Driving on Autobahn: Another Bucket List ✔️
My fascination with cars started in my childhood, fueled by the occasional Fast Track magazine that my cousin used to buy and bring home around the mid-2000s. Reading about supercars, the time when the Bugatti Veyron broke the speed record—these articles in the magazine were incredibly engaging for me. Then I read about the Autobahn in Germany, where there were no speed limits in certain sections, which got me even more excited.
Fast forward to the present day. I don’t know if Fast Track still publishes the magazine, but I now have a driving license (including an International one). As part of my Europe trip planned for February 2025, I made sure that driving on the Autobahn was a must-do item on my itinerary. In preparation, I learned about Germany’s driving rules—except for the merging at intersections rule, which still confuses me. My friend Pranav had previously booked a car and driven in Germany, so with his help, I booked a car about four days before reaching Germany. Since I was in Hungary, I couldn’t complete the website registration using my mobile. I used Enterprise Cars in Stuttgart, ensuring that the pickup point was somewhere close to my stay (which was with another friend, Shahul; I was basically couch-surfing! :D). The car I booked was an Audi A6, but Pranav advised me to ask for an SUV during pickup as it would be better suited for the drive.
February 11, 2025: I reached Stuttgart early in the morning by train from Salzburg. From the moment I set foot in the city, it was pouring rain. Shahul even joked that I might cause a flood in Stuttgart because of how heavy the rain was. I started doubting whether I should pick up the rental, as driving in such weather would be difficult. But after receiving some motivational speeches, we decided to go for it.
At the pickup location, the process took some time because the photo on my driving license was from 2012, while the one on my International Driving Permit was from 2023. The manager was confused, but after nearly 30 minutes of back-and-forth calls and conversations, they finally verified everything. To my surprise, I got a brand-new BMW X3 (just a month old) which made me extra happy.
The car was parked in the basement, and it looked huge. I was slightly nervous about handling it since I hadn’t driven a left-hand drive car in almost seven years. We took a 360-degree video and photos of the car in case they were needed later when returning it. Once I got into the driver’s seat, I had way too many inputs to process. Even finding the lever to adjust the seat took time. The entire infotainment system was in German, and unfortunately, I couldn’t figure out how to change the language.
The next step was connecting my phone and setting up Google Maps for navigation to Autobahn A8 (the nearest one to Stuttgart). However, we had no internet access, so we couldn’t translate anything or connect our phones for navigation. Android Auto didn’t work, but luckily, Apple CarPlay started functioning somehow. I was so excited that I even forgot to take off my jacket. As soon as we hit the road, the car felt incredibly smooth. The only challenge was figuring out the road rules—where to stop, when to yield, etc. I’m sure I annoyed a few drivers in the initial few kilometers. I always followed another car to ensure I wasn’t making any blunders.
After driving for nearly 10 km through the city, we finally reached A8. My eyes were glued to the road, and Shahul kept telling me to relax and say something. I was so focused and nervous that I could feel myself sweating. After another 10–15 minutes of driving, I started to ease up and get comfortable with the car. My confidence grew, and Shahul kept asking when I would hit 200 km/h. I had already studied the sections of A8 that had no speed limits and wanted to reach one of those areas first. But he kept teasing me, saying I was driving too slow and that people might honk at me.
It was still raining occasionally, so I needed a completely safe stretch to accelerate. Unfortunately, due to my bad luck, part of the road was closed, forcing us to take a detour. The detour road was just a two-lane highway. After getting back onto the main road—a wide, open five or six-lane stretch (I was too overwhelmed to count)—the driving experience became amazing. The car felt like a beast. Our initial destination was Ulm, but as the map showed the exit to Ulm is in another 2 km, we spontaneously decided to continue to Munich instead. My plan was to head in that direction, find a U-turn, and return to Stuttgart. I had already told Shahul that we wouldn’t be stopping anywhere because I wasn’t sure how to park the car properly on the roadside.
We eventually found a U-turn and started driving back. The return drive was the best part—the road was almost clear, and I could finally floor it. I hit a top speed of 213 km/h. After that stretch, I felt relieved. We found an exit with a restroom and a large parking area. When I got out of the car and removed my jacket, my T-shirt was drenched in sweat. But I was so happy—after holding onto this childhood dream for 20 years, it had finally come true.
On the way back to Stuttgart, whenever I saw the unlimited speed sign, I floored it again. The experience was absolutely thrilling. Before returning the car, we had to refuel it to a full tank. In India, fuel stations always have attendants who fill the tank for you. But in Germany, there was no one—drivers had to refuel their cars themselves and then pay at a nearby store. That was a bit of a cultural shock for me—perhaps a difference between high-trust and low-trust societies.
I returned the car, which was rented for 24 hours, in just 4–5 hours. Even the manager was confused about why I returned it so early. But those five hours were pure heaven.