Thursday 17th October 2013

Driving in USA 'not rubbish': PH Blog

Yes, there are corners on American roads - lots of 'em it turns out

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As you'll have gathered, I've been lucky enough to have been in the US driving Aston Martins. Someone had to, etc...

Even a bright yellow Aston pales against landscape

Now, there was the odd thing about being flown 11 hours across the Atlantic to drive a car built just over an hour away from where I live. Obviously the weather's better and Aston wanted to sell us the lifestyle dream as well as the car but a car launch in America can be a mixed blessing.

You'll probably have it in your head that American roads are a) all straight b) limited to 50mph and c) populated by people with short tempers and firearms at close hand, be they uniformed or just regular Joes. Either way, you don't want to be upsetting them.

There is truth in all of this, likewise the fact that much American driving involves either multi-lane highways or endless grid pattern crossroads, ruled by stoplights or signs. And where that Stateside obsession with quarter-mile standing starts suddenly makes sense, being that much suburban driving is pretty much that, repeated ad nausea.

Yep, lots of them on the test route

Thankfully somebody at Aston Martin got the map out, found some promising looking squiggles on the map in the mountains outside Palm Springs and directed us up there on what turned out to be one of the best launch routes I have ever had the pleasure of driving. 'Epic' is a much overused adjective but one I think is justifiably unleashed in this instance.

The build-up was exactly as described. Dull interstate. Lots of stoplights. Yawn. And then, without warning, gradients increased, traffic disappeared and we were on the most amazing road I've ever driven. Huge, awe inspiring landscape. Corner after corner after corner, punctuated by rocky canyons the better for enjoying some reflected V12 blare. Some of the tarmac was choppy but much of it was brilliantly smooth, the fierce cambers sucking you into the turn before flipping you the other way as the road reversed on itself, space on either side meaning you could happily leave the DSC in Track mode and allow yourself room to, ah, breathe. Funny how many of the corners seemed to have two black lines on the exit after the British party had completed the route too.

Views a distraction, drops focus attention

Speed limits? Um, yes, there were some. Aircraft enforced too, or so the signs would have it. Thankfully not by Hellfire toting Predator drones, though if they had been PH would possibly be recruiting for a new editor and Aston would be down one V12 Vantage S from its press demo fleet.

And what of the fellow road users? Sparse in number and unfailingly polite and generous when encountered. Appear on someone's bumper in a snarling Aston Martin and invariably within two or three corners they'd indicate, pull over and let you through, seemingly happy for you to fill your boots. No aggro, no finger waving or tutting, just a sense they're happy to mind their own business and let you do the same, even if that happens to be at double the speed. Try that in the UK and see how far you get.

A couple of colleagues did encounter Johnny Law and I'm glad I didn't. Though it'd have been an interesting conversation if it had happened while I was trying to keep up with Dr Bez down the roller coaster back road he'd just found and wanted to share with us. "Is this your car sir?" "Nein, but I run the company..."

I'll plot the route and share it as a My Dream Drive in due course but consider me a convert to the American dream. At least when it comes to the driving.

Dan

 

 

 

 

[Raven Flyer]

I was in Cali in Sept and drove Hwy 1 from San Fran to Santa Barbara. Admittedly my rental PoS did not reward as much as an Aston would have done but the road was just heaven. Hardly any 'straights', but enough to pass slower cars, no plod and the best view from any road, ever!

[dublet]

And if you see any speed cameras, you just shoot 'em with your gun. Yeehaw.

[djmx5]

Toured Northern California in the 1990's, north to Sacramento, through the Sierra Nevada, the Tioga Pass and down into Yeosemeti and Sequoia National Parks. Fab Roads but crap cars. I had a big Chevy something or other with a v8, my cast iron bath handled better, but the views are to die for.

[Schnellmann]

Given how big the US is, it isn't surprising that they do have some good roads. However, all depends where you live as to how far they are away. Not much good if your "local" good roads are the equivalent distance from London to the Alps!

I've driven a fair amount in Conneticut and New York and didn't come across many decent roads there. However, with most of the hire cars I've been given there it wouldn't really have mattered, had I found one!

[loudlashadjuster]

"Canyons", the US equivalent of "twisties", although how that works out for Florida, Louisiana etc. I'm not sure.

[Hudson]

Drove a Shelby GT500 in Vegas last week, Straight roads were a blessing with 662bhp on tap

[jamespink]

Call that work!

[blueroom]

Just got back from a two week road trip through California, Arizona and Nevada (in a rented Camaro). I would agree that some of the roads are indeed 'epic', you just need to do your homework and hunt them out. The Angeles Crest Highway is an awesome stretch of road and as for the Artists Drive in Death Valley; well you've got to see it to believe it.

[tram50]

djmx5 said:

Toured Northern California in the 1990's, north to Sacramento, through the Sierra Nevada, the Tioga Pass and down into Yeosemeti and Sequoia National Parks. Fab Roads but crap cars. I had a big Chevy something or other with a v8, my cast iron bath handled better, but the views are to die for.

I have to agree about the Tioga Pass into Yosemite, just fantastic driving. Last year we did 2 week road trip and one day was a drive from Death Valley to Yosemite - you could never see the scenery change so much in 250 miles in the UK.

Another great road is Route 9 out of Zion National Park. Following a big V8 though the mile long tunnel was heaven!

You can't beat an American road trip

[FisiP1]

The road up to Sequoia National Park in California is one for the brave, but can easily match any of the technical mountain passes in the Alps/Pyrenees if you find a quiet time. There is also some good driving in Yosemite, a bit less technical and more flowing than Sequoia but rewarding in a quick car.

Hocking Hills state park in Ohio is good too, some of the US mags do their road test videos there; I enjoyed driving there a great deal but it makes you realize that the Americans don't mind sharp dips/rises/tightening radius turns.. something you almost never find in Europe and thus more challenging than most people realize.

[Andrew[MG]]

Raven Flyer said:

I was in Cali in Sept and drove Hwy 1 from San Fran to Santa Barbara. Admittedly my rental PoS did not reward as much as an Aston would have done but the road was just heaven. Hardly any 'straights', but enough to pass slower cars, no plod and the best view from any road, ever!

Just did LA to SF in a Mustang convertible and it was epic. I didn't realise before going that the roads would be quite as good as they were.

[belleair302]

Down in Florida the only corners I have ever seen are either at Daytona or Sebring. The roads are all grids, with few hills or features. Very dull. North Carolina or West Virginia offer more but they are 12 or more hours away. More to do on a boat here than in a car.

[macdeb]

Andrew[MG] said:

Raven Flyer said:

I was in Cali in Sept and drove Hwy 1 from San Fran to Santa Barbara. Admittedly my rental PoS did not reward as much as an Aston would have done but the road was just heaven. Hardly any 'straights', but enough to pass slower cars, no plod and the best view from any road, ever!

Just did LA to SF in a Mustang convertible and it was epic. I didn't realise before going that the roads would be quite as good as they were.

did the same drive in '99 and there is a road sign outside Carmel that says bends for next 74 miles. Have a picture of it in my garage, epic.

[r1ch]

Not long got back from the PH USA Dream tour with the guys at petrolhead nirvana. Some seriously epic roads off the interstates!

[RenesisEvo]

I read Catchpole's great piece on driving that car on those roads last night, it was good to see that you can find some challenging roads in the US, as a US road trip firmly remains on my bucket list.

[cavebloke]

Back to school with you. Not paying attention in latin!!!

ad nausea ad nauseam

[anonymous-user]

Hmmmmm. Yes there are some decent roads but you really have to travel literally 100's (or even 1000's of miles in my case) to them to use them. Normal road driving, especially in the south, is utterly horrible. I'd argue till I was blue in the face that California state highway 1 is pretty but crap as a driving road but that's all down to ones definition of a driving road.

What a lot of ex. pats don't appreciate (me included when I first came over) is that there is a points system for traffic violations. I thought you pay your fine and then you're free to speed again. Yes, you can hoon around and you're less likely to get caught as there are very few speed cameras but if you do get caught the punishment is pretty harsh. Insurance is expensive here, there's no no-claims-bonus, and points double the cost easily if not more. A worryingly large proportion of cars on US roads are not insured because its too expensive. Sometimes a speed cop will take one look at your UK drivers license and wave you on not wanting the paperwork hassles or alternatively you might get escorted to the police station and sit for hours while you are processed as was the case when I was caught speeding in the lower regions of Texas.

There are also fun things like taking a defensive driving course that gets you off, or the 'deferred' option where you promise not to do it again and get let off providing you don't reoffend in 3 months. All sounds great but if you get caught speeding as often as I do (at least once a year) you find that these options are necessary, not nice to haves. Why do i get caught so often? Well, if you drive from my house in Houston to the nearby beach its about 40 miles. In that 40 miles the speed limit goes from 30 to 60 to 40 to 45 to 50 to 55 to 20 to... etc. and this is one long straight road! The local towns control the speed limits so they are all over the place. Even the locals know its deliberately difficult so as to generate local income. Its very difficult as a foreigner to always be at the right speed and you just get caught out. Or at least I do anyway.

Sorry for the rant but coming over for a week or so and driving a select few roads is about as clear and indication of US roads and driving habits as going to the south bank of London for a few days and saying that you understand England. This isn't a country for driving; its for burgers and steaks and entertainment complexes and sunshine and health facilities and low tax and... burgers.

[hwajones]

Also did California this year...
No end of good driving roads, especially from San Fran - Santa Barbara - L.A.
No speed guns that we seen!

Plenty of motorways also but we only used these to make up-time

[anonymous-user]

I lived in the US for years and visited many states and without a single exception every good twisty road I ever drove had a crushingly low speedlimit (like 30mph), cops everywhere, no overtaking and was congested with wallowing SUV's, crappy pickups and dirt cheap econoboxes. With the exception of the often spectacular views the complete opposite of a trip to the Alps. In a country that big there must be some good roads but I've never found them.

[2010GT3]

blueroom said:

Just got back from a two week road trip through California, Arizona and Nevada (in a rented Camaro). I would agree that some of the roads are indeed 'epic', you just need to do your homework and hunt them out. The Angeles Crest Highway is an awesome stretch of road and as for the Artists Drive in Death Valley; well you've got to see it to believe it.

Angeles Crest Highway