SW17LS

It'll be long gone probably, but whatever space car I have at the time I don't know how generous I'll be!

Firebass

So the 97 LS runs an astonishing 39db at idle and 64db at 60mph. Mind you that's in a factory condition one with intact gaskets, etc.

A brand new CR-V runs 69db at 70. I'm no sound guru but I don't think the old LS will be too much louder than the CR-V with 10 more mph. Not too shabby

https://www.motortrend.com/news/lexu...infiniti-q45t/
https://www.caranddriver.com/honda/cr-v

400fanboy

Engine noise is considerably lower than modern "normal" cars. I haven't driven flagship luxury cars, but I'm sure they've progressed a lot in the last 20-30 years lol.

Tire choice affects a lot of the road noise you hear. Modern tires are a ****LOAD better than they used to be in the 90's. I can hear a difference between my summer and winter sets (Michelin Ice x-3, Conti DWS).

I test-drove a new 2019 Camry for a friend, and the engine noise from that is unbelievable. It revs to 4k in 1st gear and is orders of magnitude louder. At highway speeds I think they're comparable.

Stereorob

i too was lucky enough to experience a brand spanking new 1999 LS400, and got to spend a considerable amount of time in one. one of my first job was a real estate brokers assistant, and he had just bought a new navy blue on tan Ls400. the first time i rode in it, i was absolutely blown away by it and had to have one so bad i couldnt stand it. took me ablot 2 years to save my bread enough to buy my own Ls400 but it wasn't anything like the one he had. (it was a 90) lol. i will say this, as much as i am addicted to these cars, they simply are nothing like they were brand new 20 years ago. even the nicest, well kept low mile examples still do not feel like the one he had all those years ago.

at the time, yes it was a very very quiet and absolutely dead flat car like riding on an air pillow. today the Ls400 is not as quiet as it was, or its just that technology of 20 years of improvements has made a huge difference. my girlfriends jeep Cherokee is smoother and quieter then my Ls400s. why? 20 years of advancements. sure, the Ls400 is a better ride all the way around, but if you are looking for silence, they are not the cars. i DO think age hasnt helped. the sound deadening materials they used for example, have surley deteriorated a bit simply due to age.

thats cabin noise. the engine however, if the exhaust is good, the 1UZ is silent as the tomb and cant hear it running hardly at all unless you nail it to the floor, and even though its muffled, it still has a very satisfying Grrrrrrr that only a v8 can produce.

they are sadly also not as fast as they used to be. yes, a solid LS400 thats well kept still has plenty of oomph, but not like it did. back in the early to mid 00s, NOTHING could touch the Ls400! used to race people constantly in them! today? not so much. again technology has advanced and 0-60 times in cars in general are brisker then they used to be. however, once on the highway, the LS400 absolutely owns the road. i cant think of many cars today that you can stomp the gas and still get pulled back in the seat by. most cars these days start loosing their moxie at around 85. the Ls400 doesn't untill about 120-130ish but it is a VERY slow crawl to 160. will it do it? sure! but it takes forever.