Willkommen from Frankfurt.
Driven reporter Colin Smith is in Germany ready for two Mazda news drops – the global launch of new CX-30 compact SUV and a chance to sample the production-ready SkyActiv-X engine. Both are coming to New Zealand next year.
Tuesday has been a refresher session in left-hand-drive and drive-on-the-right motoring with a run from Frankfurt to Cologne for lunch and a quick look around the Rhine city.
The Germans (and most of Europe) are breathing a sigh of relief as the recent heatwave has eased. It still was hot here yesterday (29degC) while my 33-hour jet-lag was dulled but the locals are relieved a stretch of mid-to-high 30degC days have come to an end. So am I.
The Cologne trip was made in a new Mazda3 with a vehicle swap and return stint in the always lovable MX-5 RF. The majority of the mileage on the autobahn.
I was an autobahn virgin with the goal of fitting in rather than setting records. Within a few minutes I was on the learning curve of autobahn etiquette.
Trucks in the right-hand lane, most of the regular traffic in the centre and really fast-moving stuff rocketing past your left shoulder. There’s a wow factor the first time you’re skimming past the trucks at 140km/h and an Audi RS6 or Benz-AMG blasts past nudging a double tonne.
It sounds mad but there’s order to it. No passing on the inside, look along way ahead, watch (all) your mirrors and pay attention because there are just as many 100 and 120km/h zones as open sections.
The contrast to New Zealand isn’t really the speed but the driving.
It drove home to me that a big part of the road safety problem we have in New Zealand is too many drivers wrongly assume that a speed limit assures them safety. Happy in that knowledge their attention drifts elsewhere.
The Germans are on the throttle, alert to potential dangers and realise that driving well is a matter of survival. Kiwis are along for the ride and the Germans are actually driving.
I indicated right, exited onto some minor roads for the last part of the run to our hotel and was left very impressed with the autobahn experience.
PS, Driven is at the front end of the CX-30 and SkyActiv-X global press programme running over the next 10 days or so. To give all regions a fair shot at reporting, we’re subject to an embargo which lifts on Monday July 15.