yeah actually they are more expensive like everything, our cars are hideously more expensive. Depending on the currency exchange rate, they have been as much as double the price for the exact same car.
What car companies like to do with the cars over here is essentially cross out the dollar sign and write a pound sign instead.
As an example, I've always wanted to own an Evo (pipe dream really, the insurance and tax on a car like that would be a joke). I've done research in the past about getting one, researching things like importing and such. But the UK has the very best models of the Mitsubishi Evo, so I never wanted anything other than an FQ model (The model fiddled with in the UK). But having said that even the basic 240Bhp Evo was ?????????27,995 here in the uk and at the same time, EXCATLY the same car was on sale in America for less than $26,000...
At the time, the exchange rate was such that the pound was worth about 1.8 dollars (mid 2004) so:
?????????27,995 equalled $50,300
$26,000 equalled ?????????14,450
Coming back closer to your specific question though, about the cost of a compactish new car here. Well, I'll assume you mean something like a family hatchback, something like the previously mentioned Mazda3 is probably a good example...:
Just looking at Mazda's site, in the UK the Mazda 3 is currently on sale for ?????????15,000 (Base model) up to ?????????21,000 (Highest spec)
and on the US site, the same car starts at $15,000 and goes up to $22,500.
So pretty much like I said, just cross out the dollar sign and write a pound sign.
We get raped like this in this country on pretty much everything.