They build the road better for sure, but ultimately it IS narrower and windier. And I have been on sections in the east that were pretty seriously worn out by German standards, and were still de-restricted - surface quality no better than a typical non-urban interstate, and much worse than a recently re-paved one. I…

I think the best way to see most of America is out the window of an airplane from 30K ft. They don't call the flyover states for nothing...

Exactly this. If it weren't for the idiot drivers, most US Interstates would be better suited to going fast than the Autobahn. It's the drivers that allow for the higher speeds there, not the road.

In Europe, yes, you would move all the way over, and all the way back if that was the appropriate lane to be in. But if the guy in the middle lane was not going fast enough and impeding traffic like that, more than likely HE would get ticketed for failure to stay right. If you are not actively passing someone, you…

The Autobahn is not designed for these sorts of speeds either, just the Germans expect people to use their heads. Many parts of the US Interstate Highway system are FAR better suited to 100+ mph speeds than the Autobahn. The lanes are wider, and the highway is nowhere near as curvy or hilly. There is much less traffic…

Having spent quite a lot of time in Hungary, having a supercar hurtle past me at 200mph would not really be THAT unexpected. Hungarian drivers in general make the Italians seem like the Swiss... I have seen MUCH worse things in that country, especially 25 years ago when the main highway to Vienna was a "suicide lane"…

The Geneva Conventions only apply to those who actually signed those treaties. Terrorists are certainly not subject to it.

I've never felt it in my Abarth (wider tires, lower and stiffer suspension), but have a little bit in rented base 500s. No big thing, no worse than say a minivan. At 2500lbs, they are not particularly light by historical standards. A similarly sized 70's compact car would have been <2000lbs, and on much narrower tires.

As do I, marvelous, aren't they?

It's MUCH smaller and less useful than a 500. 500s are not as small as you might think, just the styling makes them look smaller than they actually are. A 500 is just about the same size as an original VW Rabbit. (Golf MKI for those on the other side of the pond). And an Abarth is more fun than every Toyota currently…

And little British sportscar people were doing it LONG before Jeep people started.

I think it is probably just a matter of volume - BMW knows they are going to sell many times the numbers of AWD 3s and 4s than they are AWD 2s, so it was easier to justify the expense of certifying the 3 and 4 than the 2. Similarly, you can't get a RWD 2 convertible with a stick either.

Not surprised. We don't have traffic up here really. If I lived anywhere near NYC, I would probably want an automatic too. At least with BMW you can just order one. Do European Delivery and have a ball and save some cash too.

And the current 3-series. I would probably have bought a new wagon if I could get one with RWD and a stick like my old one. I really like the f31, I find it usefully larger and more refined. But BMW won't sell me one that way. So too bad for them, I'll keep the old one another 15 years or so.

You don't necessarily have to order them, my local dealer stocks them because people in Maine still buy stickshifts. In most parts of the country, you would have to order one though. Which is no particular hardship with BMW, I wouldn't buy one any other way.

It's not developing it that is the issue - they sell these cars with AWD and manuals all over the world. It is our ludicrous certification regime where every combination of body and drivetrain must be certified separately at huge cost that means it is not cost effective to offer niche drivetrains in the US.

An RV. Any RV.

Here's another one - get any sort of ticket in Maine in your first year with a license - 30 days for the first one, 60 for the second one. Third one is a year. I managed to get 2 speeding tickets in 4hrs - it was not fun riding my bicycle again for three months my senior year of high school...

All these years and it is JUST as uninteresting as the first one.

Whenever anyone brings up the fact that Bangled BMWs sold in record numbers, I always respond "Imagine how many they would have sold if they had not been hideous". I drive an e91 3-series, while it is a fantastic car, pretty it is not. What came before was far more attractive.