Who has the quietest brand?
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Who has the quietest brand?
Looking through the spec sheets at car and driver.
Lincoln Navigator black label comes in at 64db at 70mph which is one decibel quieter than the S class. 2db. less than the Lx570. Astonishing to see the Q7 at 64db as well. Lincoln Continental at 67db. Chevrolet Malibu 1.5t comes in at 65db. .
Could Lincoln really be the quietest brand? Really surprised to see the Navigator so low at 64.
Lincoln Navigator black label comes in at 64db at 70mph which is one decibel quieter than the S class. 2db. less than the Lx570. Astonishing to see the Q7 at 64db as well. Lincoln Continental at 67db. Chevrolet Malibu 1.5t comes in at 65db. .
Could Lincoln really be the quietest brand? Really surprised to see the Navigator so low at 64.
#2
Lexus Fanatic
When I test-drove the Continental, the amount of engine noise during low-speed acceleration (non-turbo V6) seemed a little more than what I thought a flagship in this class should have (Steve, when he sampled one, agreed), though it was otherwise commendably quiet in almost all conditions. I haven't sampled the latest Navigator on the road, but it wouldn't surprise me to see it equal the S-class Hush-Factor. The materials that Lincoln in using on the interior of their very latest models, IMO, are quite impressive, and those solid materials probably help absorb more of the sound. Lincoln engineers are also trying hard to overcome the brand's stigma, in the past, of being a so-so nameplate of little more than rebadged Fords with just a little more wood and leather inside.
#3
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
Only a matter of time before an electric destroys even the quietest ice cars, although engine noise becomes a smaller component vs tire and wind noise...
#4
Lexus Fanatic
In some circumstances, it can actually be unsafe if vehicles are too quiet. There are cases of pedestrians with hearing or vision-impairment being hit because they simply were not aware of some electric or very quiet motor vehicles next to them....or where the direction of what little noise those vehicles make was came from. Of course, the obstacle-avoidance and automatic braking in many newer vehicles is supposed to prevent that, but not all of those systems have been perfected yet.
#5
Dysfunctional Veteran
MMarshall, the only thing unsafe about EV's running quieter is the fact that people won't look up from their phones while they walk out into the middle of a busy city street.
And anyway, this thread is about interior noise levels, not exterior. big difference bud.
And anyway, this thread is about interior noise levels, not exterior. big difference bud.
#6
Pole Position
Looking through the spec sheets at car and driver.
Lincoln Navigator black label comes in at 64db at 70mph which is one decibel quieter than the S class. 2db. less than the Lx570. Astonishing to see the Q7 at 64db as well. Lincoln Continental at 67db. Chevrolet Malibu 1.5t comes in at 65db. .
Could Lincoln really be the quietest brand? Really surprised to see the Navigator so low at 64.
Lincoln Navigator black label comes in at 64db at 70mph which is one decibel quieter than the S class. 2db. less than the Lx570. Astonishing to see the Q7 at 64db as well. Lincoln Continental at 67db. Chevrolet Malibu 1.5t comes in at 65db. .
Could Lincoln really be the quietest brand? Really surprised to see the Navigator so low at 64.
#7
Pole Position
The biggest difference in noise I find on any luxury brand since the late 90's is a) tires, and b) road surface. Those two trump design features in any real-world application. Any automag test is just arguing about angels on a pin...
Living near/in/around Seattle or similar, our roads are gooved to shed water. Loud - so a really nice test bed. You can take that Lincoln, put on aftermarket Michelens, and it will sound like an '86 F150. Conversely, I have a 20 year old Acura SLX, with Toyo Open Country AT's, and it is super-quiet. Random harmonics once you take off the factory tires or try different road surfaces.
Living near/in/around Seattle or similar, our roads are gooved to shed water. Loud - so a really nice test bed. You can take that Lincoln, put on aftermarket Michelens, and it will sound like an '86 F150. Conversely, I have a 20 year old Acura SLX, with Toyo Open Country AT's, and it is super-quiet. Random harmonics once you take off the factory tires or try different road surfaces.
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#8
Lexus Champion
In some circumstances, it can actually be unsafe if vehicles are too quiet. There are cases of pedestrians with hearing or vision-impairment being hit because they simply were not aware of some electric or very quiet motor vehicles next to them....or where the direction of what little noise those vehicles make was came from. Of course, the obstacle-avoidance and automatic braking in many newer vehicles is supposed to prevent that, but not all of those systems have been perfected yet.
The biggest difference in noise I find on any luxury brand since the late 90's is a) tires, and b) road surface. Those two trump design features in any real-world application. Any automag test is just arguing about angels on a pin...
Living near/in/around Seattle or similar, our roads are gooved to shed water. Loud - so a really nice test bed. You can take that Lincoln, put on aftermarket Michelens, and it will sound like an '86 F150. Conversely, I have a 20 year old Acura SLX, with Toyo Open Country AT's, and it is super-quiet. Random harmonics once you take off the factory tires or try different road surfaces.
Living near/in/around Seattle or similar, our roads are gooved to shed water. Loud - so a really nice test bed. You can take that Lincoln, put on aftermarket Michelens, and it will sound like an '86 F150. Conversely, I have a 20 year old Acura SLX, with Toyo Open Country AT's, and it is super-quiet. Random harmonics once you take off the factory tires or try different road surfaces.
And how would you determine the quietness of a whole brand? It is difficult to measure the quietness of a particular model if it has different trim levels. For example, an ES Hybrid may be quieter than the normal ES, which in turn is probably quieter than the ES F-Sport with different tires and different suspension tuning.
How would you determine the quietness of a brand -- average out the different models available, e.g. IS, ES, GS, LS, RX, NX, etc? Do you average out the quietness of each model by trim level or do you treat each different trim level as a distinct model for averaging purposes?
#10
Pole Position
How would you determine the quietness of a brand -- average out the different models available, e.g. IS, ES, GS, LS, RX, NX, etc? Do you average out the quietness of each model by trim level or do you treat each different trim level as a distinct model for averaging purposes?
#11
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
#12
Dysfunctional Veteran
#13
Lexus Champion
Rolls Royce Ghost is supposed to be the quietest, if cost is no object. Sound proofing insulation alone accounts for three hundred lbs of its curb weight. The frequency of the noise and where it's coming from will determine a noisy or quiet vehicle you're riding in. There's tire noise, different road surfaces and noise that travels from the tire contact patch to the rim and to the body.
Apparently the Ghost's right rear seating position is the quietest and according to RR hype, the only sound you should be hearing in it absent of radio or background chatter inside it is the ticking analog clock.
But for a more sensible ride, the LS430 might qualify as quiet. The LS460 has more direct injection clatter at idle apparently. The big Buick and Lincoln sedans should be quiet.
Apparently the Ghost's right rear seating position is the quietest and according to RR hype, the only sound you should be hearing in it absent of radio or background chatter inside it is the ticking analog clock.
But for a more sensible ride, the LS430 might qualify as quiet. The LS460 has more direct injection clatter at idle apparently. The big Buick and Lincoln sedans should be quiet.
#14
Lexus Fanatic
Buick's Quiet-Tuning is not just a bunch of ad-hype....in fact, it works, but, in my experience, more so on smooth, non-porous asphalt than on porous asphalt or concrete. Grainy, porous asphalt is becoming more common now because it gets rid of water faster and is less likely to have ice form on it in the winter...but it also increases road noise some.
I am going with Lincoln over Buick for the whole brand.
The quietest modern car I have personally sampled, BTW, is the Lexus LS460.
Last edited by mmarshall; 12-12-18 at 01:10 PM.
#15
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
You've mentioned my two favorite brands overall LOL.
Buick's Quiet-Tuning is not just a bunch of ad-hype....in fact, it works, but, in my experience, more so on smooth, non-porous asphalt than on porous asphalt or concrete. Grainy, porous asphalt is becoming more common now because it gets rid of water faster and is less likely to have ice form on it in the winter...but it also increases road noise some.
Well, if you average out all of each brand's U.S.-market vehicles, maybe so...but only because of the Buick Cascada, a small convertible...Lincoln doesn't have any convertibles. The Cascada's fabric top is well-constructed, durable, and well-insulated by ragtop standards...but you can't compare it to, say, the discontinued Verano's roof, which, alone, even apart from all of the rest of the insulation in the car, has five separate layers of insulation. The Lacrosse and Enclave have similar insulation.
The quietest modern car I have personally sampled, BTW, is the Lexus LS460.
Buick's Quiet-Tuning is not just a bunch of ad-hype....in fact, it works, but, in my experience, more so on smooth, non-porous asphalt than on porous asphalt or concrete. Grainy, porous asphalt is becoming more common now because it gets rid of water faster and is less likely to have ice form on it in the winter...but it also increases road noise some.
Well, if you average out all of each brand's U.S.-market vehicles, maybe so...but only because of the Buick Cascada, a small convertible...Lincoln doesn't have any convertibles. The Cascada's fabric top is well-constructed, durable, and well-insulated by ragtop standards...but you can't compare it to, say, the discontinued Verano's roof, which, alone, even apart from all of the rest of the insulation in the car, has five separate layers of insulation. The Lacrosse and Enclave have similar insulation.
The quietest modern car I have personally sampled, BTW, is the Lexus LS460.