This is why driving in the US and France is completely different

pulse

February 18, 2017 10:02 PM

Over last summer, I visited France, and it was the first I'd ever driven in the land of the Gauls.

Notice a trend?

Last year, I spent a few weeks in France.

It was far from the first time that I'd been there, but it was the first I'd ever driven in the land of the Gaul.

Intellectually, I knew it would both the same and different from driving in the US. For starters, in France, you drive on the right side of the road.

And I also knew that parking in Paris would be challenging, but that along the autoroutes outside the city, there would be convenient places to stop for snacks, coffee, or even a nice dinner.

I knew that the mix of vehicles on the roads would be different. As in: no big SUVs or pickups.

But wow, was I ever ill-prepared for one major difference.

Hatchbacks!

Hatchbacks to the left of me ...

... and hatchbacks to the right!

Hatchbacks! Hatchbacks! Hatchbacks! Everywhere!

So what's the deal with all the hatchbacks?

Hatchbacks — compact and subcompact hatches, especially — are to Europe what SUVs are the USA. Europeans want versatile cars, but they don't want em to be all that big, or to chug gas or diesel. (And yes, I acknowledge that some purists may accuse me of taking liberties here by calling small SUVs "hatchbacks" when the term properly describes more of a car-based vehicle.)

In fact, the Renault Captur I rented in France, while defined as a "subcompact crossover" and related to the Nissan Juke in the US, was one of the bigger hatches on the road.

At one point, I had the shocking experience of looking to my left and spotting beside me what I thought was a TRULY MASSIVE SUV!

It was a Honda CR-V.

Order was restored when I got home, however. On the ride home from the airport, I spotted no hatchbacks.

But the big SUVs, the really big ones, were back in force.

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