Top 10 European Cars We Wish We Had

The JDM cars that aren’t allowed to cross the Pacific are pretty famous but are there some European cars that we wish we could drive in the US but can’t?

Sometimes, it feels like America is too regulated. In the automotive world, this feeling comes anytime you see a cool car or truck that you want to drive but can’t because of regulations in the United States. Sure, you can wait the prescribed 25 years before shipping these cars to America, but who wants to wait that long? With that in mind, we have ten cars driven around Europe we wish were allowed to be used on American roads.

Vauxhall Astra

Europe is covered in hot hatches, while America is where these cars tend to come to die. That said, we love small European hatchbacks that offer exciting performance figures and lots of fun. The Vauxhall Astra is affordable and nimble on any road. It might not be the flashiest car on the list, but it’s a lot of fun and worthy of our attention. We wish this car could make the crossing to America to release some freedom on our wide open roads.

Fiat Panda

Who wouldn’t love a little car that has the Panda name on it? This is one of the most affordable and active European cars that we would love to have in America. This small vehicle includes a 4WD option and is one of the most popular cars in Europe. The Panda has an anti-whiplash headrest, and it gives you the benefits of the Uconnect infotainment system. The Panda could be the perfect addition to city dwellers that love to go out for some fun on the trails occasionally.

Renault Megane R.S.

The Renault Megane R.S. looks mostly like a typical four-door hatchback, but it’s made for the race track. This car uses hydraulic compression to act like a second shock absorber at each wheel, giving you the handling desired when you find some wonderful winding roads. Just imagine taking a car made for an insane performance through the narrow roads of the Appalachian Mountains or through the Rockies, where the driving performance of this car matches the fun of these insane roads.

Dacia Duster

The Dacia Duster is affordable and packed with desirable features, making it one of the most sought-after European cars by American right now. Of course, those of us that want to drive the car has to make the flight across the Atlantic to enjoy the fun. The Duster has multiple cameras, and hill-start assist to help you be safer out on the road. Could we somehow convince Dacia to bring the affordable Duster to the United States? Maybe, but would it remain as affordable as it is in Europe?

Leon Cupra R

Here’s another relatively ordinary hatchback that packs a huge punch. There are some impressive styling features for the Leon Cupra R, including carbon fiber and copper, but the real joy is under the hood. This limited edition vehicle packs a punch with 310 horsepower that rockets this car to impressive speeds to give owners the desired fun. Add heated seats and a BeatsAudio system to the mix, and you’ve got a car that’s made to be driven for many miles at a time. Too bad we can’t have it in America.

Nissan Qashqai

The Nissan Qashqai looks like it belongs in the American Nissan lineup, but the brand has held it back from coming to America since it first arrived in the market. To be fair, the Nissan lineup of SUVs is pretty extensive, which means this model might be left out, but it would be nice if Nissan let us decide for ourselves. This model contains a Bose sound system which is one of the best in the market, giving us systems we want and plenty to love but can’t have it.

Citroen C3

The Citroen C3 is a gorgeous small hatchback with lots of curves and colors to make your eyes dance across this car. There are even a few square bumps to make things even more interesting. The various color combinations offered by Citroen for this car make us want to see it on roads in the United States, but we tend to turn our backs on the small cars we already have. If we can’t love the Civic or Corolla as much as we should, why would Citroen bring us the C3?

Peugeot 3008 SUV

The Peugeot 3008 SUV is great for families, but this company only sells vehicles in the European market. The roof is made entirely of glass, offing incredible views of the mountains and sky while driving to the next fun destination. Unfortunately for Americans, this SUV isn’t ready to make the journey across the Atlantic anytime soon. For now, we have to be happy with the SUVs that we have in the United States.

Skoda Fabia

This Czech car is made for some fun. It comes in a variety of attractive spring colors, which would be a welcome change in our sea of black, white, gray, and tan vehicles in the United States. This is a little car with a lot of fun built into it, making it a great choice when going out with your friends. Unfortunately, it’s another of the European cars that we can only drool over and wish was here in the United States, even though it might never make its way here.

Mercedes-Benz Unimog

If the Mercedes-Benz Unimog made it to the United States, there would be a long line of people throwing their money at this machine. This big brute is made to handle the roughest and toughest terrain, and it can be one of the best European cars that won’t make the trip to the North American market. Imagine how much the Unimog could dance around the variety of Jeeps we love on our trails right now. If you want a vehicle that shows true power and force on the trails, the Unimog is the right choice, but we’ll never have it in America.

Are there other European cars that you feel should be on this list? What are some of the models that are limited to the old continent that we don’t get to enjoy in the United States?