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Path: utzoo!utcs!pkern
From: pkern@utcs.uucp (pkern)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: layman's view of Europe
Message-ID: <932@utcs.uucp>
Date: Sat, 19-Oct-85 22:46:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcs.932
Posted: Sat Oct 19 22:46:03 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 19-Oct-85 23:17:49 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: University of Toronto - General Purpose UNIX
Lines: 35


A recent trip to Belgium has opened this person's eyes as to
how limited the North American market is.
I never realized that in Europe, the VW Rabbit was called Golf all along.
The Merkur XR4Ti was really from the Ford(Europe) Escort line.
There were a lot more types of Escort there than the box one sees here.
The Mazda GLC is really the 323 (?).
Ford's Aerostar got its shape from Renault vans (amazing likeness).
VW Polo never made it to N. America, as well as a number of VW large vans.
Toyota had the Carina and the Starlet. I'd never seen a Carina and I hadn't
seen a Starlet in a long while (damn import quotas!).
Also, Toyota had a more varied line of vans,including one called "Hiace".


Other small vans included Suzuki's mini-van. This was a very small van. It
was only as long as an economy car but it seemed very practical.
There were a lot of Opels, Peugeots, Renaults, Austins and Talbots.
 Also something called Diahatsu (sp?).
Ford is really big in Europe. I saw a lot of the ones they call the Granada
and the Taunus.
GM and Chrysler are practically invisible. (I saw 2 Plymouths, both looked
old. Also saw 1 GM product which looked very out-of-place, one of the
newer 2-door hulks (must have been shipped over)).

It seems that European drivers use their brains more often than do N. American
drivers. The driving there seemed to be more freestyle than one can find here.
I get the feeling that people here drive as if a police officer will pop out
of nowhere and ticket them for some obscure reason.
Also, the Belgian freeway speed limit was 120 km/h (70 mph) but I noticed
many doing 160-180 km/h (mostly BMWs and Mercedes but a few Renaults, too).

I really enjoyed driving in Europe, Europeans drive with intelligence.

P.Kern
..!ihnp4!utcs!pkern