After a 3 week European vaccation...

[rookie]

After a 3 week European vacation...

I guess this is half "misc" forum stuff but it is also P5 related...

I'm originally from Croatia and went over there to see the fam after 5 years here in US. Few impressions:

1. US P5s rock. I saw quite a bit of 323F over there (the same car) but - as they come with semi-ugly tails and have no extra ground effects anywhere, it looks like a totally different car. Could be in richer countries 323Fs were sold with more equipment, but this made me appreciate my P5's equipment and cool looks

2. Paying about $6.50 / gallon (just a tad more expensive than in other EU countries) gets old quick.

3. I drove a 1.2 liter Renault for 2 out of 3 weeks. The thing is tiny. Had to learn how to parallel park again. Oh yeah - no turn on red anywhere unless there is a special light for it. Fun times. And - why the heck are there no French cars in US? They have some beautiful cars over there...

4. I'd say about 50% of cars over there are running on diesel, definitely different than I remember it 5 years ago (when it was maybe 20%). People dig the torque, the better MPG and lower diesel cost. I drove a 1.9 liter Skoda Diesel (TDI) for a week. Skoda is a part of VW empire over there.

5. Honda Accord over there is our Accura TSX over here. Go figure. Ah, it's a Honda so who cares anyway...

Overall, I am glad to be back behind the wheels of my P5 and Altima! (drive)

 

[rjmhotrod]

I had an overnight in Split several years ago (probably 6) after spending a week in Bosnia. Croatia is a beautiful country and I wish I could have spent more than one night there. Spending time in Europe for me was always fun just to see the different cars there. The US definitely has a real hangup with big vehicles. I've been to Europe and Asia many times and when you see a Chevy Suburban or some such SUV it looks very strangely out of place. In fact, I would say that it was my travels in Europe that made me want to check out a small wagon. Europeans have it figured out in a lot of ways as far as transportation is concerned. I love the public transit systems there. Not to mention that alot of the taxis are Mercedes Benz (especially in Germany). Got to love that.

 

[Mounty]

I guess this is half "misc" forum stuff but it is also P5 related...

I'm originally from Croatia and went over there to see the fam after 5 years here in US. Few impressions:

1. US P5s rock. I saw quite a bit of 323F over there (the same car) but - as they come with semi-ugly tails and have no extra ground effects anywhere, it looks like a totally different car. Could be in richer countries 323Fs were sold with more equipment, but this made me appreciate my P5's equipment and cool looks

I think they come with a 1.6L only also? But I like the US spec P5 too, as it already comes with many things like 2.0L, fog lights and side skirts.

2. Paying about $6.50 / gallon (just a tad more expensive than in other EU countries) gets old quick.

Ouch!

3. I drove a 1.2 liter Renault for 2 out of 3 weeks. The thing is tiny. Had to learn how to parallel park again. Oh yeah - no turn on red anywhere unless there is a special light for it. Fun times. And - why the heck are there no French cars in US? They have some beautiful cars over there...

I don't think it's a good time to bring up anything French in the US, hehe... Really, we get a lot less choice in the US in general, the Nissan Skyline comes to mind. We did have French car over here until the early 90s. And since Renault has some control over Nissan, you may see some French flavor in future Nissan too.

4. I'd say about 50% of cars over there are running on diesel, definitely different than I remember it 5 years ago (when it was maybe 20%). People dig the torque, the better MPG and lower diesel cost. I drove a 1.9 liter Skoda Diesel (TDI) for a week. Skoda is a part of VW empire over there.

$6.5/ gallon gas? I would be switching too. (wow)

5. Honda Accord over there is our Accura TSX over here. Go figure. Ah, it's a Honda so who cares anyway...

Yep, tying back to why we don't have French cars, or nicer cars (not necessarily French), European gets the real Accord, and we get it only in a luxury brand. Much like Ford is going to keep refreshing the old Focus while the rest of the world gets a Mazda3 related version. However, I've heard that car costs less in US and Canada. That may be the reason, or you can simply thank Corporate Greed! (blarf)

Overall, I am glad to be back behind the wheels of my P5 and Altima! (drive)

 

[Protephile]

I have never been in Eastern Europe but I spent 2 and a half weeks working in London a few years ago. Hardly ever saw a large SUV. The Brits just chuckle at the idea.
Why no French cars in the US? I think Puegeot is French for POS.
I loved the old 505s but mechanically, just god-awful.

 

[Flipper]

After a trip to The Netherlands a couple weeks ago, here are a few comments about the 1.6 liter Opel Astra I rented. Opel is owned by GM, but designed and built in Germany. It was pretty stylish - model I had was similar to a 4 door Golf. It felt very solid - not as tight handling as the P5, but not as harsh either. Like many cars in Europe, it had a neat computer that indicated info like outside temp., stopwatch, average speed, fuel consumption, etc. The storage space in the hatch was cavernous - again similar to a Golf. The engine sounded nice - a little quieter and lower tone than the P5. I felt the greater power of the P5 when I returned home though. The quality I appreciated most was that you could drive slowly in stop and go traffic even in 1st gear! The manual P5 is so difficult to drive slowly in 1st or even 2nd gear. When crawling in 2nd, I usually end up clutching in and out to avoid the jolt. The Opel shifted very smoothly with a nice short shifter with a good feel. The Opel made it clear that even cheap cars are getting better and better, just as I expect the 3 has some improvements. Still really like my P5 though and don't think there was a car with better value when I got just shy of a year ago. I also agree that Peugot's are nice cars. There are lots of European cars that fans of a P5 would love to drive for their shifters and handling.