The dB reading I have is lower than what C&D published for the Navigator, that was the point of what I said. the dB reading doesn't tell you definitively which car will feel quieter inside, and my experience having driven all of these cars they're all very similar in regards to interior noise. The Navigator is very quiet, but coming from a very quiet car and having owned and driven many other very quiet cars, it didnt strike me as unusually quiet, or any quieter than what I drive every day.

Oh its very quiet, my point is they're all very quiet. Trim level isn't going to impact interior noise figures. The point is a dB reading isn't going to definitively tell you what car is going to feel quieter when you drive or ride in it. One car might seem quieter or louder even to other people depending on the frequency range of their hearing.

I've driven the Navigator, Continental, MKZ and MKC. The only one I would comment as being impressively quiet is the Navigator, so I wouldn't say that as a brand at all.

At one time I would have said it was Lexus, but not today. As far as Buick, the Lacrosse is quiet, the Enclave is pretty quiet but not extraordinarily so. Modern Volvos are very quiet.

Those differences are also attributable to the road surface, the person or people in the car, the time of day, the temperature outside, weather, model and brand of tires, etc. If you drive around and use a dB meter (which I've done) you'll see how easily it can me impacted by several dB. Thats my point, you cant use a few dB between cars or tests as proof one car is quieter, its a measure that is near impossible to reliably take the same way and under the same set of variables every time.

There is nothing in the Navigator's literature that would suggest the Reserve would have more sound deadening than the lower trim. Why wouldnt they market that as they do in other vehicles?

Even with the Lacrosse, which is indeed quiet, road surface can make a difference. You will definitely hear more tire-noise on porous/grainy asphalt or concrete....but, on traditional smooth asphalt, it is like a rolling tomb. You can hear some faint noise from the DI injection underhood when accelerating. I doubt if it equals the LS460 or Mercedes S550 in quietness, though....but you're talking 2-3 times the price.

The Verano, BTW, was also surprisingly quiet (its roof alone had five anti-noise layers in it, in addition to triple-sealed doors, double-paned glass, and special trunk insulation...but the 18" 45-series tires bumped and thumped over road imperfections, especially in the winter when the shock fluid was cold and the tire-rubber more stiff, and the Ecotec four made more noise than the Lacrosse's V6 when accelerating. Trump (before he ran for President), actually did Verano promotions extolling its quietness and how much he liked the car. I loved mine, even with its faults (and even with the Ecotec's oil consumption LOL):D....it was the best-driving compact car I ever owned.

You can certainly challenge the results and dispute them if that is what you want. For all we know, Car & Driver could be using the exact same roads for the test which is likely a very good possibility. Motorweek seems to use the same test track, so does CR with theirs. That being said, they measure the DB reading at the drivers ear height. Its nice to see Car & Driver as well as Motor Trend post interior decibel data which is difficult to find. This is published data which is nice to see, Car and Driver also publishes the weather data for the test and which track the test takes place. Other data such as tires and other things are reported. Most tests are done at test track CPG, whatever that means. They also do three test measurements.

For what its worth, from Car & Driver at 70MPH:

2013 Lexus LS600h 64DB
2018 Lincoln Navigator Reserve 66 DB
2013 Lexus 460 F-Sport 66DB
2019 Lexus LS500 F sport 66 DB
2019 Toyota Avalon Hybrid 67DB
2018 Buick LaCrosse 68DB
2019 Toyota Avalon 68DB
2019 Lexus ES300h 70DB

Was that on the gas engine or the electric? :uh: Or don't you know? With the electrics, you will probably hear less noise from under the hood, and more from other sources.

I sampled a new 2019 Avalon last week (base XLE model) with the easier-riding 17" 55-series tires, and, to my ears, it seemed almost as quiet as the Lacrosse's 18" 50-series...perhaps just a hair noisier. I will seriously consider an Avalon XLE, even with its cave-entrance grille and ski-ramp dash, if Mary Barra and her cronies won't make new Lacrosses available in the future.

No idea. I didn't read the review. I just looked at the test data for reference.

I'm not disputing their findings, I'm cautioning against the conclusions you're drawing from those findings. Within 1-3 dB you're not likely going to be able to tell the difference between the two cars, and one with the higher dB reading may even seem quieter depending on what frequency certain sounds are made at. Even on the same roads, temps have an impact, humidity has an impact, wind speed. Theres also the X factor of how quiet a vehicle is on an empty test track and how quiet it is out in traffic with ambient noise, etc. Thats when you see a real benefit from laminated glass for instance.

So, don't expect a car that reads 64dB to feel quieter than one at 66 dB. Thats my point.

Any car under 70 dB is very quiet.

I thought you said the Reserve was 64 dB?

At speed in a hybrid the gas engine is always running. You won't be on electric power at 70MPH.

:rolleyes:

You will hear differences in road surface in any car. LS and S Class are no different. When you change road surfaces the pitch of the road sound changes, and coarser pavement is of course louder than smoother pavement. Thats something that improves a lot as you go up the chain. ES vs GS vs LS for instance, the isolation from road surface noise is a big differentiator.