And as for congestion – have you ever driven near Los Angeles?!

As a US citizen living in the London area for 7 years and having traveled to all corners of the UK and Europe I have a much different perspective on the roads. The UK roads are second rate as compared to either European and/or US roads. Though the opportunity to drive fast may be there on some stretches, in most areas it is virtually impossible due to road congestion (especially in the south and middle of the country during daylight hours). The maximum speed limit in the UK is 70mph, but since there is no real police presence on the roads, people drive faster. We could drive just as fast in the US if there was no Trooper lurking around (go to Texas). To counter this, speed cameras are being installed throughout the country to raise revenues and try and reduce speeding.

There is no shortage of large SUV’s in the UK for those who can afford to fill them up. Land Rovers, Land Cruisers and BMW’s are everywhere. The need for smaller vehicles in the UK is predicated by two things, lack of space (parking and road) and the cost of petrol.

A couple of examples. The M-40, a major artery which goes directly into central London from the west narrows from a 8 lane highway into a 2 lane road with lights, etc. It then widens into 6 lanes. This would be unheard of in the states. In the early 90′s the road was to be properly widened and all the property purchased. The government canceled the project because it ran out of money.

Drivers here can be more curteous, but generally it’s because of poor road design and driving that it’s required. Since there are very few center turn lanes, drivers routinely just pull out and block traffic until someone lets them in. This causes more back ups.

On the good side, driving in the rural areas can be very thrilling. Winding, hedged roads, which are motorcyclist dream. Cheers

     BCNU,
    Rob in Dago

Another point – compared to how cars rust in the UK, there is NO rust at all down here in the south of the US.

Best thing about UK roads – round-a-bouts! I hate stop signs!

-James.

You also see little cars like Seat (Spain) that are good little econoboxes as well.

Just imagine being a Brit who’s really into SUVs and 4×4 pickups (I’m sure they exist); coming to the US would be heaven, just as Europe is fascinating for people interested in small, sporty cars. The differences between US and British/European roads and cars are the products of different places and cultures, for better or for worse.

I’ve no idea why Americans reject hatchbacks and wagons; they make a lot of sense to me (I’ve owned – and still own – some of each). I suppose that SUVs fill the hatchback/wagon role in the U.S.

We have a bad ass company car and on the way back I was driving behind a silver MSC. We were both doing around 130 mph – nearly all the way down to Frankfurt. I was a pleasure to drive behind the Mini and see it performe!! All that speed is happening without agressive driving. Of course there are also speed limits on the German Autobahn and slower cars so you have to slow down sometimes. But the road quality and space is there for fast driving….

Maybe you want to spend your next vacation here?

And I'm jealous over your TVR Tuscan spotting.