10 Canadian cars you can't buy in the U.S.

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A long history of differing car tastes show Canada is not just another state. Automakers from the U.S. and around the world sell versions of their cars in Canada that you can't buy in (and they go to great lengths to keep you from importing them to) the U.S.

BMW 320i

BMW's brawny, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines are available only in the X1, X3, Z4, and 5-series in the U.S, where they make 240 hp and score a decent 34 mpg on the EPA highway test. In Canada, however, you can get a milder version that makes just 181 hp and returns nearly 40 mpg on the highway, in the 320i. The 320i (a designation that harkens back to the original progenitor of the fabled 2002) would cost about $33,800 if sold in the U.S., $600 cheaper than the least-expensive five-seat 3-series in the U.S.—the 328i, which gives you nearly 50 hp more than the 320i. But with gas that costs about $5 (U.S.) per gallon, Canadians seem to be more willing to a pay a premium for mpg over horsepower.

Chevrolet Optra

In China this car is called the Buick Excelle. In Korea it's the Daewoo Lacetti. And in Australia it's the Holden Viva. GM sold it in Canada from 2002 to 2008 but never in the U.S. Afterward it was replaced by the Chevy Cruze. The Optra was available as a wagon and a hatchback in addition to a four-door sedan and used a 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 119 hp. The similarly sized Chevrolet Cobalt, which was sold at the same time in the U.S., used a 2.2-liter four-cylinder that produced 145 hp, though the Optra was cheaper.

Chevrolet Epica

While Chevrolet was selling the compact Optra in Canada, it also introduced a version of the Suzuki Verona sedan named the Chevrolet Epica in 2004. It came with a 2.5-liter inline-six-cylinder engine, mounted transversely, driving the front wheels. Slow sales against more powerful and less expensive four-cylinder sedans led to GM discontinuing this car in 2006.

Chevrolet Orlando

Canadians can get South Korean–built versions of this seven-seat, tall wagon built on the Cruze platform. GM also builds this car in Vietnam and in Russia's Kaliningrad port city and sells those Orlandos to the rest of the world—except the U.S. The base engine is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder. Mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, it starts at just under CA$20,000.