Guten Tag - Germany 2026

Guten Tag! Hello people and how are we all doing? I hope you had a good weekend whatever the plans were. Seems a bit strange putting a post out midweek but here we are. Was a hectic weekend and of course the S3 threw another tantrum and demanded for money to be spent on it.

So, other than the usual things that seem to happen on a weekly basis, let’s get into the actual point of today’s post. So this one is inspired by my recent trip to Germany, and although it was a short trip and not my first time in Germany, this trip was different.

So what exactly was different? Well first of all my experience of Germany before this was limited to Berlin, and when it came to the cars of Berlin it was a a collection of sophisticated supercars and generic traffic. Where this time I was heading to a more rural and traditional German town that probably wasn’t going to have an exotic car scene. But in all honesty, that is what I wanted. I wanted to see the more common cars and see how the Germans do it in comparison to all of us in the UK.

So getting started we land into Germany and go pick up the hire car, and we are greeted with a sophisticated 318i estate that was very tasty indeed, perfect for the hours drive we had to get to where we would be staying. No complaints so far. On initial arrival it was around 9pm, so it was dark and not much could be seen of the other traffic on the road, but it was the next day where I finally got a glimpse of the more everyday traffic that embraces the streets.

Initial greetings took me by surprise, I know I said I wasn’t expecting anything too exotic but a rather bright Verde Mantis M3 definitely started this trip off right. A rare BMW individual colour that might not be to everyone’s taste but certainly the owner knew this when picking a silly priced optional paint choice from factory. Then thinking that would be all, I look to my right and noticed a stealthy looking GT3 Touring that contradicted the M3 in terms of its minimalist exterior but we all know the engine that hides beneath its bodywork is anything but discreet. At this point I thought, maybe all these Germans are onto something and somehow all own crazy performance cars. But obviously that’s just premature thinking and this was only the start of the trip.

Now I’ll admit, the rest of the trip to some people might have been a little boring in terms of what cars were spotted. But to me the more everyday cars were what I wanted to see. Starting off with plenty of Golf’s, in all models but it was most easy to tell that they loved a GTI. And why not, it’s such a capable car, from the MK5s to the latest MK8.5s, I spotted quite a few, it was nice to see the varied looks and ways they made them their own. Even with the stricter rules on what they can do to their cars, they still make an effort to make the car a bit more personal. Not only were there plenty of VWs but the other German manufacturers were out in force too, it was certainly easy to tell they support the home brands. From some rather fancy old school Mercedes to the latest BMWs, and everything in-between too.

Overall my trip to Germany came with a rather surprising look into German car culture, and although it was from a distance, it still gave me plenty to think about when it comes to the S3. Taking inspiration from the less is more approach of the Germans, I’m definitely going to apply it where I can. If you’ve not been to Germany and have the opportunity, I would hugely recommend it, whether you go to the Nurburgring and experience possibly heaven on earth for car guys and girls, or maybe you go somewhere more lowkey to enjoy a more understated trip. I’m sure the cars will surprise you.

On that note it’s time to wrap this up, the trip as a whole was short lived as I only visited for 2 days, it’s made me want to get back over there and head to Nurburg to enjoy a more car focused trip. Even if that means leaving the S3 at home. So I can definitely say I will be heading back at some point. For the whole trip I’ve got to give a big shout out to Ste and Dennis for welcoming me with open arms and the hospitality whilst I was visiting. Oh and of course the Mrs for putting up with my nonsense for the trip.

Got some S3 bits coming up that’s gonna take the blog back to its roots and be a little more informative I hope. Until then though, as always, enjoy the ride.

E.