In general, Sedans are quieter than hatches, and wagons. Generally larger cars are quieter than smaller cars (sell at higher prices, so can justify more expenditure on acoustic insulation). Wheels & tires make a big difference (Low profile tires can be really bad). Avoid Mitsubishi's. Avoid "sport" focused cars.
Try out a Camry Hybrid. The new one has 160kW, and is rated for 4.4L/100km (95RON), extra-urban.
If you want better than that, take a look at the Lexus ES. It's essentially a badgered Camry with a heap more sound deadening in it, and more luxury focused engine options. Its one of the cheaper cars in the Lexus stable. The LS mentioned above would be better still, but they are extremely expensive cars.
I'm not sure why people are recommending corolla's. I have a 2006 one, and it is seriously noisy on course chip. Need to raise voice to have conversation. I have had loaner and rental corolla's that are a lot newer, seem a little better than my old one, but still are quite noisy. One of my bosses has a falcon and that is very noticeably quieter.
Some car mag record course chip sound levels when they do their reviews, have been having difficultly finding this info online though.
With hatchbacks try to have the parcel shelf in as this cuts down noise from the rear a little.
Note that it is possible to retrofit additional acoustic damping, but is a major pain, Much better to find something that had appropriate acoustic insulation from the factory.
vtecnet,
Aug 15, 10:13pm
Yes, these are a good option, I have two friends with 2013 Gen 2 Leafs (24kwh), each doing 70-80km per day, massive savings. one was running a Toyota Blade Master G 3.5 V6 and the other a Mazda 3 2.3, so a good 3k a year saved in fuel costs.
s_nz,
Aug 15, 10:53pm
An Ioniq EV could be worth a look at too. They have a bit more range than a Leaf.
Consumers expect Electric vehicles to be quieter than petrol vehicles. The reality is that at open road speeds, road noise drowns out most engines anyway. As such manufactures pay a lot more attention to noise on electric vehicles in order to meet consumer expectations. As an example, the headlights on the first generation leaf are, well, weird shaped to smooth our aerodynamics, reducing wind noise from the wing mirrors.
tamarillo,
Aug 16, 7:11am
But road noise is the killer.
blueviking,
Aug 16, 8:52am
I'd go european. I have an old Volvo which is pretty quiet internally. I used to think the horn was muted somehow as I can hardly hear it from inside the cab, but it is loud. Virtually no road noise.
yendor,
Aug 16, 5:30pm
Would like the Hyundai EV but not at 60K. Will take a look at the Lexus but probably to big.
s_nz,
Aug 16, 5:54pm
The Lexus IS sedan, and CT200h hatchback are both smaller than the ES, but will be a bit noisier. The IS is a sports sedan, which means low profile tires, and stiff suspension that are bad for acoustics. The CT200h is a hatchback which means the rear wheel wells are in the passenger compartment.
I know a large car for the purpose of transporting one person seems excessive, but their is a reason they are popular. Large cars have longer wheel bases that make them handle nicer, and ride smoother over bumps. They also generally have larger wheels, and better acoustic setups that smaller cars. Larger cars also preform much better in crashes than small cars (longer bonnets allows longer crumple zones, heavier weight means you will be pushed around less by other cars in a crash.
Consider that the lexus that I suggested uses less fuel than the suzuki swift sport, Main downside I see is parking the thing.
That said, if you can make a Nissan leaf work, you would save some serious money on fuel. Personally I didn't find the drivers seat of the original leaf comfortable enough to spend that sort of time in.
janbodean,
Aug 16, 6:37pm
You have obviously owned neither. I had two late model VW Golfs, both were prone to electrical faults and my mechanic told me it was common. The next car I bought was a low mileage Peugeot, and in the many years that I have owned it, apart from tyres, battery and the usual maintenance it cost me nothing. I have just bought another Peugeot and a family member has my older one. Wouldn't have anything else. Best car I ever owned and lovely to drive. Love them.
utwo,
Aug 16, 8:25pm
The quietest car I've ever driven was a 1998 Lexus ES300 (even quieter than the S Class Mercedes I drove on another occasion). All the sound deadening measures that go into a Lexus in combination with the relatively high profile 205/65R15 tyres resulted in near silence on chip seal. On smooth roads you could have heard a pin drop.
utwo,
Aug 16, 8:39pm
Tyre profile is a huge factor on coarse chip seal. Many years ago I was thinking of buying a Mazda 6. I test drove the base model on 195/65R15 tyres and a higher spec model on 205/55R16 tyres and the base model was a lot quieter on chip seal. Coarse chip creates a lot of vibration, which is transmitted through the suspension to the vehicle body. Your tyre sidewalls are the first line of defence in noise reduction (there are other factors in the tyre design that can help, but it's basically true).
stevo2,
Aug 16, 8:47pm
Agreed. We had a Mazda3 SP23 on 215/45x17's and it was far nosier than my Brother in Laws standard Mazda3 on higher profile 16's
bwg11,
Aug 16, 9:12pm
Agreed. The low profile tyres without doubt increase road noise. But unless you are in expensive premium makes the choice is yours - handling or quietness. I know, my wife has had 2 Swift Sports on 45 section tyres and for us it is, love the handling, bugger the noise level, just crank up the volume on Summer of 69.
trogedon,
Aug 16, 9:18pm
Move closer to work.
rovercitroen,
Oct 24, 3:18am
Quietest cars usually are Jaguar or Lexus. Try a Toyota Mark X which is a Lexus IS250 under the skin.
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