![]() ![]() Outback/Legacy have had window frames since 2010. Impreza/WRX have had window frames since 2008.įorester has had window frames since 2010. It all smacks of very muddled strategy, and Honda ended up paying for it.Īctually no, they have not stuck with it at all. The smarter thing would have been to skip the five and just use the smaller C20A V-6 from the Legend - it’s not that Honda didn’t have a V-6, they just didn’t use it, at least not until the subsequent-generation Inspire/Saber (which became the first Acura TL). (Japan also got this version, but we got it first.) in time to fill the gap between the Integra and the new Legend. So, they hastily came up with a wide-body Vigor with the engine expanded half a liter so they could rush it to the U.S. I suspect that what happened is that Honda started out wanting to challenge the middle-class four-door hardtops Toyota and Nissan were selling in Japan and then realized that the dollar-yen exchange rate was going to push the second-generation Legend farther upmarket than originally planned. There was actually a clone of the five-cylinder JDM Vigor called Accord Inspire, which was probably aimed at the Camry Prominent on which the ES250 was based. Frankly, I would have saved the money and gone with an Accord EX. Compared with those makes/models, the Vigor just didn’t seem that special. We also looked at the BMW 325i, Mercedes C280 and Lexus ES300. My wife and I actually looked at the Vigor when we were shopping for cars in 1994, because she had an Integra that we loved and we were big Acura fans. Acura would have been better off going with a 6-cylinder, but I assume the fear was cannibalization with the Legend. The 5-cylinder also seemed to be the answer to a question no one was asking. That left the Accord/Vigor looking too close for comfort. However, for 1992, the Lexus ES300 arrived that appeared very different than the Camry on which it was based. ![]() The approach was similar to the original Lexus ES250, which was very clearly Camry based, though different in some ways, such as the frameless door glass. I find the styling very handsome, but it did look quite like an Accord. I have a soft spot for these cars, though I can see why they didn’t do well in the marketplace. Photographed on Lancaster Street, Boston, MA February 2016 Never being an all that common sight on the roads then, the Vigor’s crisp lines, long and low hood, aggressively flared front wheel arches, and hardtop styling stand out, akin to someone whose all bone and muscle versus the plump, overweight modern cars around it.Īpart from a few typical battle scars of a car this age, minor fender and side skirt rust, very scuffed and rusty rims, and several scuffs here and there, this Vigor looks remarkably well for its age, especially considering it’s a Northeast city car, making it a true survivor.ĭisplaying unwavering vigor, this 23-year old Acura just may be finally living up to its name. Failing to make much of a name for itself, North American Vigor sales totaled just under 50,000 units. Sold for just three model years (1992-1994), the Vigor never really stood out in a crowded marketplace. The Acura Vigor lived a short and unassuming life in the mid-sized luxury car segment. ![]()
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