Funny the reason we decided not to go for forward with the X1 was the opposite of your reasoning. With live in a rural area but it’s all 2 lanes with lots of pot holes. The Touraeg rides beautifully over broken surfaces. The X1 had the M pack with 20’ wheels that I felt wouldn’t have handle the conditions as well as the VW.
I did Iove the way the X1 drove though and may consider buying it as our second car.
I think it’s the big difference between Oz and UK. Space is a premium over here.
Once or twice when approached by vans in the Toureg I thought here goes the wing mirrors. X1 was nicely compact.
The Toureg was a bit much as I had the one with central locking and rear locking diffs. I only ever went on cricket outfields in it. 
I know that feeling I drove a E Class around Devon a few years ago and felt the same. Every time an another car or truck passed we breathed in and closed our eyes.
My strong recommendation to anyone renting a car on a trip over here, is to get something small (VW Polo/Mini - just about), as most of the car parking spots are sized for cars from ~40 years back. And driving the country lanes of Devon and other similar counties can be a recipe for ‘additional hire costs’ a.k.a. unavoidable scratches, especially when tractors are coming the other way.
p.s. and don’t hire at the airport unless you have to, as the costs can be multiples of what you pay for local hire, obviously being mindful of the need to attest driver status for insurance et al.
Funny we had a smaller car arranged but they upgraded us to the Merc, silly thought whoopie on the freeway heading down.
We went to Devon on holiday the year before last in a Volvo XC90 
Managed to get the surround parking warnings (on the dash and with noises) going full pelt on both sides at the same time on many occasions
Have a friend with a Mercedes coupe , which I have promised myself I will never ride in again - simply because mobility was such an issue.
That was before the horrors of the last four weeks
I am so glad that when I chose my Suzuki Ignis access and mobility were high on my priorities
Ironically, one of the cars you do see down there is a Jimny with beefy tyres. Perfect for the narrow lanes, mud, potholes, tucking into passing spaces etc!
Definitely better suited to those narrow lanes, apparently you guys can only get them as a van (no back seat). But I don’t see that as a worry as our back seat is permanently filed away, there’s hardly enough room for a 5 year old.
They have just released a 4 door version which apparently has a little more leg room but they didn’t increase the engine size.
That’s right. It may be due to emissions or taxes but it definitely has a following in the UK and it’s one of those vehicles that looks like it ‘does exactly what it says on the tin’.
Left my PC running some folder swaps overnight and when browsing some of the files I came across an old film roll I’d forgotten about. In among the images was a shot of my 2nd ST220. Still my favourite car I’ve owned. Bought new and kept it for 11 years!
If they started making them again today, exactly as was (but with a SatNav) I’d buy one.
Why? Just collected this Skoda Octavia Estate 1.5 SEL this afternoon. 3 years old, low mileage and lots of toys!
steve
That’s the sort of practical car that appeals to me!
Indeed. And perfect for transporting model railway layouts to exhibitions. 
steve
Really like Skoda’s from rental experiences in Europe. Unfortunately, not available here in the U.S
Interesting, what scale.
I have four. Two of the three 4mm are OO and the other is EM. There is also a US based one in 3.5mm/HO scale.
steve
