Car Model Variants We Can’t Have In The UK

So many cool cars that the UK sadly can’t have…

BMW 1 Series Saloon

Made available in 2017, the BMW 1 Series saloon is exclusive to China (and Mexico from 2018) and boy do we wish it was sold in the UK. The first generation 1 Series was also available in both hatchback and coupe format, if you remember, and the coupe version sure was a beaut! Since then, the 2 Series has taken the place of the 1 Series coupe, or so we thought.

There is another. The 1 Series saloon (not coupe) has four doors, is front-wheel-drive and definitely looks the part! With a similar shape to the E90 3 Series but smaller, this compact saloon only comes with turbo petrol engines with the same underpinnings as the 2 Series Active Tourer. It was not sold in other markets because BMW thought it would reduce 3 Series sales, and they’re probably right.

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio manual

UK buyers of the Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio don’t have the privilege of feeling 503 hp through a manual transmission but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. To save costs, Alfa Romeo, unfortunately, made the decision to have right-hand-drive models available in automatic transmission only. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that but for those who love nothing more than shifting gears, it is a little disappointing.

Honda Crider

Sitting perfectly between the Civic and the Accord, the Crider is a very modern-looking compact saloon that looks a lot more expensive than it is. Sold for just 114,800 yuan in China (roughly £13,000 directly converted), the Crider is very basic with things like power steering and four disc brakes being used as selling points. 

If only such a cheap and stylish saloon was available in the UK.

Honda S660

The Honda S2000 was a fantastic roadster. It was affordable, rear-wheel-drive, convertible and plenty stylish which are all boxes also ticked on the Honda S660. Only sold in one country, with that lucky country being Japan, the S660 is not only all of the above but also mid-engined and despite sounding like the coolest car ever, we power-thirsty westerners may be disappointed when we learn it only has 63 horsepower.

Who cares, though? It’s stunning!

Kia Telluride

Like a Range Rover but probably more reliable, the Kia Telluride is a luxury SUV and although it may be FWD and have a 3.8L V6 producing a moderate 291 horsepower (naturally aspirated), it’s very stylish.

It’s big, it’s cool and it’s luxurious but most disappointingly, it’s not available in the UK.