drkshaw
Member
I just got home from 3 months in Germany for work where I drove several vehicles. As I got home and drove my Moab 392 again, I had several impressions that I thought would be interesting to pass along.
While I was there I drove 3 rental vehicles. The first was a small VW station wagon. I had nothing good to say about it. Didn’t like the cruise control or anything else about it. I then drove a small Opel station wagon. There were two things I liked about it. The first was the proximity locks. When I got close to the vehicle with the key it unlocked, and when I walked a few steps away, it locked. Very convenient. The second was the cruise control. This is important because of the number of speed cameras in Germany. The speed limit went from 70kmph to 50kmph to 30kmph, then to 70kmph for 200m then back to 30 kmph. And there was a speed camera. A great feature of the Opel and the next vehicle I drove was a camera that detected the speed limit. You could press a simple button on the cruise control and it would match the speed limit. Saved me from a bunch of tickets. I still got 2 in the 3 months I was there. Very sneaky locations. They also have portable speed cameras they move every week or so.
I then drove a compact BMW 120 with a 2.0L turbo. It’s marked as an “M” series, but it’s not really. This was more fun, with good handling and decent power. I really liked the steering wheel. I thought it was about as thick as my Moab 392’s but it was thicker. I’m now thinking about buying an aftermarket steering wheel for the Jeep. That key required me to reach in the pocket and unlock it and then lock it when I got out of the car.
The cost of fuel in Germany is atrocious. It works out to about $10-$11 per gallon. Having the 392 there would be terrible on the bank account. You’d have to drive it very selectively. Here, at least, I can drive it anytime I want. Those small cars were necessary in Germany with the tiny parking spaces, narrow roads, etc. And, I'll say, there are some terrible drivers in Germany, at least in the big cities. They're very impatient and blame you when they screw up and almost cause an accident. Saw it many times.
When I got home to the 392, I was, of course, very happy! The sound, of course, brought that same joy I had before. I loved driving a bigger vehicle again, but noticed how big it is, especially when braking. I also noticed the stiff steering. I remember that when I bought it last March, but got to where I didn’t notice it quickly. It is stiff though!
While I was there I drove 3 rental vehicles. The first was a small VW station wagon. I had nothing good to say about it. Didn’t like the cruise control or anything else about it. I then drove a small Opel station wagon. There were two things I liked about it. The first was the proximity locks. When I got close to the vehicle with the key it unlocked, and when I walked a few steps away, it locked. Very convenient. The second was the cruise control. This is important because of the number of speed cameras in Germany. The speed limit went from 70kmph to 50kmph to 30kmph, then to 70kmph for 200m then back to 30 kmph. And there was a speed camera. A great feature of the Opel and the next vehicle I drove was a camera that detected the speed limit. You could press a simple button on the cruise control and it would match the speed limit. Saved me from a bunch of tickets. I still got 2 in the 3 months I was there. Very sneaky locations. They also have portable speed cameras they move every week or so.
I then drove a compact BMW 120 with a 2.0L turbo. It’s marked as an “M” series, but it’s not really. This was more fun, with good handling and decent power. I really liked the steering wheel. I thought it was about as thick as my Moab 392’s but it was thicker. I’m now thinking about buying an aftermarket steering wheel for the Jeep. That key required me to reach in the pocket and unlock it and then lock it when I got out of the car.
The cost of fuel in Germany is atrocious. It works out to about $10-$11 per gallon. Having the 392 there would be terrible on the bank account. You’d have to drive it very selectively. Here, at least, I can drive it anytime I want. Those small cars were necessary in Germany with the tiny parking spaces, narrow roads, etc. And, I'll say, there are some terrible drivers in Germany, at least in the big cities. They're very impatient and blame you when they screw up and almost cause an accident. Saw it many times.
When I got home to the 392, I was, of course, very happy! The sound, of course, brought that same joy I had before. I loved driving a bigger vehicle again, but noticed how big it is, especially when braking. I also noticed the stiff steering. I remember that when I bought it last March, but got to where I didn’t notice it quickly. It is stiff though!
