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This is probably because it is considered that manual transmissions are more fuel efficient than automatics and when you have petrol ("gasolene" for the USians) at $10+ a gallon this is very important.
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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I don't think it is, it's always been that way even when petrol costs were a very small factor. It's more that our roads require good usage of the gears, and until recently (2005? 2000 at best) automatics were really very bad at selecting the right gear at the right time. In contrast, in the Americas (and Australia) you have wide straight flat roads where you need to be in the same gear for 300 miles, and then towns, where you need to trundle between traffic lights and having to manage a clutch and gears is inconvenient.
In Britain in particular we've also got a cultural tradition of driving for fun (see all the sports cars that we used to be famous for making for concrete evidence of that). That's probably a result of the same thing, our curved and varying roads. It's impossible to have fun in an automatic.
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Quote: It's impossible to have fun in an automatic
Depends on the girl...
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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You beat me to it. 
The report of my death was an exaggeration - Mark Twain
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
I'm on-line therefore I am.
JimmyRopes
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I learned to drive on a diesel farm tractor with a hydrostatic ground drive, so maybe that's why I don't use the parking brake at the light, even with a manual shift.
But yes, as far as I know, sitting at the light with a foot on the brake, is how most people are taught in North America. All automatics, and all older column shift cars and light trucks had the 'parking brake' cable connected to a foot pedal. Few of the older generation here ever used a handbrake.
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Because the agonizingly slow electric handbrake has become a thing.
You could also just not apply braking at 99% of the traffic lights, because they're not on hills.
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That's post hoc justification, people have been doing that particular bad habit for a lot longer than electric handbrakes. Which I would never trust with anything, by the way. A purely mechanical system as a failsafe is a really good thing (hence the old habit of leaving a car in gear when parked).
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BobJanova wrote: (hence the old habit of leaving a car in gear when parked).
My dad once left the car with no gear in. Sadly he forgot to pull the hand brake as well, resulting the car crashing into the garage wall. No harm to people done, but the incident cost him 1500.- on repair costs.
A ghost from the past. Known to others as "Linda".
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Who builds a garage on a slope? And enough of a slope to let a car run away to more than slight-dent-in-the-bumper speeds? 
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BobJanova wrote: slight-dent-in-the-bumper speeds?
I wasn't more than a slight dent in the bumper. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that he just finished unloading the car and still had the trunk open as the car rolled away 
A ghost from the past. Known to others as "Linda".
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Then I have an alternative question which is how does a slight dent in the bumper require four figures to fix? (Or even need fixing at all, for that matter ...)
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The dent in the bumper wasn't the problem - the problem was the demolished lid, which took the role of the bumper. The lid was almost completely destroyed, which took a four figures to fix since it wasn't really designed to act as bumper .
A ghost from the past. Known to others as "Linda".
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I'm still surprised replacing the lid cost that much. I spent $3xx a decade ago to replace a door; the lid might have twice as much sheet metal, but it doesn't have as many labor hungry fiddly bits to drive up the total repair cost, and light clusters shouldn't be that expensive. IIRC, I was quoted $60 to replace one that got scuffed up a few years ago.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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Dan Neely wrote: I spent $3xx a decade ago to replace a door;
You may be surprised at the price today.
The report of my death was an exaggeration - Mark Twain
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
I'm on-line therefore I am.
JimmyRopes
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People trying to shoehorn a garage onto a small property after the fact.
There's a house I drive by regularly where some lunatic decided to shoehorn a 1 car garage into a semi-buried basement by having a 1 car long micro-driveway that drops about 2 feet. I suspect it's totally unusable in winter. 
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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Quote: You could also just not apply braking at 99% of the traffic lights, because they're not on hills.
Most automatics will move on flat ground when in gear without the brake applied - which is the situation we are talking about.
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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I am tired of them bringing "world" market features to US cars.
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What? You mean you don't have fog in the USA? I beg to differ!
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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What like Proper Suspension? 240 HP from a 1.6 Litre? 6 Speed Manual Gearbox on the floor? Better Fuel Efficiency? Better Ride Comfort? Better Build Quality?
Seriously, I drove a Pontiac Grand Prix last time I was over there and it was like driving a whale with no sense of direction.
Big fat engine that produced no acceleration, went round corners reluctantly and bounced around like a kangaroo on a pogo stick, even on the few good roads in LA.
Gimme a Jag, a Beamer, an Audi or a Merc over anything made in the USA.
---------------------------------
Obscurum per obscurius.
Ad astra per alas porci.
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur .
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What are you talking about Dave everybody knows they don't have corners in the US.
When I was last in the US I hired a Mustang for the week that was good fun and even though I had to stop at every "Gas" station to fill it up it still cost lest than the weekly UK commute!
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We have corners in Alberta.
They surveyed a round Earth in square miles, so on north-south roads we have two corners at each 'correction line', except for the roads near the Meridian lines.
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Pontiacs of all varieties were discontinued.
BMW, Mini (BMW), Jaguar and Audi all rank below the industry average for reliability and they all rank below Ford, Chevy, Lincoln, Buick, and Ram. Based on your selections I'd guess the gal at the service desk at your local Audi dealer is really cute - you should be able to get her phone number by the 4th or 5th visit.
See Auto Reliability[^]
BTW, the very bottom of the list has Land Rover - which when it comes to reliability is approaching twice the number of problems per 100 vehicles as Chevrolet. At least we know why domestic makes really aren't an option for Brits.
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Maybe, although the survey you use was sponsored by the US automotive companies you mention... although I am sure there couldn't possibly be any bias. Surveys of this kind are always skewed by expectations. People expect the german cars to be perfect and so run complaining if there is any problem. On the other hand they expect Chevys to break down and have bits fall off so just don't say anything when this happens - it's just normal for US cars. This is why surveys of this kind can be skewed so badly. As for Landrover, they are very reliable except that the owners in the US push them to the limits all the time and expect them to be some kind of super rugged vehicle, which they are, but there are limits! Curiously, outside of the US, all of these cars are more reliable and the US vehicles are less... I wonder if we are only exporting the poor quality (Friday afternoon) ones that aren't good enough for the European market to the US?
For example, BMWs are supposed to be the uber-cars that never break down. I bought an old used one when I lived in Germany, drove it for six years both for extended high speed trips on the autobahns and also around town for the daily commute. In six years the only fault was when a Mercedes ran into the back of me and broke a tail light. It started every time both in sub-zero winters and hot summers. I drove up and down Austrian mountains and never had any problems or worries. Prior to that I owned an Audi in England; no problems the entire time. I and my wife also owned a total of three Fords in England, all three of which broke down more than once.
In the US, the most unreliable car I ever owned was a Pontiac. All others were Mitsubishis or Subarus, and worked great!
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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Just bought a Ford SUV: was a lot of car for the money with some great features and drives very nicely, thank you.
I've had a Jag and a BMW and driven the others (Mercedes and Audi reluctantly as I think they are overpriced piles of crap). Yes, they are great to drive (especially the Jag) but the roads here are very different from the UK and require a different car to survive.
BTW: the biggest negative on the Ford is a gas tank that only takes about 15 gallons on a vehicle that just about gets 22mpg on a good day. 
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair.
Those who seek perfection will only find imperfection
nils illegitimus carborundum
me, me, me
me, in pictures
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I am presuming you rented. I really don't understand why the rentals are so crap over here. However, cost is a factor in the States. We don't have unlimited money like the Europeans, at least as citizens, so we have to purchase a car that can do 200k miles and cost a relatively modest sum.
That said, I currently drive a 2014 BMW 550i and it is the nicest riding car I have ever had. Unfortunately, it is also the most expensive. The American options are definitely more value oriented. If the Fusion was RWD, had slightly better seats, and didn't have a touchscreen I would have probably gotten it instead.
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