Autoahn Impressions - Skoda, Scirocco, Mercedes Drivers

I've formed a few new impressions about German Autos and their drivers.

• A few months ago, I started to notice Skoda autos more and more. They are so conservatively styled that I they are actually pretty cool. The Octavia reminds me of BMWs from 10 years ago (without the kidney-shaped front grills). The Fabia is a practical looking hatchback, without resorting to the cube-on-wheels-look that has become so omnipresent.
  
  Later, I learned that Skoda was owned by VW and make in the Czech Republic. I also found there are a lot of Germans that swear by them. In fact, the magazine for the German version of AAA recently rated the automakers selling cars in Germany and Skoda came in forth, just ahead of the parent company VW. BMW was first, narrowly beating out Audi. Mercedes was third.
  
  
• VW reintroduced the Scirocco in 2008. The original was produced between 1974-1981. The second edition between 1982 and 1992 is what I remember. It was a low-profile, sleek, athletic version of the Rabbit. People that had one loved it.
  
  For me, the new Scirocco looks more like a muscle car. It retains the low-profile, but it bulges out at on the sides. It just doesn't have the appeal that the previous version had.
  
  
  
• There are a couple of unwritten rules about driving in Germany. One of these is
  
  
  
  

  "Mercedes drivers have different rules than the rest of us."

  
  I cannot tell you the number of times that we have been behind a Mercedes driver that was doing something stupid. Last Monday while riding the bus, the bus suddenly came to a stop. Fortunately no one was hurt, but people did have trouble keeping their feet. The reason for the abrupt stop, a Mercedes driver had backed out from a side street onto one of Koblenz's major streets without looking. Not only that, this same driver did exactly the same thing on the other side of the street less than 5 minutes later.
  
  Another time, we were following an A-Klasse at 130 km/hour when the driver suddenly put on the brakes and slowed to 70. This was .5 km before the beginning of her and out exit. Once she reached the exit, 70 was too fast for her, so she slowed down to 30. Speed limit was 60, it was still daylight and there was no rain or snow.
  
  I have wondered why this is. One possibility I came up with is the the current Mercedes are mostly about the safety of their cars. Malcolm Gladwell wrote in one of his essays, “Human beings have a seemingly fundamental tendency to compensate for lower risks in one area by taking greater risks in another.” We have certainly seen this in a number of recent events.
  
  
• The corollary to the above, now-written rule is another previously unwritten rule
  
  
  
  

  People driving a Mercedes cannot be passed by people driving cars from other makers.

  It doesn't matter what class of Mercedes we pass in our 2002 Mazda 323, within 5 minutes, that Mercedes will pass us again. To be honest, Mercedes drivers are not the only ones that this corollary applies to. BMW and big Audi (A6 and above) also do not like the idea of a Mazda passing them.