QOTD: Having European Dreams?

It’s a gearhead fantasy nearly as old as time itself. We know some vehicles offered around the world are not for sale here in this country, thanks to a myriad of safety and emission rules which are incomprehensibly different depending on where one lives. Not to mention the varying tastes and style preferences of the motoring public around the planet.

Doesn’t keep us from wanting what we can’t have, though. Is there a specific new car on sale today — but not available in this country — that gets your motor running?

The Peugeot 508 [s]sedan[/s] saloon shown above is not one of them, at least for this author. A car such as that is only desired by an individual with such a deep love of all thing French that they also keep garlic-flavored toothpaste in their medicine cabinet. But hey, at least it looks interesting.

This Fiat Fullback Cross is not an angry American football player, despite its name. Rather, it is a diesel powered, manually shifted quasi-pickup with power going to all four wheels. The interior looks alright as well and — again — four-wheel drive and manual transmission.

The Citroën showroom is a bit of a wasteland to these jaundiced eyes, but at least the micro-hatch C1 looks like something, as does the C3 Aircross. I’m just not sure what they look like. One definitely won’t lose them in a crowded parking lot.

Peugeot also serves up the tasty 308 GTi, powered by a 1.6-liter gasoline powered mill that cranks out 272 horsepower. A six-speed manual apparently keeps things on the boil. It is, however, decidedly not a 205 GTi from the ’80s. Nevertheless, we’re talking about new cars today. A 308 it is, then.

And this is without mentioning all manner of other European marques and the gear they get down in Australia. What brand-new car would you select from abroad?

[Images: PSA Group, Fiat]