In article , Matt Barrow wrote:
Speeds are generally much higher in Europe than the western US.

Have you ever driven the western US?

Yes. In a Volkswagen TDi in fact. However, I generally preferred to fly
over the western US in my C140.

Speed limit is generally 75 and that's
ususally scoffed at. What are speed limits in the rest of Europe other than
the autobahn?

Right-o. That's why when I was doing 80 in the Jetta through Colorado
and Utah I was passing practically everything. The prevailing speed of
motorway traffic in Britain is generally 80mph (even though the limit is 70).
In France, I think the autoroutes have a speed limit of 130km/h which is
80mph - faster than your freeways out west - and having driven in
France, I know the French pay little attention to that speed limit (or
many other good principles of road safety!)

Additionally, take the range of a Volkswagen Jetta TDi - it'll get
around 700 miles off a tank of diesel. It will also give good power in
the mountains, I have friends in Utah who love their TDi. My Dad's last
diesel, a Peugeot, lasted over 350,000 miles.

Americans just don't like diesels. They're better than the junk that came
out 20-25 years ago, but they still sell abysmally other than in the bigger
pickup trucks.

I know that - but that doesn't mean that diesels AREN'T good now and
AREN'T up to the job because they most certianly are. A modern turbo
diesel car is as comfortable as a gasoline driven one, just as fast and
often has way better endurance and often has an engine which will last
much longer on less maintenance. Just because Americans in general
haven't considered a diesel car doesn't some how mean the modern
turbo diesel can't cope with distances or speeds out west - on the
distance they are unarguably BETTER than gasoline cars - the range on a
tank of fuel is often 50 to 100% greater than the equivalent gasoline
car, the engines generally are much stronger and last longer,
and the speed is just as good.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"