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Not satisfied with its reputation for small, economy cars, Honda has gone to sporty and big cars for midyear by setting up a new Acura (Ak-your-ah) luxury division that sells the Integra and Legend.

Integra, we`ve been told, is selling fairly well. Legend is moving a bit slower. Import sources attribute Legend`s sales problems to what has been called the VW syndrome.

“It`s a familiar problem when an automaker`s name and reputation has been made by selling small, low priced cars,“ one source said. “Volkswagen never got over it. The VW Quantum is an exellent car but it doesn`t sell. It`s the same car as the Audi 4000 with more trim, but people will buy the Audi and not the $20,000 Quantum because it`s called a VW.“

Price obviously is a roadblock; if not in the buyer`s mind, certainly in ours after test-driving the sports hatchback Integra (Int-egg-rah) and Legend (Ex-pen-sive). And it wasn`t so much the first window sticker on the cars we drove. It was the second one placed next to it, the one with the mandatory take-it-or-leave-it dealer extras.

What bothered us most was that the second sticker on each window carried the familiar fuel pump logo used on the EPA mileage sticker affixed to the window of new cars. The EPA pump logo made the second sticker appear official. The stickers carried the heading “Protecting the Customer“ although you have to wonder about what protection when $950.95 in extras was added on the Legend and $2,277 on the Integra.

Legend is a luxury four-door sedan that starts at $19,893 with automatic transmission, $19,298 with five-speed. With the $950 in extras already on the car and listed on the second sticker (rust proofing, paint shield, fabric guard, door-edge guards, stripes, and mats) and $245 for freight, our car with automatic listed at $21,088.

Integra is a luxury hatchback offered in two- and four-door versions with five-speed or automatic in base RS or top-of-the-line LS versions. Ours was a four-door RS with five-speed that stickered at $11,343. With $2,277 in mandatory extras on the second sticker (rust proofing, polish, fabric guard, door edge guards, wheel-well moldings, stripes, mats, mud guards and air conditioning) plus $245 for freight, it listed at $13,865.

Those second labels, stating they were designed by an outfit called Add- A-Tag and affixed “to this car by this dealer,“ noted that the extra charges didn`t include “state and local taxes, license and title fees, DOC fee or finance charges.“ Not satisfied with $950 to $2,277 more, the dealer had the nerve to make allowance for adding an infamous and phony DOC (documentary) fee.

As for the cars themselves, they rate high marks for performance –especially Legend–though not for styling, highlighted on both models by a wraparound rear glass akin to that on the Renault Encore. Very ordinary.

Integra`s 1.6-liter, 16-valve fuel-injected four -cylinder engine teamed with a smooth shifting five-speed transmission was far from ordinary.

Quiet but peppy. Power bursts with each gear change. No Toyota MR-2, but more responsive than a Honda Accord LXI or a Honda Prelude. Integra is a fun car.

Power rack-and-pinion steering, front and rear stabilizer bars, and front-wheel drive combined for sporty ride and handling and better than average road holding ability–except in cornering. Take a corner sharply at speed and you`ll experience body roll–both the car`s and yours.

Inside, Integra has some nice touches, like the name woven into the carpets and easy-to-see-and-use push-button controls in the dash. Too bad the bulky arm rests steal leg room and the rear seat lacks ample head and leg room.

Perhaps the shortage of room comes from the 96.5-inch wheelbase and 168.5-inch overall length on the two-door; 99.2-inch wheelbase and 171.3-inch overall length on the four-door.

Standard equ pment includes power windows and door locks, power fo ur- wheel disc brakes, thick bodyside moldings, side-window defogger, rear- window defroster, wiper/washer, intermittent wipers, digital clock, dual power mirrors, split folding rear seats (that could fold flatter) for more cargo and retractable headlamps.

Legend is built on a 108-inch wheelbase and is 189 inches long overall. By comparison, the wheelbase on a midsize Buick Century is 105 inches, midsize Riviera 108 inches, full-size LeSabre 110.8 inches. Century length is 189.1 inches, Riviera`s 187.2, LeSabre`s 196.2 inches.

Legend is much roomier than Integra, especially in rear seat head and leg room, but felt narrower than the GM cars. Like Integra, the armrest rubs the driver`s leg. Unlike Integra, the armrest houses a cute feature, the pop-open trunk button. It`s under the armrest so you don`t hit it accidentally. That trunk is typically Honda–massive.

Power is supplied by a 2.5-liter, 24-valve V-6 fuel-injected engine that`s quick, but whisper quiet. Even with automatic, the response was surprising off the line, passing, and merging. Most vehicles this energetic are labeled sporty cars, not luxury sedans. Performance shames Prelude.

Standard equipment includes everything Integra offers plus AM/FM stereo with cassette and air conditioning, to name just two. A noticable improvement over Integra comes from the four-wheel independent suspension which seemed to provide both a soft boulevard ride, yet at the same time, ample road feel, and above-average cornering and handling.

Inside, a second set of radio controls for volume and station–placed handily on the dash near the driver–was a nice touch. Too bad the same dash hides the control button for the power windows.

Conclusion: The cars are good, but questionably priced. The dealer not satisfied with one sticker should be recalled.