Just because you've been promoted to the lofty heights of the boardroom, you don't have to follow the herd and trade up to a car with a German badge on its bonnet. There are some other interesting alternatives, especially if your priorities centre on luxury, refinement and high technology.

At present of course, for those with a £36,000 budget to spend on a luxury saloon, Honda's Legend is unlikely to be the first car that springs to mind. No, most are likely to have their sights set on a Mercedes E-Class, an Audi A6 or BMW 5 Series. However, in its latest all-wheel drive incarnation, the Japanese car maker's flagship model actually has a great deal to commend it - as you would expect from engineers capable of creating anything from a jet aircraft to the world's most refined diesel engine.

The latest Legend is Honda's most committed crack at this marketplace yet and it's a wholly different proposition to the third generation car. For a start, the latest car has ditched the jowly heaviness that has afflicted latter day Legends. Its lines are athletic and its detailing nicely judged, the Honda family-look grille and headlamps giving it a nicely aggressive look. The low window line bucks the current market trend for sharky wedge shapes, but the big glasshouse gives a light and airy cabin.

"The Legend uses power and technology to face down some formidable opponents"

The big changes are under the skin. The old Legend was forever hamstrung in its attempts to be taken seriously in the executive class by a power ceiling imposed by its front wheel drive layout. Put much more than 250bhp through a front wheel drive system and you begin working the traction control system rather enthusiastically. There are also negative effects such as torque steer to contend with. Most of the best cars in this class are either rear wheel drive (Jaguar, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes) or all wheel drive (the better Audi and Volvo models), two systems which can better handle the high power and torque that top-notch executive cars need to stay at the head of the pack. Honda has adopted a very clever four wheel drive system for the latest Legend that serves to endow this big car with remarkable agility and grip.

Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (as Honda rather immodestly dub it) relies on a bulky piece of mechanical magic under the rear seat to generate the magic. Looking for all the world like a chunky differential, this casing contains a pair of multi-plate clutches as well as the usual gear set. These clutches can divide torque from side to side at the rear which means that during extreme hard cornering, drive is always directed to the outside wheel to keep things on the straight and narrow. Less sophisticated rivals with so-called 'open' differentials will instead direct torque to the unloaded inside rear wheel, spinning it away uselessly. When you're just mooching along, the Legend directs around 70 per cent of its torque to the front pair of wheels but when the car's electronics detect that you've got your game face on, it can then direct 70 per cent of power to the rear, giving a more dynamic rear-biased feel. This gives this Legend a far more generous skill set than previous models could ever hope for.

Rest to sixty takes just over seven seconds on the way to 155mph flat out. Whatever your speed, though, there's always an impressive sense of equilibrium which even the strongest undulations or the gustiest crosswinds can't upset. The 295bhp V6 engine is mounted transversely up front and Honda have kept the car's nose relatively compact for a model that houses such a hefty powerplant. Part of the solution is a pyrotechnic bonnet which pops up a crucial few inches in the event of a pedestrian impact and keeps people's soft bits well away from unyielding rocker covers. In order to get round this legislation, less savvy manufacturers simply make higher bonnets and then need to lengthen the front overhang to prevent their wares looking unacceptably stumpy. This, in turn, makes the wheelbase look short and so on. Honda have approached the issue the right way.

The proof of the pudding comes in the bald stats. Despite the more powerful engine, the need to house the rear differential and a decrease in wheelbase of fully 110mm over the previous Legend, this latest model offers 30mm extra cabin length and 40mm of width. Taken in isolation, that represents some clever design. Inside, as you might expect, it's all beautifully screwed together and in terms of actual rather than perceived quality is a notch above the class average. The metallic dashboard finish lifts the already bright cabin and the equipment count is beyond reproach. I won't run through it all here: suffice it to say that everything you can think of is included.

Prices? Well, you pay £36,557 for the 'standard' EX model, or £39,307 for the version with Honda's clever ADAS (Advanced Driver Assist System) and CMBS (Collision Mitigation Braking System) options. ADAS is especially clever, incorporating a Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) technology. LKAS keeps the car in the centre of its lane on potentially tiring motorway and dual carriageway journeys, while ACC ensures that it stays a safe distance behind the car in front when in cruise control mode. If all of that fails, the Collision Mitigation Braking System can actually predict an impending collision, to reduce both the impact on occupants and damage to the car.

It all adds up to an interesting alternative in the executive sector - and a very able car. Honda don't plan to sell many which should be good for residual values. Which brings us back to the badge on the bonnet, one carrying increasing equity these days. Before you sign on the dotted line for something German, this is one alternative worth considering.

TOP 4 LEGEND DEALS

The results below show the top LEGEND deals on buyacar

	Honda Legend 3.5i VTEC EX 4dr Auto Saloon
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £2,720	Price £33,832
	Honda Legend 3.5i VTEC EX 4dr Auto [18in ALLOY] Saloon
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £2,831	Price £34,971
	Honda Legend 3.5i VTEC EX 4dr Auto [ADAS+CMBS] Saloon
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £2,970	Price £36,332
	Honda Legend 3.5i VTEC EX 4dr Auto [ADAS+CMBS+18in ALLOY] Saloon
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £3,082	Price £37,470