The Acura Legend was actually a joint venture between Honda in Japan and Rover in England. for the European market, Rover assembled its own version, using Japanese engines and drivetrains. This is the Rover 825, and it gave Honda an entrée into the European Common Market while avoiding import restrictions on Japanese cars.
The wood trimmed Sterling interior was more cheerful and luxurious than the austerely plastic Acura’s, but the ergonomics were roughly the same. Very minor differences in performance and interior space put the Sterling behind the Acura. The upmarket version of the Sterling, the $23,000 825SL had leather upholstery, ABS brakes, a trip computer and memory power seats, items people expect in this price range but that Honda forgot to put into the Acura. The most important difference between the two cars was that the Acura was built in Japan and backed by Honda, while the Sterling was built in England by a firm with a spotty quality record and imported by a well-meaning but unproven company.
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