An American Perspective on Driving in Canada

[rh77]

OK -- I just got back from Calgary/Banff for a nice vacation with the wife and get some Winter activities in (and I love to visit Canada). So, Canadians, feel free to chime-in if my observations are off or if you'd like to add comments. (For Americans unfamiliar with Calgary and Banff, it's in the Candian Rocky Mountains and is similar to Denver and the surrounding mountain towns. Really breathtaking scenery and friendly people. The province (state) of Alberta is known for oil production, and is a vital link in the rail transport of wheat grown in the Central Provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the ports on the West Coast and back East). There are many National Parks, and abundant wildlife. Anyways, back to the cars...

This is what I noticed:

* The number one thing I noticed was the Acura 1.7 EL. For Americans, this is the previous generation Honda Civic with Acura goodies. This would be the perfect car that my wife and I have been looking for. Since they got rid of the Integra 4-door when the RSX came-in, we we're stuck with the expensive TSX. Something else I noticed -- didn't see a single Acura TSX up there. Do they even sell it, or is the EL its replacement?

* The following cars also unavailable in the US: The CR-V sized Nissan X-Trail, a number of Kia-clones (like the Chevy Aveo 5-door's twin the Suzuki Swift+).

* A random sampling of non-rental local cars parked along the street had the plug dangling for the engine block heater in 80% of the cars noticed (for the record the rental Chrysler 300 had a plug).

* Speed and red-light cameras are legal. In the 'States, this is of course an infraction against our civil liberties, but there you have to watch it. Out in the country the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police -- their noble steeds these days are Impalas and Crown Vics) weren't around all that often until the weekend. This is the National Police force, and could be the equivalent of a "State Trooper". Even still, I didn't feel comfortable driving over 5 km/h, so I played it safe. Most of the time it was snowing anyway.

* I don't know if this was a Canadian thing or a Chrysler thing, but the cruise control was on this ill-placed stalk next to the turn signal/wiper stalk on the left-hand side of the wheel. I had the toughest time getting used to how to work the darned thing, and it would get in the way of signalling. Speaking of which, Daimler Chrysler stole the tap-blinker system from BMW where you tap the blinker and it blinks 3 times (frankly I would've preferred 5, which is what I use to change lanes).

* Ah the metric system. I was getting used to the temperature numbers, but 60 km/h seemed pretty slow (which is like 35 mph). 110 was the limit out on the open road, which is close to 70 mph. The biggest hit was gas prices. We paid an average of 90-cents per liter which is the equivalent of $3.41/Gallon (in Canadian Dollars, and roughly $3.07/Gallon in U.S. dollars). That's pretty expensive -- I can see why fuel efficiency could be a big deal. Public transit is available in a wide variety of locations, which can take the stress off of that part of one's budget. Lots of folks walked or hitched rides.

* Daytime Running Lamps have been required for quite a while. On our car, if you signalled, the DRL on that side of the car would shut off while you signal. Also, I'm a big advocate of the side-marker turn signal indicator -- you know that little yellow oval light on the fender -- also very common there. That way you can see people merging if they are a lane away, but next to you.

* Hondas and Acuras were super common. If I wanted a used 2005 1.7EL, would it be possible to import it to the U.S.?

* (off topic) Again, the people were great and very helpful. Individual culture seemed to co-exist with other cultures instead of the U.S.' "Melting-Pot" mentality where you must assimilate. Now I can't speak for Quebec, though, that's a different story. They don't like me there too much. For the citizenry, the enviroment seemed to be on their minds - recycling, clean water and air, and preservation of natural habitat was evident, which I applaud.

That's all I have for now. I really don't know what I'm going to do to report the rental car in my Fleet Analysis Thread, as lots of Mountain driving, snowy road conditions, and slow-speed wildlife spotting took place. In closing, I think that Canadians displayed a genine pride for their Country and made us feel welcome. Thanks to all (especially the snowmobile instructor that got me out of a snowbank when I took a turn too fast and ditched it) for making the trip enjoyable.

RH77