Articles by Philip King

Optimism for Australia's smallest remaining car-maker is thin on the ground, with many saying the numbers do not add up and that the local industry will shrink to two players.Tony Robinson, director of operations at fleet consultant Innovation Sureplan, said a poor start for the new Falcon would quickly doom the nameplate. “We will know within the first three months of the new Falcon being released,” Mr Robinson said. “It will be as early as that.”He said demand for large cars had fallen more than expected and that one badge would be squeezed out.“Is it a two-car or a three-car race? I tend to think it might be only a two-car race,” he said.Automotive partner at KPMG David Gelb agreed that the Falcon's future rested on a knife edge. “The key question is whether the volumes will be sufficient. Ford produces less than Holden or Toyota and economies of scale are critical. (Ford's) challenges are going to be greater.”Ultimately, a shakeout would spell the end for one player.“I don't think there's room for three to all run economically — the market's not big enough,” he said.The new Ford sedan, which will be unveiled in Melbourne next weekend, represents the biggest change in a decade for the model but it comes after the worst year for Falcon in nearly half a century. Sales slumped 20 per cent last year and the large car attracted fewer than 34,000 buyers.While the Holden Commodore held on to bestseller status, the Falcon slipped down the sales charts to finish behind the imported Toyota Corolla, Hilux and Mazda 3.Sabu John, who teaches manufacturing strategy at RMIT, said Ford looked more vulnerable than Toyota or Holden because it relied almost exclusively on domestic sales.“They're not strategic enough. They need to rejig the Falcon and make sure it's got an export program,” Professor John said.There was cause for hope with the decision to make the Focus here in 2011, because the prospect for small cars was better long term. However, Ford Australia was ultimately a hostage to decisions made in Detroit.Mr Gelb said conditions for local makers would only get more difficult, with rising interest rates and another tariff reduction scheduled for 2010.Despite record vehicle sales over the past few years, the large car share has shrunk by two-thirds and failed to cash in on the boom. Tariff reductions have made imported vehicles more competitive just as large cars are losing favour with Australians.Mr Robinson said changes to leasing arrangements had been decisive in giving buyers more choice, benefiting imported models at the expense of traditional fleet suppliers.Ford Australia president Tom Gorman said it was “ridiculous” and “premature” to write off the Falcon with a new model just weeks from launch. “We see the large-car market as 130,000 to 140,000 vehicles a year and if we get our fair share of that we're in a position to have a solid business,” he said. 

I discovered something in the GT3 which I've never noticed before in a 911, despite sampling almost every one of the 14 varieties currently available here. In any other car it would be a flaw, but in the 911 it's character. A reminder that this is basically an evolution of a 40-year-old design which lost touch with logic a long time ago.What I twigged was that the driving position, something I'd previously regarded as perfect, was a little compromised. The throttle, brake and clutch are all offset a bit to the left. Stretch your feet directly out in front of you from the driver's seat and your toes don't alight automatically on the pedals. You have to adjust to them.I've no idea whether this is simply a consequence of moving the steering position from the left side of the car to the right. But I was amazed I'd never rumbled it before and could only put it down to one thing: for every flaw in this classic sportscar there is a more-than-compensating piece of perfection. Set your size 9s to work and you quickly appreciate the effort that has gone into connecting these metal tabs with the mechanicals. They're so precise and direct you feel like you could flex a toe and the engine would respond. They make the controls in other cars seem like baseball bats by comparison.That's the way it is with the 911 and why it retains its appeal. It's unique in the car world in retaining a rear-engined layout that defies physics by placing all the heavy bits somewhere south of the rear axle. The consequent handling qualities, even as ironed out by today's ubiquitous software systems, make it unlike any other car.It means you discover a 911 over time. One-week press loans are like little holiday romances, which leave you wanting to go back for more. The 911 has more than enough personality to suggest a long-term partnership would be a rewarding arrangement.The GT3 is one of the more extreme 911s, pitched at those who want to spend time at the track. In the 911 range, it sits at the other polar extreme to the Turbo Cabriolet I sampled a couple of months ago. That car, despite blistering pace, is a softie. It's really about being seen in the most expensive 911 money can buy.The GT3 is a wholly different beast. It forms the basis for Porsche's race series car, the GT3 RS, and bridges the gap between road cars and motorsport.It's also a pin-up for naturally aspirated engine performance, with a monster 305kW output from its 3.6-litre horizontally opposed six-cylinder. It revs through its power peak at 7600rpm to reach 8400rpm and generates loads of fabulous noise while flinging the GT3 to 100km/h in 4.3 seconds. The GT3 will reach 310km/h flat out, hitting the 160km/h in a blistering 8.7 seconds. A sport button liberates a little more power and torque, with the bonus of more sonorous depth to the sound emanating from behind the cabin.Unlike most other Porsche variants, there's no automatic option with the GT3. Just six, closely spaced ratios and one of the best manual gearshifts you're ever likely to use. There is a shift-up display in the rev counter, too. Despite being a few tenths slower on paper than the Turbo, with its superb throttle response the GT3 feels every bit as quick.Among extreme 911s it's more pleasing on the eye, too, and it gets more looks than any other Porsche I've driven.The GT3 sits noticeably lower on its suspension and the wide haunches, deep front intakes and especially the imposing two-element rear wing speak directly to the car's purpose. There's function in all this: some vents direct cooling air to the impressive brakes and the GT3 is one of the slipperiest 911s with a drag coefficient of just 0.29.That's just the beginning of its performance tuning, with 19-inch alloys running sports rubber, a limited slip rear differential and Porsche's active suspension available for the first time on GT3. There are two settings: firm or extremely firm. The latter delivers a very harsh ride on Australian roads but would come into its own on a track. The normal setting keeps things very tight in any case, with firmer settings than for other 911s.After the Turbo Cabriolet, the GT3 seems light, agile and responsive. There's a purity to the steering that seems to be diluted in the four-wheel drive Porsches and appeal in the fact it has to be driven more precisely.A highlight of the GT3's performance credentials is its weight reduction to just 1395kg — or around 250kg less than the Turbo Cabrio.As well as aluminium panels the interior has been stripped out, although not as radically as some skeletal track-focused machines. The rear seats, which are not especially useful at the best of times, have been removed. But the carpet stays and alcantara — the performance machine's interior fabric-of-choice this season — makes a welcome appearance, especially on the wheel and shifter. The cabin plastics are typically ho-hum and the control layout is standard Porsche, leaving the cabin feeling a little plain. But in a GT3, there's little reason for it to be otherwise.The racing bits fitted to the test car make it almost motorsport-ready, and turn driving the car on ordinary roads into an occasion. The sports pack adds a rollcage, racing seats, six-point harnesses and a fire extinguisher. Porsche had fitted its Sport Chrono gear to the test car too, which is a fancy electronic stopwatch that records lap times and the like.The seats really hug, even when you're strapped in with standard seatbelts, and unlike ordinary 911 pews, they lack height adjustment. Another ergonomic drawback? Well, if you've bought a GT3 and the driving position is starting to irk you, you know where to send the keys.This week Motor magazine awarded its Performance Car of the Year to the GT3 against some tough competition from Lamborghini, among others.“If there is one Porsche that best demonstrates that what we as a company learn on the race track we are able to build into our road cars, then the GT3 is that car,” said Porsche Cars Australia managing director Michael Winkler. “The GT3 is in many ways the ultimate Porsche.”Difficult to disagree. Although the 390kW turbocharged GT2 hasn't arrived yet...

The star of Lamborghini's stand; one of the most expensive cars on display at the Australian International Motor Show which opened yesterday, a Murcielago LP640 Versace and is the only one left.

The Australian International Motor Show opens in Sydney today without one of its star exhibits after Ferrari's centrepiece failed to arrive.The  Ferrari F430, which was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show just weeks ago, was scheduled to land at Sydney airport on Monday but was not on the plane.Ferrari importer Ateco Automotive's spokesman Edward Rowe said; “We're hugely disappointed. Unfortunately we were caught out by a whole host of transport problems.”The importer began a frantic scramble to find the car or secure a replacement, but in vain.“Somehow it got lost in Germany and missed the flight,” Mr Rowe said.The F430 Scuderia is the fastest production Ferrari ever and will cost about $600,000 when deliveries start next year.It was to be one of the stars of this year's Sydney motor show, which also includes world debuts of the Mitsubishi EvoX and Toyota LandCruiser. 

Concept cars are a fascinating window into the inner workings of makers, and can be a reliable barometer of health. When Mazda unveils a sportscar study at the Frankfurt Motor Show, it will be just the latest in an impressive series of concepts which demonstrate that design is alive and well at the Hiroshima-based company.Which is a reassuring sign as Mazda enters the second phase of a renaissance, which began seven years ago. With the launch this week of its new Mazda 2 light car, previewed as the Sassou concept at Frankfurt two years ago, its product overhaul has gone full circle.If visual appeal is anything to go by, the first of the new generation is encouraging, but few car companies can avoid the cyclical nature of the industry and many turnarounds, such as the one Carlos Ghosn managed at Nissan, soon suffering from fatigue.Mazda Australia managing director Doug Dickson believes the Japanese maker has left its troubles firmly behind.“Mazda was always known for innovation and design,” he said at the 2 launch in Queensland this week. “But in the late 1990s we lost our way in Japan when we went through a period of grow or die. Eunos was introduced and other things which didn't work because the Japanese bubble burst, and we didn't have the sales volumes to sustain all the different series we introduced.”That was when Ford stepped in, increasing its stake in Mazda to more than one-third and moving to restore financial stability. But it also meant throttling the product pipeline while balancing the books.“Provided we don't go through that exercise again, then what's really happening is just a continuation of a design and engineering-led ethos that's been around since the front-wheel drive 323,” Dickson said.The first signs of a turnaround appeared in 2000, when Ford put one of its executive high-fliers, Mark Fields, in charge of Mazda with a mandate to restore it to full bloom. Hero cars such as the RX-8 and MX-5 quickly followed but the return to form also turned mainstream models, such as the Mazda 3 and Mazda 6, into showroom hits.The strong product line-up has been supported by Mazda's distinctive 'zoom-zoom' marketing campaign, which aims to give zest to the whole range. Even people-movers such as the CX7 benefit from this feisty approach.Despite being one of the first products of this regime, the previous Mazda 2 took a low-risk approach to the light car segment, opting for a cube shape to maximise cabin space and appeal to the Japanese market.This time there's a single-minded focus on styling and Mazda Australia expects local sales to double to about 850 a month.If they do, Mazda will have yet another product to reinforce its position as Australia's leading vehicle importer and help it reach a 2010 target of 80,000 sales well ahead of schedule. This year, Mazda Australia expects to retail 75,000 cars for a market share above 7 per cent.Dickson believes the brand has returned to its glory days with distinctive design its drawcard. “We know that to succeed we have to be different — a little bit unique,” he said. 

Last month's interest rate rise failed to put the brakes on demand for new cars as runaway sales of SUVs powered the August market to yet another record.Sales of 88,206 vehicles were 8 per cent higher than for the same month last year and took this year's total to nearly 700,000, according to figures released yesterday by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.Booming demand for SUVs cancelled out passenger car declines, as the market continues to run nearly 9 per cent ahead of last year and charges towards the first calendar year total exceeding one million.“The million-vehicle market is now a reality and notwithstanding a longer-term reaction to the recent rate rise or other factors, I am confident that the market will continue to comfortably exceed this benchmark through to the end of the year,” FCAI chief executive Andrew McKellar said.He put the result down to consumer confidence, retail competition and the decline of petrol prices.Toyota's new Kluger SUV burst out of the blocks, capturing third spot in its segment and pushing medium SUV sales 42per cent higher than in August last year.Compact and luxury SUVs were also in high demand, with sales up 33 per cent and 23 per cent respectively.The arrival of new models pushed Jeep sales up 43 per cent over last August and Land Rover, with its new Freelander, enjoyed a 35 per cent lift.“The strength of the SUV market is the result of new-model activity and the diminished influence of petrol prices on consumer preferences,” Mr McKellar said.Light car sales dipped 6 per cent, medium cars fell 11 per cent and even the small car segment ran behind the overall market. 

Red moons don't come along very often and neither do Aston Martin convertibles. Apparently this new Vantage V8 Roadster is the 14th example since 1950, but you almost never see one on the road and I wouldn't be surprised if I'd witnessed more lunar eclipses.Watching this week's ochre orb rise over a splendid powder-blue example, one of the first in Australia, was a rare alignment of stars indeed.This soft-top version of the Vantage Coupe is unlikely to be a common sight, even when Australia's full quota, a couple of hundred, perhaps, have been handed over to buyers.But in Aston terms, it will be relatively high volume. The company is currently building more cars than at any time in its history, 7000 last year, or about one-third more than Ferrari.The recent sale by former owner Ford now means development work is going full-throttle under new shareholders. Annual production is expected to hit 10,000 when the Rapide four-door joins the line-up in 2009.Convertibles account for more than half current output and the majority of those will be the V8 Roadster. The larger V12-powered DB9 Volante is nearly $100,000 more expensive, and you need a blue moon for that one.For such an exclusive brand, the Aston appeal has remarkable cut-through. Some badges inspire unprovoked hostility in passers-by, but an Aston is greeted with almost universal admiration that even envy cannot dilute.Aston expects this car, of all its models, to attract more women buyers, but judging by the response merely to a mention of the brand, it already has a fair bit of appeal.The V8 Roadster, like other Astons I've driven, has an extraordinary ability to cross the gender divide.The Roadster commands a $24,000 premium over the coupe and shares most of its engineering, including aluminium underpinnings, lightweight bodywork, 4.3-litre V8 and six-speed manual transmission (or the option of a two-pedal, auto-clutch version of the same gearbox).With a starting price of $269,000 it's pitched against a formidable line-up of premium convertibles including the Porsche 911 4S Cabriolet, Mercedes-Benz SL 500 and Jaguar XKR.None of these cars is a slouch when it comes to looks or performance. But with a 0-100km/h time of just 5.0 seconds, the Aston is competitive against all but the quickest. To this non-objective observer, it has the edge in terms of beauty and cabin ambience.The Roadster manages the neat trick of looking good even with the roof up, which is not the best angle even for expensive drop-tops. Sharply raked A-pillars mean the fabric forms a low, taut cabin line (almost) as persuasive as the smooth hardtop. The convertible also retains that car's grille, headlights and wrap-around tail-lights with their appealing LED details.The same pronounced style crease flows from the signature side vent, and the shapely form of the wheel arches turns the flanks into an almost sexual statement.It's gorgeous, but if it's gorgeous with its roof up, top-down it's irresistible. The three layers of fabric which make the cabin feel well insulated when in place, fold in a swish 18 seconds.The roof is slickly packaged behind the cabin, avoiding any suggestion that it's an awkward piece of cargo, while the boot space, which is weekend-for-two-in-a-warm-location size, stays the same regardless.Nice touches include the fared-in headrests and concealed fuel-filler cap, which can be hard to find unless you know where it is.The car's lines come into their own now, and the cabin can show off an expanse of contrast-stitched leather punctuated by gun-metal coloured plastic and metal for the functional bits.The switchgear and control placement mirrors other Astons and has some endearing quirks, such as the high-mounted buttons used to select D, R or N in the automated manual version I drove. The counter-rotating dials are also unique, with the speedo describing a conventional arc but the rev-counter needle flicking anti-clockwise. There's no redline marked and an almost complete lack of ornamentation, save for a little analogue clock.The seats are a highlight both to look at and to occupy. Set appropriately low, the driving position is marred only by excessive reflections off the top of the dash into the front glass, and a complete inability to see the end of the long bonnet.Aston has a minimalist approach to standard equipment and in the Roadster it's sparse, which means the starting price really is where you begin. Sat-nav, heated seats or Bluetooth compatibility are just a few features you might expect at this price, but they're extra. So is cruise control.I'd do without most of them. The cheap steering-wheel buttons for cruise and stereo are about the only jarring note in the cabin — and the volume control didn't work. But that was the exception in a car that felt tight, well-built and nuggetty solid.Aston claims exceptional rigidity for this Roadster, and it's not difficult to believe because it is substantially heavier than its Porsche and Jaguar rivals.It's the length of a hatchback but weighs as much as the larger DB9 Coupe.On the road, it has the hunkered-down feel of a small car running big rubber.The 1.7 tonne weight is extremely well disguised because the mass sits low to the ground and the car responds to inputs cleanly.After a few hundred kilometres I found myself braking and turning in earlier for corners, but carrying more speed.The steering wheel and pedals are all pleasing to use with vestiges, at least, of an unmediated sportscar just beneath their civilised surface. It turns in with poise and alacrity and the brakes are strong.The ride quality is firm but acceptably so, and Aston eschews adaptive suspension and other trickery, such as variable-ratio steering. The road noise thrown up by tyres is the main detraction from refinement.One complex piece of technology is the Sportshift automated manual gearbox, a development of systems used by many of the exotic brands. The difficulty of low-speed manoeuvring we've encountered with these gearboxes has been addressed with a 'crawl' function, which edges the car forward or back for parking just like a conventional torque converter automatic.In D, the shifts are sufficiently smooth and around town it's the default choice, although the best way to learn this transmission is to use manual mode, changing gear via the steering wheel paddles, all the time. Slight throttle adjustments can make all the difference to shift quality and timing.In a nice touch, the numerical gear display turns red as the upshift point approaches, although the system will allow revs to be held at maximum without changing up for you.On an open road, manual mode is clearly superior and not just because it blips the throttle and swaps ratios faster than any pro. Automatic can choose strange times to change gear- mid-corner on a couple of occasions. It's unclear whether the software would eventually learn a driver's style.And with your fingers on the paddles, you can control the engine note. Like the coupe, the stainless steel exhaust system opens up all the stops at 4000rpm and sounds like the brass section of big band.But unlike the coupe, in the convertible the volume is turned up to full, and it's like you're in the dance hall rather than listening to the recording.This V8 engine doesn't feel quite as quick as its vital statistics suggest, it can even go off the boil a little on inclines with the tacho showing less than 3000rpm, but it spins very enthusiastically and the sound it makes has a slightly  feral quality that's extremely addictive.This Aston doesn't need a full moon, red or otherwise, to reveal the beast within. SnapshotAston Martin V8 Vantage RoadsterBody: Two-seater soft-top convertibleEngine: 4.3-litre V8Outputs: 283kW at 7000rpm; 410Nm at 5000rpmTransmission: Six-speed manual or six-speed clutchless manualPerformance: 0-100km/h in 5.0 secondsPrice: $269,000On sale: Now 

Hill descent control is one of those electronic driver aids, increasingly common on SUVs, designed to take the guesswork out of off-roading. Judicious use of the brakes or low-range gears are needed to stop a vehicle running away dangerously on a steep slope. Hill descent systems do the braking for you.Every four-wheel drive is different, though, and the first time I nudge one to the point of no return on a challenging descent, HDC button pressed, I instinctively hover one foot over the brake pedal just in case.At the launch of the new Toyota Kluger at a 4WD park in Victoria early this week, I need not have worried. The second version for Australia of this mid-size SUV handled the rocky declines just as easily as it climbed the muddy inclines. Philosophically, it's from the soccer mum end of the market, but gizmos engaged, nerves were rapidly calmed.The Ford Territory is another SUV designed very much with school runs in mind and it also offers hill descent control.However, an electronic system isn't much use when you're careering down a sales slope. Since its brief heyday in 2005, the Territory has been suffering. Last year, as rising fuel prices scared buyers away from large vehicles, sales fell 22 per cent. Since then, the mid-size SUV segment has recovered strongly but the Territory has not. To the end of July it's down a further 7 per cent.The Ford SUV has clung onto segment leadership while losing sales to new entrants like the Holden Captiva. But the Kluger, backed by the impressive marketing might of Toyota, it has the potential to accelerate the Territory's descent and steal its crown. This week's presentations were explicit about Toyota's intention to take on the locally built Ford. “We have a very simple goal,” said sales and marketing chief David Buttner, “to maximise sales in the medium SUV market.”At $39,990 the Kluger range begins with a price disadvantage of $2000 against the cheapest Territory, but the Toyota product has been aimed with extreme accuracy at its target market. The Kluger can match the seven-seat capacity of the Territory and has an equipment list calibrated like a telescopic sight.Toyota has done its homework and knows the importance of safety features on the school run, so the Kluger has lots of them, all standard. It even introduces something I was surprised to learn had yet to appear in a Toyota; active headrests to prevent whiplash.Toyota knows that fuel thirst is a Territory weakness and so the Kluger is more economical to run, by more than one litre per 100km. It also comes with three years of fixed-price servicing.Needless to add, the new Kluger is bigger, more powerful and better equipped than the previous model. It lacks a diesel engine in the range, but so does the Ford.If you want one of those, then Toyota has the Prado, a more expensive, traditional mid-size off-roader.But all the sales action these days is in crossovers and the most significant move by Toyota is to borrow Ford's approach in making four-wheel drive an option on an SUV. The standard Kluger, like the standard Territory, puts power to the tarmac via only two of its wheels.Toyota expects the availability of a 2WD version to bring plenty of extra buyers to the badge. One executive forecast volumes at least quadruple the current running rate of 300 a month. At that level, the Kluger is edging into Territory territory. And you know when Toyota is willing to talk numbers, then its expectations are higher. The mid-size SUV segment is one of the few it doesn't lead.Toyota describes the Kluger as effectively an Aurion wagon, referring to the company's locally built large car. Although the two vehicles don't share any sheet metal, they both employ the same platform engineering and 3.5-litre V6 engine. With Toyota's global bodyline production system, the Kluger could be built on the same assembly lines in Melbourne which make Aurion and Camry.Although Toyota denies it, the possibility that the Kluger could be built at its Melbourne plant must figure in its thinking. At the moment, the Kluger is mainly a US market car, built in right-hand drive solely for Australia.Making it here would help fulfil many of Toyota Australia's production goals and its belief it needs a third model to secure its future. Supplying untapped right-hand drive export markets from Australia could make Kluger volumes viable.Right now though, it threatens to take sales from the Ford Territory just when Ford needs them more than ever to keep its Melbourne plant busy. The Territory is struggling at the showroom, but Ford's locally built Falcon, Fairlane and Ute are hurting even more.Success for the Kluger and the chance to build it here could come at the price of yet more pain for Ford.

Mitsubishi Australia is talking to Tokyo about replacing its 380 sedans to keep its Adelaide factory alive into the next decade.Mitsubishi Motors in Japan is working on a large-car replacement and the Australian arm has just begun its pitch for fresh investment.Mitsubishi Australia CEO Robert McEniry said Adelaide's Tonsley Park assembly plant could build the next model “if it makes business sense for them (Mitsubishi Motors Corp) as part of their global manufacturing footprint."However, it would not work at current 380 production levels and could not be funded by Australia. “We will have to go to Japan to ask for money,” Mr McEniry said yesterday.“The 380's life cycle runs out to 2011, so we'll be due to start talking about replacement plans over the next 12 or so months.”Unlike the current car, the 380 replacement would not be specific to Australia but part of Mitsubishi's global model strategy.Local design and engineering work would probably be limited to fine-tuning the suspension for Australian conditions.Mitsubishi Australia spent $600 million on the 380, which began as a US model before being re-engineered for the local market.However, its launch two years ago coincided with a slump in demand for large cars and it has never met sales expectations of 30,000 a year. The Adelaide outfit restructured last year, closing its Lonsdale foundry with the loss of 670 jobs.Mr McEniry said the current production level of 10,000 380s a year was sustainable.Financial results due in two months would show an improvement on last year's $226 million loss, although the company was not yet in the black. Write-offs over the past couple of years meant it was possible to sustain 380 production at 50 cars a day. “Effectively, we wrote off all the investment in the plant and in the car, which then results in production at variable cost,” he said.Related story

As part of its box of tricks, the Honda Legend has a system called active noise control, which works in the same way as the plane headphones. It's designed to cancel out low-frequency booming in the interior and works independently of the stereo. But despite repeatedly switching it on and off, we could not tell the difference.It certainly sounded like a great idea and the Legend is full of them. Although most are not new, the result is an unconventional large luxury car with an amalgam of influences. It bears the hallmarks of being created for the US market but is unmistakably a Honda.That's obvious almost immediately from what's under the bonnet. Honda may be the world's largest engine maker, but it doesn't make big engines. At least, not yet. Only one powerplant is offered: a 3.5-litre V6 driving through a five-speed automatic. That's two cylinders and one ratio short of what many will consider the norm for a large luxury conveyance.It's a glorious engine, though, with a smooth, silky touch for the urban commute. Press on, and it has the Honda quality of delivering its best high in the rev range — and keeps getting better the higher you go. In doing so, it goes from imperceptibly quiet to potently racy without a hint of exertion.However, this engine lacks the low-rev torque that most will identify with luxury motoring and below 4000rpm there's a decided absence of punch. It can feel sluggish off the mark, overtaking requires a run-up and along tight and twisty roads, it's hard to keep the engine on the boil.A wide spread of ratios in the five-speed automatic, with a big gap between third and fourth, doesn't help. On the positive side, the auto hangs on to the chosen gear at the redline and will accept downshifts high in the rev range with a slight lift off the throttle. Sensibly, the shifter allows fourth and fifth to be locked out and steering wheel paddles are also a plus.One innovation unique to this car is its four-wheel drive system, which adjusts torque loads under hard cornering to help the car turn more effectively. In particular, it allows the outside rear wheel to turn faster, helping to negate understeer — the tendency to run wide in a corner. It gives the Legend more dynamic ability than you might expect given its length — nearly 5m — and a kerbweight approaching 1.9 tonnes.The brakes held up well on a twisty run down into a NSW gorge and while they don't have the greatest pedal feel they were a class above the tiller for intimacy. There's an indirect and artificial quality to the steering that makes it easy to overcorrect lane-keeping on freeways, for example.On smooth surfaces the ride quality stays good, although rougher roads give it a fidgety edge that the best luxury cars avoid, and the tyres can be heard coping with coarse or broken tarmac.The interior is welcoming with leather generously applied and the stepped dash design has a tier of woodgrain. Cabin space cannot match that in locally built large cars and the angle of the side glass means the roof could encroach a little on headroom. That said, four large adults are unlikely to feel cramped.The situation is similar in the boot, which with 452 litres capacity falls short of locally built premium models but is fairly capacious nonetheless. A ski-hatch and tie-downs help compensate for a floor that isn't flat. Underneath a space-saver serves as spare.Despite the visibly pleasing seat contours, we had sore legs after one five-hour stint in the saddle and came away feeling there was a slight compromise in the driving position.Certainly, there are some issues with forward visibility. The length of the bonnet is impossible to gauge and the A-pillars could have been designed to obscure traffic approaching from left or right at a T-junction or roundabout. The wing mirrors are excellent, though.The controls are a little scattered, but there's logic in their placement. The hardest ones to find quickly are those grouped together on the small centre-console — although steering wheel buttons more than compensate. In common with a lot of new cars, there are too many little information screens, all of which differ in terms of typeface, resolution and layout.A rotary knob very reminiscent of BMW's iDrive is used to navigate through menus and with a relatively modest number of functions, it's reasonably easy to get around although it means changing the fan speed, for example, becomes a multi-button procedure.Another reminder of Munich came in the shape of the interior door handles; as in the 5 Series, they are too close to the hinge for easy leverage and strain visibly when closing the front doors.With only one model priced at $74,500, the Legend comes well-equipped with leather, active headlamps with light sensor, foglights, rear parking camera, power heated front seats, dual zone climate control, cruise, sunroof, auto wipers, and side and rear sunshades.Safety equipment includes six airbags — rear passengers miss side bags — stability control and a pop-up bonnet, similar to the one which debuted recently on the Jaguar XK, to lift pedestrians clear of hard engine surfaces in the event of a collision.With so much gear it would be churlish to grumble, but we did miss a lane-change blinker function, mute button for the stereo and, in particular, parking radar for the unguessable front — although the rear camera is an aid to reversing.A compass and GPS display compensate a little for the lack of satnav.Getting the Legend on to the Australian market has already taken some time, with some US buyers now several years into ownership. Its stateside priorities are evident in its bland and derivative big-car design, which lacks the sharp style of the Honda Euro, say. Another tell-tale of the car's stateside priorities is the foot-operated parking brake — very much an American device.In the US the Legend is sold under Honda's premium Acura badge — the equivalent of Toyota's Lexus — and as you would expect, it feels thoroughly well-engineered and built.It also seems like a lot of car for the money, not least because the new model is substantially cheaper than the one deleted two years ago.Not even Honda expects it to have widespread appeal here — in many ways, it runs counter to Australian notions of what a large luxury car should be. Buyers who go in with their eyes open will get a unique take on the segment.