That's the US mate. The high ways are made out of cement instead of tarmac since cement is more resistant to heat and last longer. When I test drove the E46 M3 over there, the ride felt a bit bumpy and slightly on the harsh side due to the hardness of the freeways. The GTI and E500 with sport suspension offered the best balance for the roads over there.

An automatic is a must, I had a manual Ford Escort over there and the traffic between the OC and LA was a nightmare with constant up and down shifting, and my hard clutch pedal didn't make matter better.

When I got back to Sweden after 4 months and drove her automatic it felt like I was a in paradise.