From my experience in California.

In Sweden we have two lanes (sometimes three but very rare) in US there is like 4-6 lanes and the traffic is faster and traffic jams do happen. The traffic rythm is nothing compared to Sweden. In Sweden it is much slower so it was kinda chock to drive in the US for the first time.
I now understand why Americans love Automatic gearboxes and I can understand why they rather be driving an automatic than a manual.

And I must complain on the roads in US. Most roads are just horrible. They arent smooth, its uneven and bumby.
I perfectly understand why people over there prefer a soft suspension instead of a stiff suspension. Owning a sportcar in US might not be an good idea as a everyday car.

Im very thankful to live in Sweden. Better roads and much smoother and in better shape. Here a car with sportsuspension isnt much of a problem. I wonder how it would be like driving my babybimmer in US, manual and M-sport suspension. Perhaps not as pleasent as in Sweden.

You've pretty much hit the nail right on the head.

I can just tell from photos that European roads are much better. Our roads are terrible in comparision in all but the most exclusive places. In and around big cities you can forget about it, most roads are either under repair or need or repair.

Trust me I have have the bent rims (currently) to prove it. I'm so sick oh having to buy new rims, file insurance to get them to do it, or trying to have bent rims straightened out. This from a person who avoids hitting anything resembling a bump or pothole, yet it still happens.

When at the dealer this week there were several other Benzes with bent rims. From CLSs to one new S65 AMG. Not sure what I'm going to do this time around since these AMG wheels cost considerably more than the wheels on my last car.


M

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.

Must be a nightmare driving a manual car in San Fransisco. The city isnt exactly flat. Uphills and downhills

However, with the taxes in Sweden being what they are, I would expect the roads to be paved with gold!

Word! Considering the sick amounts of money we give to the state for road tax, 25% on the car and the petrol tax we do serve roads only Sheiks are worthy off. How are you liking them roads in New Zeeland? Here in London the roads a pretty alright even though roads works takes ages to be finalized, the road workers here are really sloooooooow.

Roads here are not always great ...despite high taxes.

You are right about workers being slow in England .....everything takes forever!

Going South out of Las Vegas on the I15 the grooves in the cement are so big the cars swerve all over the place, very hard to keep the car straight in some sections.
Many freeways are made of cement sections originally 12 feet long, but they found out repetitive noise from going over the joints was putting people to sleep, they now very the length between 12 and 17 feet.
There is a four way intersection between highway 58 and 395, both roads are asphalt and traveled by a lot of semi trucks. As you get to the intersection the semi trucks brake hard and press into the road. The tire cause channels in the road about four inches deep and on either side the asphalt is pushed up a few more inches. You must pay attention or you might bottom out.

Well there is reason really. Look at the US on the map then look at Sweden.

There are 3,974,100 miles of road in the US. Thats a lot of road to keep in top notch shape with government money. Where as Sweden has 263,030 miles of road plus you guys produce a lot of tax money.

As to width wise, well there are simply A LOT more cars in the US than in most other countries. Not to mention most cities here suffer from suburban sprawl, where each home has at least two cars that they use to go everywhere all the time. Also most cities other than the very largest(NYC, Chicago, LA, Boston, Seattle, San Diego) do not have a effective established mass transit(light rail, subway, streetcar, etc...) system that most of Europe has.

Also, quality of roads vary by state. Some states have much better roads than others. Florida for example ... when I lived in Miami, the CD in my car never skipped until i moved to the Washington DC area. (DC has some of the worst roads) Maryland, where i actually live is not so bad.