Quiet cars

[macp]

So having driven my first Jag an XJ8(X308)I was blown away by the refinement of this car.It got me wondering what other cars have a similar wafty refinement and are equally as quiet.I have driven a Lexus GS300 which imo couldnt hold a candle to the XJ and last year I loaned a Merc E320 CDi Avantgarde which was very close.

Edited by macp on Sunday 31st October 19:24

[300bhp/ton]

Lexus LS400 was class leading in the 1990's, suspect they are still good today. All Jag XJ's are very very good as are Bentley's.

[MrLou]

I was once taxi-ed from Nice airport in an E500 saloon.

I asked why a petrol as 99.999% of taxis, even on the Cote d'Azur, are diesel. The driver explained that her husband had an ear problem and this was the quietest car they could find. It was truly waft-tastic.

[Rueh]

£200 worth of sound proofing and my e46 3 series is really quiet. Quiet enough that passengers have commented on it, without knowing I'd changed anything.

[anonymous-user]

CL Mercs are pretty quiet

[Morningside]

750iL - It has double glazing.

[robsco]

Another vote her for the XJ, was damned near silent in the 2.7 TDV6 I drove some months back.

[EDLT]

300bhp/ton said:

Lexus LS400 was class leading in the 1990's, suspect they are still good today.

They were supposed to be quieter than the Rolls Royce at the time, apparently.

[Matthew_Eames]

Rueh said:

£200 worth of sound proofing and my e46 3 series is really quiet. Quiet enough that passengers have commented on it, without knowing I'd changed anything.

how did you get rid of the wind noise, they all seem to suffer with it

[TRUENOSAM]

Newer Range rover V8 petrol models. So quiet you can hear the clock tick

The XJ is very good though

[Rueh]

Matthew_Eames said:

Rueh said:

£200 worth of sound proofing and my e46 3 series is really quiet. Quiet enough that passengers have commented on it, without knowing I'd changed anything.

how did you get rid of the wind noise, they all seem to suffer with it

That's about all you can hear. I think it mainly comes from the door mirrors so there's not really anything you can do about it (short of putting on some mirrors more suited to McDonalds car park) . I guess this is where double glazing would help.

[AlpineWhite]

Rueh said:

Matthew_Eames said:

Rueh said:

£200 worth of sound proofing and my e46 3 series is really quiet. Quiet enough that passengers have commented on it, without knowing I'd changed anything.

how did you get rid of the wind noise, they all seem to suffer with it

That's about all you can hear. I think it mainly comes from the door mirrors so there's not really anything you can do about it (short of putting on some mirrors more suited to McDonalds car park) . I guess this is where double glazing would help.

can you tell us what you used and where / how? Wondering if I can do something similar to my own car (not a beemer but...)

[Mr Dave]

E39 5s sometimes came with double glazing, does this really cut down the noise?

I would say the 7 series, XJ, LS, S class and Audi A8 are all much of a muchness really.

[JimAllen]

W220 Mercedes Double glazing and air suspension. just done a 4 hour trip from Cornwall to Portsmouth waft tastic

[yinujim]

I kept on forgetting if a E38 728i was turned on.

[Waugh-terfall]

My mate, having been used to a very loud, rattly T-reg SEAT Ibiza 1.9TDI, turned my car off, thinking he was starting it...

[richardxjr]

EDLT said:

300bhp/ton said:

Lexus LS400 was class leading in the 1990's, suspect they are still good today.

They were supposed to be quieter than the Rolls Royce at the time, apparently.

I sat in a 15yr old 170,000 mile one yesterday. Could hardly hear it running from inside. Car was reversed into a garage too - the exhaust was silent. Revved it a little, still virtually silent.

Lovely old (but massive) things

[iamrcb]

Waugh-terfall said:

My mate, having been used to a very loud, rattly T-reg SEAT Ibiza 1.9TDI, turned my car off, thinking he was starting it...

I do the same in the wife's Honda Jazz; compared to my agricultural sounding Fabia VRS is virtually silent.

[macp]

iamrcb said:

Waugh-terfall said:

My mate, having been used to a very loud, rattly T-reg SEAT Ibiza 1.9TDI, turned my car off, thinking he was starting it...

I do the same in the wife's Honda Jazz; compared to my agricultural sounding Fabia VRS is virtually silent.

I did the same in an 05 Honda Accord 2.0 no idea why, a glance at the rev counter would have helped.

Edited by macp on Sunday 31st October 22:26

[Morningside]

Just how quiet is a Toyota Prius or Honda Insight when running on batteries? Or does the motor really whine?