shopping for the quietest car - help?
05-03-20, 07:05 AM
#1
Rookie
Thread Starter
shopping for the quietest car - help?
Hi guys, I'm new here. I recently picked up a 08 IS250 AWD. I've been pretty happy except that over the last few months the dash and door panel have developed rattles. I'm having some other issues with the car so I'm considering just getting rid of it.
I live in a city in Canada with horrible roads. Think detroit or the surface of the moon maybe. It seems like we have more potholes than pavement. To make things worse I typically have to drive down a few miles of washboard gravel road too. What I want is a bank vault on wheels. Quiet and comfortable is the number one priority, I guess that means no rims above 17", no low profile sporty anything. Due to our weather I'm also not interested in RWD only.
So can you guys make some recommendations for quiet cars, FWD or AWD? I want to stay Japanese or Korean for reliability reasons. I'm looking at used and have a budget of about 20k.
I've been thinking about the CT200h because I just sold my prius that had 280k on it and many of the original parts. If the interior wasn't falling apart I would have kept driving that thing into the ground. Is the CT "screwed together" more tightly? I've also been looking at acura TLX, since they have active noise cancelling. I'm open to SUV's as well but figured they would suffer from wind noise on the highway.
I live in a city in Canada with horrible roads. Think detroit or the surface of the moon maybe. It seems like we have more potholes than pavement. To make things worse I typically have to drive down a few miles of washboard gravel road too. What I want is a bank vault on wheels. Quiet and comfortable is the number one priority, I guess that means no rims above 17", no low profile sporty anything. Due to our weather I'm also not interested in RWD only.
So can you guys make some recommendations for quiet cars, FWD or AWD? I want to stay Japanese or Korean for reliability reasons. I'm looking at used and have a budget of about 20k.
I've been thinking about the CT200h because I just sold my prius that had 280k on it and many of the original parts. If the interior wasn't falling apart I would have kept driving that thing into the ground. Is the CT "screwed together" more tightly? I've also been looking at acura TLX, since they have active noise cancelling. I'm open to SUV's as well but figured they would suffer from wind noise on the highway.
05-03-20, 07:24 AM
#3
The quietest Japanese car I’ve ever been in was a mint condition 1999 Lexus LS400 about a year ago. It was so quiet that I couldn’t hear the engine running from inside the car. It also had the stock 16 inch wheels and was a very smooth ride. The only downside is they are RWD and pretty old now. The second quietest car I’ve run into was the Lexus LS430. It would probably be easier to find an 05-06 LS in good shape than an LS400 but they’re also RWD.
Other cars that I found to be quiet were hybrid Lexus like the CT200h and RX450h. When I worked at my local Lexus dealership the CT seemed to be pretty well built. The people that had them were very pleased with them. You could try the Lexus ES as well. Other non-Lexus cars you could look into would be the Toyota Avalon, Prius, and Acura RL.
Other cars that I found to be quiet were hybrid Lexus like the CT200h and RX450h. When I worked at my local Lexus dealership the CT seemed to be pretty well built. The people that had them were very pleased with them. You could try the Lexus ES as well. Other non-Lexus cars you could look into would be the Toyota Avalon, Prius, and Acura RL.
Last edited by Kira X; 05-03-20 at 07:28 AM.
05-03-20, 07:48 AM
#4
05-03-20, 08:01 AM
#5
TLX could be a good choice given the budget, and sedans tend to be a bit quieter than hatchbacks.
Quiet can mean a few things though. A used electric vehicle like maybe a Leaf or an Ioniq/Soul, Bolt, etc would be very quiet due to no traditional engine noise, etc.
A Subaru Legacy can also be had around your budget, would be quite comfortable: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/...igh/1494894027
A 2015 Genesis would also be a potential candidate: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/...age/1490897517
Used Leaf example: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/...-sl/1498669137
Quiet can mean a few things though. A used electric vehicle like maybe a Leaf or an Ioniq/Soul, Bolt, etc would be very quiet due to no traditional engine noise, etc.
A Subaru Legacy can also be had around your budget, would be quite comfortable: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/...igh/1494894027
A 2015 Genesis would also be a potential candidate: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/...age/1490897517
Used Leaf example: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/...-sl/1498669137
05-03-20, 08:06 AM
#6
Rookie
Thread Starter
Engine noise I don't really care about. 99% of the noise that gives me a headache is the constant potholes, frost heaves, and cracks in the pavement coming through the suspension. In that sense my Prius was almost totally silent besides the WHAM WHAM THUMP BAM pounding my skull from the tires.
05-03-20, 08:23 AM
#7
Lexus Fanatic
Engine noise I don't really care about. 99% of the noise that gives me a headache is the constant potholes, frost heaves, and cracks in the pavement coming through the suspension. In that sense my Prius was almost totally silent besides the WHAM WHAM THUMP BAM pounding my skull from the tires.
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05-03-20, 08:40 AM
#8
Lexus Fanatic
If the roads are as bad in your area as you say they are, then you will want a durable chassis and underpinnings as well....you may have to deal with wheel-alignment and suspension wear. Might want to take a look at at used Lexus LX...the Toyota Land Cruiser is the same vehicle mechanically, but might not have as much sound insulation. The LC/LX is designed for exactly the kind of roads you are talking about....and worse. If the prices for an L/LC are too step for you, then check out the somewhat smaller Lexus GX.
05-03-20, 12:11 PM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
How old a car are you willing to consider? $20k doesn't leave a ton of options that are going to be great in that regard. Tires are going to be really important too on whatever car you do choose.
High end SUVs like Mike mentioned are a good bet, high end luxury sedans like the Lexus LS, MB S Class, etc are also a good bet. Issue there is they are going to be pretty old to be $20k.
I would consider something like a 2016+ ES350 refresh. Should be able to find one somewhere within your budget. Good tires are important there as they are not as isolated from road noise as say an LS is. You could look at something like a Lincoln MKZ also.
The specific noise issue you're having is a challenge, because road noise is what tends to impact cheaper cars more than any other sort of noise. Lexus CT for example is going to seriously disappoint there.
High end SUVs like Mike mentioned are a good bet, high end luxury sedans like the Lexus LS, MB S Class, etc are also a good bet. Issue there is they are going to be pretty old to be $20k.
I would consider something like a 2016+ ES350 refresh. Should be able to find one somewhere within your budget. Good tires are important there as they are not as isolated from road noise as say an LS is. You could look at something like a Lincoln MKZ also.
The specific noise issue you're having is a challenge, because road noise is what tends to impact cheaper cars more than any other sort of noise. Lexus CT for example is going to seriously disappoint there.
05-03-20, 12:47 PM
#10
Super Moderator
I speak glowingly of the CT200h even though I only have had it since January, but it is an extremely quiet car. Miami roads are nowhere near the obstacle that living in Mexico City was for 6 years with my RX300, but it has weathered some rough patches here. I think if the CT200h was a little bit higher off the road, would be better. I got my CT200h for well under $20K. However, if I were in Mexico City again, I would definitely be getting a SUV, likely a used NX hybrid (which I have driven a few times as I have friends with them), but hard to get in the price range). Those roads were very tough there.
05-03-20, 12:49 PM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
I've driven several CT200hs as loaners, and I wouldn't describe them as quiet at all.
05-03-20, 12:55 PM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
Its been so long since I've driven an RX300 I couldn't say, but compared to all the other modern Lexus vehicles the CT is nowhere near as quiet or refined.
05-03-20, 02:21 PM
#15
Lexus Test Driver
I too have a 2008 IS. It's pretty much rattle-free, but it's taken me months to weed the noises out and fix them. I think at this point, any 2008 car is going to have rattles. Twelve years of driving is going to do that to most vehicles.
CT isn't that bad of a thought, but I found it's four cylinder to sound tinny and a bit noisy when it kicked in. Perhaps the Prius you had was similar, and that didn't bother you. But the CT was efficient, relatively quiet and the had room inside.
If it were me, I would look at an ES. All the ones I've driven were quiet, and the softer suspension might help with your rough roads. Even newer AWD IS's are said to be quiet. The loaners I've had seemed to be. Maybe a used IS would be in your price range.
I'd avoid SUV's, as I've found them to rattle more than sedans. Remember with an SUV, there is about 40% more interior trim exposed to your ears than in a sedan. The whole back cargo area is something you could potential hear twist and rattle.
CT isn't that bad of a thought, but I found it's four cylinder to sound tinny and a bit noisy when it kicked in. Perhaps the Prius you had was similar, and that didn't bother you. But the CT was efficient, relatively quiet and the had room inside.
If it were me, I would look at an ES. All the ones I've driven were quiet, and the softer suspension might help with your rough roads. Even newer AWD IS's are said to be quiet. The loaners I've had seemed to be. Maybe a used IS would be in your price range.
I'd avoid SUV's, as I've found them to rattle more than sedans. Remember with an SUV, there is about 40% more interior trim exposed to your ears than in a sedan. The whole back cargo area is something you could potential hear twist and rattle.