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Road Noise

Noise pollution

Noise levels inside a car can come from many different exterior factors, as well as from the car’s mechanical componentry.  Are there ways to nullify the racket?  When some cars get up and going they are just purely noisy contraptions.  The road and wind racket inside a noisy car’s interior can be almost deafening; and even at the best of times, your conversations are kept short, sharp and to the point.  Any lengthy journeys inside the worst culprits can be painful and wearisome.

Not so long ago some researchers in Germany thoroughly tested a range of cars to see which ones were the noisiest cars to travel inside, and which cars were the quietest.  This sort of information would be handy when one might be considering purchasing a potential vehicle for commuting purposes – particularly when it will be a car that you frequently spend long hours journeying in.  What the researchers came up with is amusing to read.  The noisiest was a Porsche 911, but here were the top 30 noisiest cars they tested:

Noise level in decibels (dBA) at different speeds 100 km/h 130 km/h
Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 78 83
Tesla Roadster Sport 1.7i Hunter 78 82
Lada Niva 1.7i Hunter 77 82
Renault Twingo 1.2 LEV 16V 75 Night & Day 75 78
Lotus Evora S 2+0 75 79
Audi R8 GT Spyder 5.2 R tronic 75 78
Mazda MX-5 1.8 MZR Kaminari 74 79
Porsche Cayman S PDK 73 77
MW M3 GTS 73 76
Seat Leon 2.0 T FSI Cupra R 72 75
Ford Ka Titanium 72 77
BMW Z4 sDrive35is Automatik 72 75
Suzuki Swift 1.2 Comfort 71 75
Opel Corsa 1.3 CDTI DPF ecoFlex Start/Stop 71 75
Nissan GT-R Black Edition 71 78
Mazda3 2.3 MZR DISI Turbo MPS 71 74
Kia Rio 1.2 Spirit 71 74
Kia Picanto 1.2 Spirit 71 76
Hyundai i10 1.1 Classic 71 77
Honda Civic 1.4 i-VTEC Sport 71 74
Ford Focus 1.6 16V Concept 71 74
Dacia Sandero 1.6 MPI Stepway 71 74
Audi TT RS Roadster 71 75
Seat Ibiza 2.0 TDI CR FR 70 72
Porsche Boxster PDK 70 74
Peugeot 308 CC HDi FAP 140 Premium 70 73
Mini Clubman One 70 74
Fiat Doblo 1.6 16V Multijet 70 75
Fiat 500C 1.3 Multijet 16V DPF Lounge 70 75
BMW M3 Coupé 70 74

 

The following were the quietest cars the team tested, and the top positions were taken by the BMW 730d, Jaguar XJ and Audi A8:

 

Noise level in decibels (dBA) at different speeds 100 km/h 130 km/h
BMW 730d Blue Performance 58 62
Jaguar XJ 3.0 V6 Diesel S Luxury 58 63
Audi A8 4.2 TDI DPF quattro tiptronic 59 64
VW Touareg 4.2 V8 TDI DPF Automatik 59 66
Jaguar XF 3.0 V6 Diesel 60 66
Audi Q7 3.0 TDI DPF quattro tiptronic 60 63
BMW X6 ActiveHybrid 60 65
Mercedes R 350 CDI L DPF 4Matic 7G-Tronic 60 65
BMW 520d Touring 61 65
Mercedes S 400 Hybrid 7G-Tronic 61 66
VW Sharan 2.0 TDI BlueMotion Comfortline 61 65
Audi A4 2.0 TDI DPF Ambition 61 65
Saab 9-5 2.0T Aero 61 65
Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid Tiptronic 62 66
Mercedes-Benz E 200 CGI BlueEfficiency Avantgarde 62 66
Volvo S60 D3 Summum 62 66
BMW 135i Cabrio Automatik 62 68
Audi A7 3.0 TDI quattro S tronic 62 69
Seat Alhambra 2.0 TDI Ecomotive Reference 62 65
Citroën C5 HDi 165 FAP Exclusive 62 66
Ford Galaxy 2.0 TDCi DPF Titanium 62 67
VW Touran 1.4 TSI Comfortline 62 67
Mercedes C 180 T BlueEfficiency Avantgarde 62 70
Mercedes-Benz ML 250 BlueTec 4Matic 7G-Tronic 62 71
VW Tiguan 2.0 TDI DPF 4Motion DSG Sport & Style 62 67
Audi A6 Avant 2.0 TDI DPF 62 67
Lexus RX 450h Impression Line 63 70
Land Rover Range Rover Sport TDV6 63 66
VW Polo 1.2 TSI DSG Highline 63 67
BMW X3 xDrive28i Automatik 63 68

 

What interests me the most was the lack of Japanese cars in the top 30 quietest cars?  I always thought the Honda Legend was remarkably quiet.  Maybe, they didn’t add this model to the list because of the German bias?

There is such a thing as road cancellation technology, where new acoustic technology helps to nullify road noise in cars.  Audio giant Harman and British automobile-maker Lotus have recently collaborated to produce the Road Noise Cancellation (RNC) system.  By fitting accelerometers into the chassis of the vehicle, these gadgets identify and monitor the frequencies of unwanted tyre noise and relay the information back to a main control unit in the body of the car.  An algorithm in the controller creates inverse sound waves through the car’s speakers to cancel out the road noise.  With rolling road noise cancelled out, the cabin is a more relaxed and peaceful place for the driver and passengers to be.

Tell us about some of the quietest or nosiest cars you’ve ever ridden inside – or driven. http://credit-n.ru/offers-zaim/zaymer-online-zaymi.html