Honda Vigor

Introduced in 1981, the Vigor was sold solely at Japanese Honda Verno stores above the Accord and served as Honda’s top-of-the-range car until the Legend arrived. A reworked second generation debuted in 1989, introducing a 2.0/2.5 L inline-five engine mounted longitudinally—atypical for a front-drive car—and a sibling model, the Inspire, sold through Honda Clio. From 1991-1994 North American buyers received the car rebadged as the Acura Vigor before it transitioned, in spirit, to the first-generation Acura TL.

The Vigor retained Accord fundamentals but concealed them behind unique sheet metal and an extended wheelbase. From 1989 onward the front structure was redesigned to accept a longitudinally placed 5-cylinder powertrain, transforming packaging while preserving front-wheel drive. The clean, angular styling featured hidden headlamps on first-gen cars and more squared-off lines on the second generation that clearly differentiated it from contemporary Accords.

Marketed as the Acura Vigor from mid-1991 through 1994, the sedan was 4 836 mm long and 1 781 mm wide. Trim, suspension tuning, and feature content were positioned between the Integra and the Legend. Sales were modest, prompting Honda to pivot the nameplate to Acura TL for the 1996 model year.

Although short-lived, the Vigor foreshadowed Honda’s modern upmarket strategy: it bridged mass-market Accord and luxury Legend lines, and its longitudinally mounted inline-five experiment influenced later engine layouts. The 1995 phase-out gave way to the Acura TL, which absorbed the Vigor’s spot in Honda's premium tier.