aikidohumphreys]

Sounds good bro wow

[@KiwiCarLife]

Mmm yes it is lovely

[@OscarD001]

I have noticed a small problem with the Honda Legends and that is the bubbling on the glove compartment. If you have a look at most Legends on Trade Me you will see it. You can see it on this one as well when the camera panned through the interior.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Oh yeah how odd

[@OscarD001]

@@KiwiCarLife it's just something I've noticed and to other Honda fans on here, I drive a Honda myself so I'm not bashing the Legend.

[@Nicknamed13]

@Oscar D Yes I have the same issue. It is because of the type of glue used. It heats up during summer and the glue just bubbles up.

[@Ken-NZ]

@@Nicknamed13 Yeah you are correct, apparently it was a glue issue. I think Honda cured it on the KB2, but just in case I regularly condition my glove box lid! :)

[@EyelessSnowy]

Hahahahaaaa Just realized that Peacocks Rd... #Legend :-) Thank you for this review. I just bought one 🙂

[@KiwiCarLife]

Nice!

[@EyelessSnowy]

@@KiwiCarLife Completely agree thou. The sound is AWESOME, But the longer gears make it feel slower than what it is. Thanks for the heads up ;-)

[@ЖивкоДимитров-ю5с]

Can you please elaborate how do you rev match the downshifts?I have heard you mention it before for CL9 auto. Is it possible on CU2 ?I have a CU2 auto and would like to do it also. Keep up the good work! Love your vids!

[@Michael-he1uj]

hit your downshift, in between the car shifting down the "clutch" is open to be blipped. During this time you can tap the throttle before it gets to the next gear and rev match this way. not sure about cu2 though

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah basically - might have to do a video haha

[@Michael-he1uj]

@@KiwiCarLife you should, i even do it on my ek civic 4 speed auto 🤣

[@ЖивкоДимитров-ю5с]

Tnx guys ill try it and report back! A video would be really nice ! Best of luck !

[@ЖивкоДимитров-ю5с]

I tried it today and it seems that the time to blip the throttle is too short to consistently pull it off.I can do it consistently in a manual transmission car but on CU2 its not very easy.Anyone with CU2 know anything about this?Cheers!

[@levilucas492]

I had one of these until it got written off. It had the white leather interior with the sunroof and electric tailgate

[@levilucas492]

It handled amazingly it took corners with ease

[@KiwiCarLife]

@@levilucas492 oh yeah they're great cars

[@Shabbe02]

My dads KB1 with 110k km’s is still a super nice car to drive even if its over 18 years old. Only problem we have with it is that the engagement when shifting is delayed a bit for some reason. Does anyone know what could be the cause? (Going from park to drive etc)

[@KavinFan0803]

change your atf

[@hondamanvtec2894]

Well. If you guys havent changed the gear oil a few times in those 18 years ...

[@KiwiCarLife]

Probably the above

[@Shabbe02]

@@hondamanvtec2894 we have not owned the car since new so i am not sure if it has been changed before but i will take it to the local Honda dealer and change it thanks. When driving it shifts fine it just when you for example go from park to drive or drive to reverse it takes some time before it engages and the car lurches a bit.

[@MrNuclearr16]

@@Shabbe02 check ATF and if still doing it check your transmission mount. Those and motor mounts go quick on these. Currently on my 3rd front motor mount and needs a trans mount. Do you hear any clanking from the bottom of the car when changing gear either?

[@johnconnor2402]

Interesting car. Was there an equivalent car in the U.S. market? I don't recognize an equivalent for Honda in our market

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah Acura RL

[@VitalySokorenko]

For efforts +4 But the plastic engine compartment would be better corrected, otherwise the left side is not in its place! This is the flagship of Honda, it is controlled smartly, I have owned such a car for more than 14 years, it has no equal!

[@KiwiCarLife]

Nice

[@joshuayammer1994]

Does this j35 have vtec on the intake and exhaust like the 3.7’s we have in the states? Definitely sounds like vtecs smacking like the 3.7

[@KiwiCarLife]

Possibly? I'm not really sure

[@lachlanwong8160]

Nah only vtec on the intake but has a 2 stage intake manifold which opens up around at around 4k then fully opens at 5k and because it's a j35a8 has the best stock cams and rods

[@rojiii69420]

You know what else got unusually loud vtec? Honda ridgelines with the J35 they literally bark. Guess its a j series thing

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah and the v6 Odyssey haha

[@MysteriousOoze]

A bit shorter gearing would make these a whole lot more exciting. But as you say, they are more of a luxury car and not meant to be a sports car.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Definitely agree

[@sparky6996]

Why did you put this up! I just got my cu2 k24...now I want one of these🤣🤣

[@KiwiCarLife]

Haha there's still an opportunity

[@hondamanvtec2894]

One of my dream cars

[@KiwiCarLife]

Lovely vehicle

[@Technickcall]

Has a similar sound to a mivec fto I used to own

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah I guess

[@jrhpng]

Impossible to find a tidy fto these days, great interior

[@lunarshteve]

This is the one Hondas that i do really want to own one day, i am too old for type r's these days. Shame petrol as as they are as these are ALOT of car for not alot of money.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah absolutely

[@KiwiCarLife]

@@platypus4657 oh tbh not really haha. 2 tonne awd v6 car? Sounds like a recipe for 12L/100km+ haha

[@lachlanwong8160]

@@platypus4657 as the owner of this, you'd be very surprised it averages around 16L/100km and on the highway 10L/100km is lucky. a tank on this for me lasts around 500km which is absolutely terrible thanks to the trans/awd sapping up around 30% of the power and weighing 2 tons

[@tylerwill5250]

Those long gears remind me of a second gen tsx’s gear (euro accord)

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah they are quite long

[@FrankVega2024]

👌👌👌

[@KiwiCarLife]

Thanks

[@nathanknight8022]

Image putting a turbo on that!!

[@KiwiCarLife]

Haha turbo J series would be quite something

[@Mjlcarguy456]

This was sold as the RL in the us right?

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yep

[@NoMoney67]

It got to 60 swiftly for stock.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah it goes alright!

[@chitphyoaung8133]

How is this compared to toyota crown s182?

[@KiwiCarLife]

Much better in every single way. Nah jk I have no idea

[@Pixels1920]

Do a review on a 1st gen honda saber ;)

[@KiwiCarLife]

Maybe

[@Pixels1920]

@@KiwiCarLife Its not in nz tho.

[@Dabal_R]

0 to 100 is almost 7 bro that’s kinda slow Btw excellent review friend

[@KiwiCarLife]

Well I mean it is like a 2 tonne car nearly

[@Dabal_R]

@@KiwiCarLife wow that's heavy for a sedan.

[@Shabbe02]

Please do a KC2 review when possible!

[@Pixels1920]

They aren't in new zealend I don't think

[@KiwiCarLife]

Some day we'll probably see a few of the JDM sport hybrid ones, but yeah not many so far

[@Shabbe02]

@@Pixels1920 Yes you are right but jdm imports are popular.

[@Ken-NZ]

I'm still wondering what happened to the KC1. After a slight delay in production Honda jumped directly from the KB2 to the KC2, which also will be the final model...

[@Shabbe02]

@@Ken-NZ I think the KC1 is the non hybrid model which was only sold as Acura RLX.

[@thatpersiandude7386]

Only if they came with manual

[@KiwiCarLife]

If only...

[@OGMos129]

What are those rims?

[@KiwiCarLife]

Niche Altair 5x120 18x8.5 +35

[@agentrockluxury1208]

What road did u drive down?

[@KiwiCarLife]

Can't remember some road in the south of Hamilton

[@ReubenAStern]

Sounds like the machine guns from predator.

[@KiwiCarLife]

lol

[@craiglawson6103]

Change the tires to 275/40/17 u will enjoy 😉

[@KiwiCarLife]

Goodness

[@おばかつ]

いい車だー

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yes

[@toomasargel8503]

I like buttons becuse ues what hided menu is right button is for my difficult and make minimum 15 minutes screach even when Your native language is not english they are not logical menu names at all.

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yes agree

[@zorancrnomarkovic8723]

Super car...Only minus is gearbox...The engine has not full poten

[@zorancrnomarkovic8723]

potencial...

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yeah man a manual Legend would be sick!

[@BialyOrzel777]

Acura RL is USA

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yes

[@markdeleon7738]

This literally looks like the 05 - 08 Acura RL

[@KiwiCarLife]

That's because it is

[@markdeleon7738]

@@KiwiCarLife 😂

[@toomasargel8503]

Think more where is from Legend and then You realize that that was my generation luxury sedan not sport car (I am 52 years old ).

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yes

[@mooffy_photo]

Pretty high iq of you to do a review of such a legendary car

[@KiwiCarLife]

Hahaha yes it was quite an Insightful video...

[@mooffy_photo]

@@KiwiCarLife a good prelude to the accord review

[@KiwiCarLife]

@@mooffy_photo how Inspiring!

[@mooffy_photo]

@@KiwiCarLife very insightful words

[@toomasargel8503]

04:58 that is not sport car " no uick" that Legend = solid calssic car .

[@KiwiCarLife]

Yes

[@1mikewalsh]

I can get rid of that VTEC for you and make it run right.

[@KiwiCarLife]

What are you on about?

[@JoeNotExotic003]

0 drip what is that outfit

[@KiwiCarLife]

HAHAHAHA

[@tapatap8005]

Average honda fanboys thinking their cars r great 😂

[@KiwiCarLife]

For 5 grand I'd like to think they are?

[@seahawkslife5823]

@@KiwiCarLife could easily get a Twin turbo subie legacy for that price to jn a manual

[@tapatap8005]

@@KiwiCarLife u get a lot of fun to drive cars under those prices how can u survive on a single VTEC thing.

[@johnconnor2402]

Why do you hate Honda so much lol

[@tapatap8005]

@@platypus4657 a honda fanboy thinking.A yota is better than a honda