I am (almost) ashamed to admit in these hallowed qurtersthat I have no great interest in cars or driving (cough, splutte, choke) mainly becaue up until now I have never had to do much.
All of a suddenm, a job change means a regular two to two-and-a-half hour commute each way. 75% of this is on motorway and 24% on good fast dual carriageway.
I "think" that one of the most tiring aspects of driving is the noise. This is particulalry true of 'straight road' driving where the ride, cornering ability and so foirth plays a much smaller factor in the equation.
Given that I am not taking supercars here - would anyone care to venture a few thoughts as to a suitable beast for the job. Of course a Roller would probably fit the bill, but I have to make some concessions to price and economy please!
Colleagues have suggested everything from Mercedes 220CD to Skoda Oktavia. That is a wide gap in recommendations!
Perhaps you folk would like to make some altrernative suggestions!
Cheers
GC
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yep tell them to stick the job..............lifes too short for 5 hours of travelling each day just to get to work
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ah yes - slight confusion - its not EVERY day, but about 5 to 8 times a month. I go there and stay over etec.
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My initial reply failed but you now make a post that totally changes things. Like only 4-8 day per month plus stop overs.
Also you don't say where from and where to for travelling. The distances could be better done on say the train where you can also do some work? You can claim travelling expenses ??
I'd not travel upto 5 hours each and every day like Oldman says but neither do you. And if not so frequent what do you drive already? Changing might incur costs that are unnecessary.
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A Vectra running on standard wheels (not big alloys) is supposed to be a very quiet and relaxed cruising car...
Blue
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All of a suddenm, a job change means a regular twoto two-and-a-half hour commute each way. 75% of this is on motorway and 24% on good fast dual carriageway. I "think" that one of the most tiring aspects of driving is the noise. >> >> GC
I own a 1999 VW passat Turbo. This car has over 120,000 miles on the clock. The turbo is responsive and the engine is very smooth and quiet at 70 mph thanks to its 20 Valve engine. I would recommend this as a good choice motor, but like most cars there are good and a few bad ones. There is also plenty of head and leg room even for me at 6 foot 2. And it is economical too. Hope this helps.
Mike
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Citroen C5 or Vectra for value and quietness; you'd get a six-month old for less than £10k.
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When I had a VW Passat 1.8T in May 2000:
- Turbo whistling on delivery like a jet engine taking off...seriously. Garage said gearbox. Replaced it and then said turbo and replaced that.
- Doors would not lock properly and about 3 out of 4 locks replaced.
- Whistling noise that took months to sort but due to hole in wing mirror.
Few years later:
- Air-con failed just before warranty up... much more than a regas!!!
- Air bag warning light came on and took about 6 weeks for garages to fix (tried lots which did not work and ended up with them for weeks whilst an engineer "used" the car and just bypassed some cables like he did on another May 2000 Passat and worked until I got rid in October 2003)
So when it worked very nice but lots went wrong... so bear my experience in mind. And when changed from hire cars to the Passat started to feel it was getting old. Even some things about Vectra C's were better!
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Choose quiet tyres!
Even humble mass-market cars, like Astras and Vectras, subdue engine, transmission and wind noise exceedingly well these days but all cars are let down by tyre noise, even those costing three times as much as a Vauxhall!
Choose the narrowest, highest profile, smallest rim diameter tyre that's homologated for the car and then research a brand that scores very well on noise. The current fashion for wide, low profile tyres on large rims just increases noise levels.
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I used to do a lot of miles in Peugeot's - first a 405 and then several 406's - they're pretty quiet and comfortable motorway cruisers. Very good climate control too. If you get one (Exec model) with electric seats then they adjust every way imaginable.
I now have a C Class Mercedes - that's probably quieter but the seats aren't as good as the Peugeot and neither is the climate control.
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Generally, bigger will be quieter. It's not anything inherent, just that manufacturers put more soundproofing in higher models in the range. Once you get to 5 series/Eclass/S Type size, road noise largely ceases to be a problem.
A radical alternative I used to use when I drove a van was earplugs. I used to drive for hours on end like that and arrive feeling great. You still hear sirens, etc.
V
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It's terribly subjective. I think my Jaguar S-type is a bit noisy, but then my last car was a Lexus, and that was definitely quieter. But then passengers who travel in the Jaguar do comment on how quiet it is, compared to whatever they've just got out of.
Test drove a brand new Honda Accord recently and that to my ear was so noisy it kyboshed the sale.
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It's terribly subjective.
This is probably true. There are different kinds of noise - what one person finds tiring, another may not. Try out different cars. It could be a nearly new Vauxhall, it could be an old Lexus.
Out of curiousity, is it possible to put in after-market sound-proofing?
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Yes - well you could a few years ago when bonnets were simply sheets of painted metal. I bought some and it did make a difference. I suspect on most modern cars they fit in all the soundproofing they can during manufacture and there is little extra that can be added except to bottom of the range cars.
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"there is little extra that can be added except to bottom of the range cars"
Not always. My FiL has a 2004 1.8 Astra Elite with no under bonnet sound proofing as new, and yet his old 2001 1.8 Astra SRI did have it! He added the sound proofing to his Elite and it made quite a difference. The loss of the £60 worth of sound proofing was probably down to recent Vauxhall penny pinching.
So there might be room for improvement on any car, although it seems to me better to start off with a car that is already very quiet to begin with.
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My 206 was the same.
Seems most 1.1 & 1.4 Pug 206s didnt have under bonnet sound proofing fitted, £22 for the parts & less then a couple of minutes to fit it has transformed the noise level inside the car.
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Thanks, Espada. A quick search indicated that Noisekiller are the people to contact.
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Test drove a brand new Honda Accord recently and that to my ear was so noisy it kyboshed the sale.
On stock tyres on certain roads it is quite noisy. Improved by changing from the original Yoko's to Pirelli Powergy's, but still quite intrusive sometimes. Shame, as it's very relaxed and smooth otherwise.
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"Shame, as it's very relaxed and smooth otherwise."
Agreed - enjoyed it a lot and fell for the ADAS bigstyle.
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I'm not convinced by the idea of ADAS, I like having cruise control, but anything beyond that seems like too much involvement in the driving process by the car. Far too much potential for not paying attention.
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As a general rule for long distance motorway driving you need:
1. Long wheel base
2. Large capacity lazy engine, probably diesel
3. High profile tyres
4. Good sound insulation
5. Low wind noise
6. A good stereo system
However you should mention what your main requirements are besides this commuting, the mileage you expect to do per year, whther you are wanting new or secondhand, if new are you buying personally or the business (or is it being leased), does Benefit in Kind costs matter, and finally the rough budget you have.
Without knowing these I would recommend looking at a Lexus for smooth comfortable quiet driving.
--
Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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Strongly agree with these points and would add that in my experience, Mercedes tend to use higher profile tyres than the other usual suspects for this class of car. If buying secondhand, I would go for a Merc E320CDi.
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Nobody has mentioned a Toyota Avensis and I am not surprised. A pal of mine has just bought one and the tyre noise is the worst I have ever noticed.
Don't get a Landrover Defender either, they are very noisy.
Dare I say that a certain people's car that I own is quiet, I can drive along listening to the radio very nicely.
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Nobody has mentioned a Toyota Avensis and I am not surprised. A pal of mine has just bought one and the tyre noise is the worst I have ever noticed.
Well....I was just about to mention the Avensis. I find mine very quiet, with the road roar on very poor surfaces only being noticable because the car is generally so quiet. Certainly find it quieter than the Accord and Golf (possibly an unfair comparison) that I test drove and also a friend's Vectra (which is meant to be a quiet cruiser). Maybe your friend's has 17" alloys - they are meant to be considerably noisier?
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>>>Maybe your friend's has 17" alloys - they are meant to be considerably noisier?
I think they are 16" tyres, the problem could be that he bought it, fron a Toyota main dealer, at 23000 miles with Chinese tyres on the front and Russian tyres on the rear. There is no way that I would put up with this setup, I told him to get some decent ones fitted, but he is very tight fisted and thinks I am too fussy!
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with Chinese tyres on the front and Russian tyres on the rear.
I think that might explain it, even a Lexus LS would probably make a racket on rubbish like that :) I really don't get why people compromise any decent car by fitting cheap tyres. Quite apart from potentially ruining the car there is the safety aspect to consider as well as the fact they are often a false economy (NB I realise your friend was landed with these tyres, not by choice, but I would change them sharpish.
Actually, I made the same mistake myself once - needed to replace all four tyres on my 6yr old BX and decided the cheapo brand would do. Absolutely ruined the car - noisy, poor riding and awful grip. Luckily the front ones were toast within 10k, so back to Michelins and the BX was back on form. :)
Which makes me think of another potentially relaxing Mway car for the OP- what about a Citroen C5, if it retains the relaxed ride of traditional Citroens I bet it is a superb car. The old BX used to eat up the miles (engine and wind noise apart!).
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May I make a suggestion? I wear earplugs on motorway journeys, which I find significantly reduces fatigue.
The best types are either foam or synthetic, cutting noise by upto around 40dB I believe. Probably not wise for town driving, when I like to be able to hear a certain amount. Works very well.
Bit of a throwback to my motorbiking days in the eighties when Performance Bikes were on a crusade to alert riders to the risk of hearing damage whilst out on a blast.
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>May I make a suggestion? I wear earplugs on motorway journeys
I winder if this contravenes the law. Granted, you could have the stereo up louder, but I wonder how the Police would view this? I'm fairly certain they'd pull someone wearing headphones, for example.
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i seem to remember a review once in the time car magazine...it stated that the Lexus was the quietest "normal" car on the road
go and test drive one :)
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www.storme.co.uk
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You need 100% of all your senses -- and limbs (OK, left leg not that important in automatics) -- when driving. Earplugs? Forget it..
To echo comments above, in search of quietness choose quality of construction over newness, an engine that will be ticking over at the speeds you drive at, and tyres with a good reputation for low noise.
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Tnaks everyone so far: For what its worth, public transport is not an option - I work unsocial hours as well, unfortunately. The mileage is 120 each way, so 240x8x12= about 20K per year on the commute, plus my 'normal' private mileage. It will be my own car and I am planning secondhand less than £10K, more like £6-8K.
Obviously test driving is important but I wanted to cut down the choice to a manageable number, which I think you have just about done for me. I suspected that tyres would be critical - and I assume that a low noise tyre is also an econmoical tyre (mpg wise), so would weclome recommendations on these also (lthough I will search here for previous recommendations).
Air con is a must as its hopelss starting work after a hot and sweaty two hour drive.
Thanks again
G
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Regarding tyres, the AutoExpress Tyre test for 2005 tested 185/60 R14 H's
Best for noise were Maloya Futura Primato, followed by BF Goodrich Profiler, Uniroyal Rallye 550,, Barum Bravuris, & Vredestein Hi-Trac
(Vredestein & Maloya were top two overall)
I couldn't find the 2006 test online
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I used to have an old shape Avensis on small wheels and that was extremely quiet. Wheel size and tyres are crucial
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Something with six cylinders (or eight) and a six-speed gearbox or an automatic, and the standard tyres. The quietest car I've ever had was my last one, an Audi A4 2.5 TDI. On motorways iyt was doing only 2,000 rpm at 70 mph.
Also the noise made by a six or eight is much more relaxing than a four. It's the quality of the noise as well as the quantity that you need to think about.
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Less than £10K, quiet and relaxing?
You'll get a 60K mile late 90's 3.2 XJ8 (or later S-type) from a Jaguar main dealer for that. Including 12 months warranty. Cheaper, if you buy outside the dealer network. Cheaper still if you are willing to consider a pre-98 XJ6 which is arguably more reliable than early XJ8s.
The XJ will return around 22mpg in mixed town/A-road driving, 30mpg on a reasonable motorway run. The S-Type should be better especially the 2.5 (any figures Vin)?
They're not as quiet as a Lexus LS (which is the quietest car I've ever driven), but they're much prettier.
Kevin...
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USED LEXUS LS400. Quieter than a funeral parlour, and a magic carpet ride. 32-34mpg on a motorway cruise. Oh reliable too. Jags, Mercs, Audis and Beemers cannot compete with the LS for overall refinement.
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And smooth too. Remember the glass of water trick on TG? 6,000 RPM with a 2/3 full glass of water resting on the inlet manifold and not a drop spilled. That's what I call engineering.
I've also seen 100,000 mile examples for sale in dealers under the Approved scheme with a 1 year unlimited mileage warranty included. If the manufacturer is that confident.....
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Less than £10K, quiet and relaxing? You'll get a 60K mile late 90's 3.2 XJ8 (or later S-type) from a Jaguar main dealer for that. Including 12 months warranty. Cheaper, if you buy outside the dealer network. Cheaper still if you are willing to consider a pre-98 XJ6 which is arguably more reliable than early XJ8s. The XJ will return around 22mpg in mixed town/A-road driving, 30mpg on a reasonable motorway run. The S-Type should be better especially the 2.5 (any figures Vin)?
I'm not Vin...but...
S Type 3.0 auto......16 mpg in constant stop/start traffic, 18.5mpg in busy commuter traffic that is combination of stop/start and up to 25mph moving, 26.5mpg travelling well quickly on a motorway using kick down etc, 34.5mpg travelling well carefully on a motorway
extremely comfortable,quiet, smooth car..... 1999/2000 cars with full service history & average mileage can be bought for £5,500 - £6,000 and that would be an SE trim one, with a load of kit in it inc cruise, sunroof, climate
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I had a Skoda Superb Elegance 1.9pdi last year for a year or so - cracking car.
Quiet, comfy economical. Only thing that spoiled it for me were the 17inch rims, so I'd recommend the Superb Comfort 1.9pdi (16inch rims) - it's got cruise control & 6cd changer & is dirt cheap 2nd hand & very resonable new.
~woodbines
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More humble than a few of the suggestions here but my (new shape) Megane 1.9 dci 120 is impressively quiet on the mway - the gearing is so high that engine noise is virtually nil, road noise is low (don't get the low profile optional alloys). Wind noise is the worst disturbance at speed but somehow I find that less wearing than road noise. The engine's a bit gruff at low speeds but not unduly so. I'm replacing it with a C5 this week which I think betters it, but none of the other cars I test drove improved on the Megane in this respect - the Octavia was especially disappointing as tyre noise was very bad. I think the Superb would be a good bet, but I ddin't want a saloon.
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