HONDA’S new flagship model, the Legend, will be priced from £36,250 when it goes on sale in September.

The four-door saloon, which is intended to rival models such as the Audi A6 and BMW 5-series, is powered by a 295bhp 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine allied to a special four-wheel drive system which not only apportions power to either the front and rear axles but can also channel power from side to side.

Topping the line-up is a £39,000 version featuring Honda’s ADAS (Advanced Driver Assist System) which incorporates Lane Keep Assist and adaptive cruise control.

Another acronym is CMBS – Collision Mitigation Braking system.

This uses radars to assess the distance to the car in front, and if the car decides you are closing in too quickly on the car it will sound a buzzer.

If no action is taken, it will sound the buzzer again and pre-tension the seatbelts, and if there is still no driver input it will apply the brakes to reduce the severity of the impact.

However, the system will not bring the car to a complete halt as Honda believes this takes too much action away from the driver.