tomas_turbado

Hi you all!,

I´m an Spanish dude than doesn´t want to polemize, just want to know one thing.

Why North Americans love those HUGE cars?
Why if it´s not bit it´s for girls?
Maybe some kind of complex?

Here in Europe, lots of us drive small cars. Why?
* gas price
* size of our roads
* size of our parkings
* size of our cities

Just an example, the two seater Smart is an absolute must where I live. Yes, we know it´s small, really small.....and thats the thing!, it´s small!.
I´ve seen very important bussines man (CEO) driving one, and they love it!

Could some one clarify it for me?. I can´t imagine any USA bussines man in one of those little cars.

Thx, David

P.S. I drive an r171 and really love it, much more agile than big cars

benzmodz

Ever seen a Spaniad or a Frenchman in an S-Class........ looks like a midget in a padded room.

StapleGun

Hello David - I lived in Spain and traveled extensively throughout. Lived in Madrid BTW. However, I traveled to Merida, Sevilla, Alicante, Benidorm, Alcala, Torrejon, etc..etc.... ad nauseum. Gramps had a Seat 600 and uncle had a Mini Cooper, just like mine. Mom is from Begona...I love that place, but I love the US more....

As is patently obvious - Spain is the size of a small US state for starters. Additionally many of these city roads especially Toledo and Albacete and many, many others cannot handle big cars...these cities are ancient compared to ALL US cities. Travel in the United States is not like Spain in the sense that we don't have extensive public transportation like Spain has...again, consider the size of Spain versus US. We rely heavily on our own personal vehicles for travel.

As you mentioned, as well..look at the price per liter in Spain versus the price per gallon state-side. We still have the cheapest gas in the world barring oil producing countries in the middle-east.

Lastly, why do we like big cars, simply because we do - no excuses needed for that or otherwise. So what if it's for the girls/poon or whatever...is it your business or you simply cannot afford a 'big' car?

Don't be so friggin' condescending with your remarks like 'we' might have a complex because then you might start sounding like some some sort of euro-weenie which I hope your not.

big SLK

Amen

Nebraska99

Us Americans have big cars because we have big weiners, Europeans drive small cars because...............................

StapleGun

...........................they're BIG whiners???????????????

Jakpro1

Spain Gross Domestic Product.... 885Billion

US GDP..........11Trillion

US Average Tax rate on income...33%

Spain.......56%

Most smart businessmen in the US pay even less.

The difference alone can pay for one of those evil "big cars" you so smugly refer too.

Amsterdam Gas Per Gallon....7.13

Average in the US......2.60

Interesting that you never metion that you give over half of your money to the Spanish government.

"Oh but we have National Healthcare!!"

I pay 300$ a month for the family to have access to dumpy hospitals in the US like Mayo Clinic, John Hopkins, and Cleveland WITHOUT long lines and waiting lists.

This is one of the top selling cars in Spain, the Renault Megane....doesn't look like a Smart to me???

StapleGun

Keep it coming people..keep it coming...I hate the U.S. bashers worse than Billary, Kerry, Boxer, Feinstein, Schumer, Streisand, Sarandon, etc...etc...

MBenzNL

...interesting to see how amsterdam ended up in spain...

greetingz,

nlpamg

AMEN!

"dumpy hospitals" :p like Mayo, Johns Hopkins, and the Cleveland Clinic... LOL yeah, even Saudi Princes tend to go to those dumps... :p

StapleGun

I'm sure Spain is not far off the mark...esp with the Euro

UAS206

Don't pay attention to this troll. If you put his name together in Spanish it means "Masturbated" so you know he's just here to pull your chain, or as his own name implies, his own chain. Look like he gets off making you guys mad at him.

StapleGun

Caught the play on words...typical euro-loser I guess.

NitrogenBalance

Right on brother..........that put a smile on my face

tomas_turbado

I´m so sorry you think like that.
I´m not a troll, I just was aswering you. Two years a go wen I was with my family on a cruise in Alaska (Ketchikan, Juneau, etc.) we rented a Ford Excursion....HUGE car, never seen one of those here en Europe.

Well, excuse me again if I disturbed you.

Any way, if you ever come to Spain (or any other european country), you will see we halso have S-class in our roads, but this people usually have another small car (Mini, Smart) for weekend shopping and things like that.

Best regards,
David

StapleGun

That's okay..you asked and you got 'answers'...everything was quite okay until you mention the "girls and complex' nonsense....we have big cars quite simply because we want to and can - how's that? Additionally, the preface of the "USA Mentality," does not come across as if you have positive image of the USA don't you think?

ruykava

hehe, i think the better question to ask is the converse: why Europeans like small cars so much. and diesels too (ok i know, fuel economy, torque etc - but i'd still take a smooth petrol anyday).

in asia the philosophy is almost invariably "the bigger the better", just as much so as the USA. in fact that was one reason the new S-class is bigger than the W220 - asians (and most non-europeans) complained that the previous car was just too small to be the top of the line. and no, asians are definitely not any bigger (in *GENERAL* size! lol) than spaniards or europeans in general.

also, why do europeans like their cars to be so sporty? honda had bring in the american, instead of european, Accord to asia because (1) the euro accord was too small and (2) the euro accord was too sporty

northbenz

Having driven in Spain this past summer, I noted that on the major highways the size of the cars averaged a lot larger than what one saw in the cities. Apart from the smaller sized streets in the cities, parking is also more problematic with larger cars. Driving an SLK R171 on the highways, we were in one of the smallest cars on the road.

Geordie_UK

[QUOTE=ruykava]hehe, i think the better question to ask is the converse: why Europeans like small cars so much. and diesels too (ok i know, fuel economy, torque etc - but i'd still take a smooth petrol anyday).

I think you need to drive a proper diesel car before shooting your mouth. If you get the opportunity, take a drive in an Audi A8 4.2Tdi. Its a V8 diesel 330 bhp. Electonic ltd to 155mph, 0-60 in 5.5 secs. The smoothest car you will ever drive.

I don;t agree with the sentiments of this Tomas guy, but please don't tar us all with the same brush

RobertG

I believe that most of maineland Europe especially central Europe is suffering from microeconomics.They are trying to show USA that they don't need us to survive,that's why they formed the European Union and they are pumping money into their Euros to bring the dollar down.Once the smaller European countries get fed up with the unfair trade deals that make the rich countries richer the bubble will break and they will be looking for help ,guess who will step in to help?
a.USA
b.USA
c.USA
d.USA

Geordie_UK

Hey, Just a second here. Couple of points.

1. Its the UK thats assisting the USA military effort in Iraq.
2. The £ is at its lowest level against the $ for 2 years. The £ moves pretty much in unison with the Euro.
3. Other than the supply of arms, can you just refresh my memory who the USA has assisted other than disaster relief ?
4. This is a forum about cars, not politics. Lets keep it that way.

I think you should take your conceited attitude to a PM conversation with the Tomas, and keep your views private.

Yellow R1

I hope #3 was a joke. The US is, by FAR, the largest aid contributor to foreign countries in the history of all mankind. I'll refrain from posting statistical evidence in the spirit of harmony to this is a car forum.

-Matt

RobertG

if you red my post again you will see that it says mainland Europe that means it excludes UK right?
This originated by the statement USA mentality of why people in USA like everything big.It is not that related to cars as the way this coversation is developing. What I'm trying to convey is that Europeans do not have many resources to compete with USA that's why they need to keep things on a smaller scale and that includes cars. USA maybe wastefull but has a big heart
and it's always there to help.If you have never driven a powerful car then you would never understand the needs or wants for one.I think that is car related right?

StapleGun

JUST FOR EVERYONE'S 411: THIS A FLAMING TROLL ALERT...ALERT...ALERT...REPOST W/INTENT TO INFLAME, IRRITATE AND GENERALLY BE AN A-S-S...JUST SO YOU KNOW...THIS HAS BEEN A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT - OUT

taroliw

And here I thought I'd never get a chance to use these...



Move on people...