I'm a European who has emigrated to the US, and knows both sides pretty well.

I agree that European trains work very well for commuting to and from the center of big cities. That's where the jobs and tourist attractions are.

But to go between arbitrary places A and B is usually quite painful. Often the best way is to go to the center, and then from there to your destination.

When I moved to the US and got a car, it was an unreal feeling! I could quickly travel anywhere at anytime!! Practically it felt like my comfortable travel radius increased from 10km to 50km.