![]() The Auris (the more-advanced, Euro-market Corolla) is a quite soothing small car, and the Megane’s low level of noise is a marvel. Intense competition in the compact field seems to be working its magic. Corollas and Renaults used to be noisy boxes. Small cars have gotten much better, though. Quiet rolling tires and new engine bearings round out the noise reduction program.Įmpirically, the new Golf offers an improvement of 2 dB in three car generations and thirteen years. Furthermore, special modifications were made to better isolate the engine and passenger compartments from one another acoustically. Significantly less wind noise is generated by the outside mirrors due to their new shape. VW’s press release for its newest Golf calls it “the quietest Volkswagen Golf since the model series began” characterized by “first-class acoustic properties.” Yes, “a special sound-damping film in the windshield reduces driving noises, as does the newly developed seal design on the doors and side window guides.” What does Mercedes expect us to think about zero improvement for the C-Class in twelve years? ![]() But plenty of today s lumbering leviathans are hardly quieter than their sprightlier predecessors. You think that the extra heft might include some extra soundproofing. In some market segments (e.g., executive cars), you have to ask: where’s the progress? What, for instance, has BMW been doing since 1995? Most cars have gotten much heavier. It’s a civilized speed (at least here in Germany) at which one would want to be able to hold a civilized conversation, even with a back-seat passenger.Ĭar and model year Interior noise in dB(A) at 80.78 MPH To save space, the table I’ve compiled only deals with interior noise at about 80 mph (130 km/h). I’ve spent a few hours perusing the decibel stats. The German buff book Auto, Motor und Sport recently opened its archives to tightwads. Has nostalgia dimmed my memory (if not my hearing)? Is progress on the noise suppression front been less impressive than industry propaganda would have you believe? ![]() So I set out to find the truth about automotive sonic signatures. A number of recent drives have been notable for their aural uncouthness. Nowadays, automakers are telling us that their cars are quiet, or at least quieter than ever before. Who said the British don’t do hyperbole? As a quiet car connoisseur, I’d have to say a Clinton-era Cadillac provided the quietest ride I’d ever experienced if the time was one of peace and prosperity, then so was the car. Rolls-Royce used to advertise the fact that their cars were so quiet that the loudest sound you heard was the clock ticking on the dash. ![]()
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