Honda was the first Japanese automaker to bring its own luxury brand to the United States, with the (Civic-derived) Integra and the (Rover-related) Legend launching as 1986 models. By the early 1990s, Infiniti and Lexus had entered the market with their own gadget-equipped luxury cars, and even Mitsubishi and Mazda were offering legitimate competition to the two Acura models. In Soichiro Honda’s opinion, something had to be done and so the NSX sports car was introduced as a model in 1991, followed by the Vigor luxury sedan the following year. Here’s one of those rare first grade Vigors recently found at a self-service store in Denver.
The idea behind the Vigor (which, like the Integra, Legend and NSX, was badged as a Honda in its home country) was that it would slot in between the Integra and Legend and take some sales away from the Lexus ES 250 as well as the European machines.
The Vigor was a front-wheel drive car, but its engine was mounted lengthways and angled to fit under the hood. The differential was located directly under the engine and received power via a labyrinth of shafts.
The reason for this powertrain complexity was the fact that the Vigor’s engine was a SOHC inline five-cylinder, which did not fit in the engine bay with Honda’s usual transverse mounting (although both Daewoo and Volvo achieved the feat with inline cylinders).six engines later).
The U.S. market Vigor’s 2.5-liter five-cylinder had an output of 176 horsepower and a weight of 170 pound-feet.
The base transmission was a five-speed manual, but this car has the four-speed automatic optional for $750 ($1,696 in 2024).
This car is the cheaper Vigor LS model, so the MSRP was $24,999 ($56,539 after inflation). However, for just $20,175 ($45,629 today) you could get a slightly smaller but still feature-packed 1992 Honda Accord EX, and the more comfortable (if less maneuverable) Lexus ES 250 started at just $21,300 ($48,173 today).
American car buyers simply couldn’t imagine the Vigor, and sales were weak. 1994 was the last year for the Vigor and the TL replaced it as a model from 1996.
This example has covered just over 160,000 miles over its life.
Don’t think of it as a commute. Think of it as a 30-minute vacation.
Anyone who gets a German luxury sedan instead of a Vigor will regret it!
I miss you S.
As was almost always the case in the 1980s and 1990s, the JDM commercials were more fun.