Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Germany’s Autobahn, Which Is Overrated

The Autopian has just been featured on a fantastic news report by CNBC. The video dives into Germany’s fascinating highway system known as the Autobahn — a glass-smooth system of roads with sections that have no top speed restriction. The only road of its kind on earth, the Autobahn has become legendary among auto enthusiasts, but I contend that it’s a bit overrated. Let’s dive into it.

In large part, I’m writing this because I want to show off some of the love The Autopian has been getting. A few months ago I was on Fox News, then I was in the New York Times, and now I’m on CNBC (plus Matt was on A More Perfect Union and Thomas was on NPR) — all thanks to you, dear readers, for helping turn this place from a boutique outlet into a real automotive publication.

I’m also sharing this to support Robert Ferris, the journalist who reached out to me about his piece on the Autobahn, because I think he did a bang-up job. See for yourself:

The piece starts with a bit history, noting that the Autobahn started before World War II, but really grew during the war not to transport troops and equipment as most people think, but largely as a bit of propaganda. Indeed, few Germans even had cars back in the 1930s and 1940s, as Ferris notes. “The Autobahn’s real potential was as propaganda,” he says.

“They wanted to build sort of a futuristic mega-project — something that would lend itself to talking about the regime as a modern, forward looking regime,” University of Maryland Professor of History Thomas Zeller mentions in the piece.

Though there was a speed limit during World War II to keep fuel use down, and though that speed limit stuck around after the war (by which time 2,500 miles of the “Bundesautobahn” had been built), in 1952 things changed. “There’s this bizarre Cold War moment when German lawmakers argue that being a free citizen — someone who is not living in a totalitarian dictatorship — has to be able to drive as fast as the want,” Zeller says.

In fact, the repot says that in 1952 Parliament ditched all speed limits throughout Germany; this went about as well as you expect. It was a shitshow, especially in towns, which is why the decision was quickly reversed — at least, everywhere except on Autobahns.

The real growth of the Autobahn — which translates to “auto rail” — happened in the 1960s to the 1980s, when West Germany became an affluent, consumer-based consumer-society. This is when people started owning cars, and today, Germany’s Autobahn is over 8000 miles long.

Not all of it is unregulated; 40% has some kind of regulation, with much of that regulation being dynamic (i.e. varying based on conditions). There is still a “recommended speed limit” — called the “Richtgeschwindigkeit” — of abut 130 kMh (81 mph). This is basically the speed above which, if you get into a crash, you may face some amount of liability (i.e. you might have to pay for a percentage of repairs if you crash while doing 180 kMh).

CNBC’s Robert Ferris even reached out to Mercedes’ Director of Chassis systems, who provided some very German Engineer-y commentary about how vehicles are developed to handle the Autobahn, specifically in terms of energy use. He mentions that drag goes up with the square of velocity, which is why at high speeds, aerodynamic design is critical. He also notes that the Autobahn is not a video game — a car should offer “Relaxed cruising” at these high speeds.

Much of the video talks about why other countries, like the U.S., don’t offer an unrestricted freeway. There’s mention of Germany’s absurdly well-maintained roads (which are often under construction), Germany’s strict licensing requirements (you have to be 18 to get a license and you have to pass expensive and rigorous tests), Germany’s strict lane discipline (no passing on the right!), Germany’s tough vehicle inspection system (TÜV — see below), the fact that Germans don’t drive nearly as much as Americans (they have great public transportation), and on and on.

Finally, the report mentions the controversy in Germany about whether to keep the unrestricted Autobahn or to impose a speed limit. There’s great input by my friend Andreas Jüngling, who notes that fuel use won’t really drop that far if you impose a 130 kMh limit. Ferris cites statistics showing that most of Germany’s roadway fatalities actually happen on rural roads and not major Autobahns, and he notes that Germany’s Autobahn has a better safety record than highways in other European nations.

Personally, I am a fam of the unrestricted Autobahn because it’s become a part of the fabric of Germany’s culture. It’s truly unique, and the arguments for adding a speed limit all seem thin in my opinion. With that said, even without restrictions, The Autobahn isn’t the car enthusiast’s playground that many Americans think it is. I’ll quote GQ Magazine, who quotes my article from Jalopnik:

While Americans often envision the Autobahn as a free-for-all, increasing traffic levels have created congestion seriously contradicts that picture. “The highway system over there is not the car enthusiast’s mecca,” David Tracy wrote in Jalopnik in September 2017. He points to significant traffic, especially on east-west routes. Plus, he points to Germany’s—in many ways laudable—program of highway maintenance. “It’s not really that surprising, if you think about it,” he said. “On a road that allows people to travel however fast they want, tolerance for potholes or large cracks is nonexistent—the asphalt has to be as smooth as glass.” But, he explained, “high standards for road quality come at the cost of more frequent construction. And based on my experience, ‘more frequent’ seems to mean ‘endless.’”

I cannot get over the fact that I, of all people, was quoted in a mens’ fashion magazine. This guy!:

Anyway, I’m not saying the Autobahn isn’t amazing, because it is. No, when I say it’s overrated, I’m saying it’s not the high-speed paradise that the average American thinks it is. Half the time, you’re stuck behind two big trucks doing “Elefantenrennen” (elephant racing — this is the German term for a truck trying to pass another truck), and when you’re not, and you are blasting 150 mph in the left lane, you better be careful. All too often a VW Polo — thinking it’s absolutely blasting down the Autobahn at 85 MPH in fifth gear with the engine screaming to 4,000 RPM — goes to pass a truck doing only 65 MPH, and they don’t look to see who’s coming in the left lane.

Before you know it, you’re hard on your brakes trying not to smash the Polo’s rear hatch. Between this and the constant construction and the traffic, it’s clear that the Autobahn isn’t what most Americans want it to be.

Still, I’ll end with the final line in the CNBC piece: “It is not a racetrack, but every now and then, the right stretch of the Autobahn, the right time of day, and the right car, you can reach automotive nirvana.”