Driving in America, are the cars much different?

Counting_Pennies_2

I wonder if you can help.


We are soon to go to America and we are looking to hire a car


My DH is driving me insane by spending days trying to find the right car. He says he is trying to work out what the cars are like out there and how different they are to drive.


Now he has had hire cars with left hand drive before and driven on 'the other side' so I am not sure what is delaying him.


Can anyone talk me through the differences please and also recommend a car? We will have 4 large suitcases and 4 hand luggage wheel cases. So the boot/trunk will need to take all of those and take two adults and two children.


Many thanks

InsideInsurance

There arent any differences to what he'd get in continental europe which you say he was fine with.

Automatics are much more common but there are manuals if he really does prefer that. Outside that its no different than getting in any random car and working out the quirks of how it works and thats the same for cars here as it is in the USA

cubegame

Cars are bigger in general for a given hire class. They also are less powerful for the size of engine.

All hire cars will be automatic as above posters have said. Work out how to use your cruise control and bob is your oyster.

You should have no worry about driving in the US though, the standard of driving is much higher than the UK.

Murphy_The_Cat

cubegame wrote: »

You should have no worry about driving in the US though, the standard of driving is much higher than the UK.

I've generally found that the driving standards are lower/much lower than the the UK -- but (away from heavily built up areas), the roads have a much lower traffic density, are wider and driving is a pleasurable way to get yourself from A-B.

wondercollie

Sounds like you need a mini-van to haul that stuff around or a Ford Expedition size SUV

Teahfc

Always when in any new country learning the basic traffic laws.
In the USA they are pretty hot on motoring offences in some states.
1 speeding is very seriously frowned upon.
2 you can unless isn't states no turn right on a red traffic light if the road is clear.
3. Never under any circumstances overtake or fail to stop 20/25 yards in front if when facing on opposite side if road on a 2 way road not dual carriageway a school bus that has stopped and has lights flashing.
4. Lots of stop signs, always stop do not just take a look and keep going and the you take it in terms to go on a first come first serve basis.
5 Drink driving is a standard no.

Spendless_Dosh

4 way stops, suggest you read up on these. Take a little getting used to.

Traffic lights flashing yellow during quiet times, again worth knowing how to treat them.

Under-taking in the US is common when driving on the freeway and interstates don't get fazed by this.

Look out for Hi Occupancy lanes (HOV) they are your friend.

Tolls are more common, particularly around cities, be prepared (lots of coins), some are now auto only and require you to carry a tag or pay on-line within a certain period, make sure you remember to do so. Fines can be large and the rental company will charge a handling fee on top.

Watch out for exits on the interstates, they often don't give you much warning (unlike here) so be prepared.

I'd say in general american driving is no better or worse than here, but your inexperience can cause problems (you behave like a UK driver not like a US one) so stay alert and give yourself plenty of time and space.

with that amount of luggage you really need something bigger than a car, get a full size SUV or a mini-van. For reference a Mondeo (Ford Fusion) is considered Standard size in the US and you'll need bigger than this is if you're hauling 8 cases.

You may find that when filling up with fuel the pump won't accept your credit card, this isn't unusual (they are mainly pay at pump these days and won't dispense until payment has been authorised). Simply take your card in to the teller who will take a pre-payment or hold the card until you complete the re-fuelling.

PeacefulWaters

Little difference from a driving perspective.

Most cars will be automatics which actually helps.

Space wise, you will need something big!

Group V or W should cover it. Hopefully.

Sat nav. Get one that works in the USA.

Best £40 I spent on a holiday accessory!

John259

Cars are normally rented by category, not by specific model. Some companies have options to pay more and specify the model, and sometimes you might get some choice of model when you pick up the car.

Almost all rental cars in the USA are automatics.

Cars with split front seats have the same layout of basic controls as cars sold in Britain, except for being lefthand drive and automatics of course.

Cars with bench front seats might have the gearshift on the steering column instead of the floor, and might have a parking brake foot lever high up on the lefthand side of the driver's footwell instead of a handbrake on the floor. However, I haven't seen a rental car with a bench front seat for many years.

Occasionally cars might have their petrol filler caps behind a hinged rear licence plate (number plate) but again I haven't seen that for many years.

Previous posters have done a very good job of describing the sizes of vehicles and the differences in driving rules. FWIW here's a few driving videos which might help:

Driving through Bishop, California:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fWTa8sTgSg

Pacific Coast Highway in the Big Sur area:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypfy7XHjRl4

Trucking from Montana to California (shows a wide variety of driving situations):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLaXIzbcZgE

Gloomendoom

Sometimes the handbrake is a footbrake.

totallybored

Try to remember what make and model your hire car is before going straight to a shopping mall after picking it up and then having to wander round many white cars pressing your key fob at them all.