The most interesting cars never sold in the UK

Slide of There are a multitude of reasons why a car will be sold in one market and not in another. We look at those that never made it to the UK, from the good, the bad, and the just plain unusual: Slide of Acura TLX The Acura TLX is a rival for the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class, but this division of Honda does not offer this saloon outside of the US market. It means keen drivers on this side of the Atlantic miss out on a saloon with a 268bhp 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine or 350bhp twin-turbo 3.0 V6. The 2.0-litre model uses a rear-wheel drive chassis, while the V6 comes with all-wheel drive as standard. Keen pricing in the US makes the TLX a tough contender in its sector, but there are no plans to bring this model to the UK as a Honda. Slide of BMW 333i BMW in South Africa had a habit of doing things its own way and the 1985 333i is a perfect example. While Europe had the E30 M3, the South Africans came up with a big-engined version of the compact saloon, which was developed with input from Alpina. A 197bhp 3.2-litre straight-six gave the 333i similar performance to an M3 and it was also created with race homologation in mind. Despite interest from many UK and European buyers, BMW did not export this model from South Africa, though one was brought to the UK officially for evaluation as the African-made cars were right-hand drive. Only 204 333i cars were produced. Slide of BMW 745i There were two 745i models produced by BMW alongside each other, and neither reached the UK. The Euro-spec E23 745i used a turbocharged 3.2-litre, and later 3.4-litres, six-cylinder engine with 248bhp. It topped the range in continental Europe but difficulties with converting to right-hand drive meant it did not cross the Channel. In South Africa, another 745i was offered between 1983 and 1987, and it was right-hand drive. A 286bhp 3.5-litre straight-six was borrowed from the contemporary M5 and gave strong performance. However, only 209 of this 745i were produced and all were for the domestic South African market. Slide of Cadillac Escalade The Cadillac Escalade is an institution in the US, yet it has not made across the Atlantic officially. As a rival to the likes of the Range Rover and Mercedes-Maybach GLS, the Escalade impresses with its 414bhp 6.2-litre V8 that is standard, and there’s the option of a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel.  If that doesn’t sound sufficient, Cadillac also offered the V-Series model with a 673bhp V8. The Escalade isn’t found wanting in other areas, either. A 10-speed automatic gearbox is fitted, and the cabin comes with seven-seats as standard for prices that make its rivals look quite expensive. Slide of Chevrolet Suburban With customers as varied as soccer moms, Tony Soprano and the Secret Service, the Chevrolet Suburban has long been a staple of the US car market, yet it’s not offered in the UK. The small demand for a right-hand drive version means this will remain the case, so UK buyers miss out on this handsome, roomy seven-seater - and also the challenge of navigating and then parking it on UK roads… While previous Suburbans stuck with big petrol motors, the latest model is offered with a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel that would suit Euro tastes. There’s still the option of 5.3- or 6.2-litre V8s with up to 414bhp, so 0-60mph is possible in as little as 6.2 seconds. Slide of Citroen e-Mehari The e-Mehari was a tentative finger in the socket of the EV market for Citroen in 2016. Loosely styled on the line of the 1960s original Mehari, the electric model was built in limited numbers and only sold in France to gauge customer reaction. The e-Mehari has a range of 124 miles on a full charge of its battery pack, with recharging in eight hours at a charge station. Although not sold outside of France, the e-Mehari helped pave the way for the Ami, which went on sale in the UK in late 2022. Slide of Daihatsu Copen Daihatsu sold the Copen convertible in the UK from 2003 until 2009 and it’s become a minor cult. That makes it even more of a missed opportunity that this latest Copen is reserved for its domestic market. Like its predecessor, the latest Copen is a tiny two-seat convertible with a front engine and front-wheel drive. Daihatsu celebrated the car’s 20th anniversary of its Japan launch in 2022 with a limited edition model that came with round headlights like those of the original car instead of the current model’s rectangular lights. Slide of Ford Bronco The Ford Bronco is one of the few cars that has the looks, style, capability, and heritage to give the Land Rover Defender a serious run for its money. It does this in the US very well, and you can choose from models with evocative names such as Big Bend, Badlands, Everglades, Raptor, and Wildtrak. There are also the Heritage models to add further appeal to the Bronco, which comes with detachable roof panels so you can turn th