It's also refined and quiet, with only
tyre noise at highway speeds disturbing the peace.
There was some subdued
tyre noise at around 80km / h, dominated by more wind noise at freeway speeds.
There's little wind noise or
tyre noise at freeway speeds or over coarse - chip bitumen.
I have not noticed and appreciable difference in
tyre noise at all so suspect that in most cases, higher pressure will not lead to any increase in cabin noise and if it does, the cause should definitely be investigated.
The top speed is 134mph, but somehow that feels pretty irrelevant, especially as
the tyre noise at 100mph is almost enough to stop you pushing on any further.
Not exact matches
Apart from the realistic engine
noises, there are also a variety of other effects such as the screech of
tyres going around corners
at unbelievable speeds, the sounds of cars colliding
at high speed and a variety of other racing sound effects.
The other happened
at 170mph (and counting) in a black Tuscan S on an Autobahn when the front splitter fell off and made a
noise so loud I momentarily believed a sniper had taken out a front
tyre with a high velocity bullet.
As the Astra's
tyre noise falls silent and those in the back seat suddenly find themselves
at a noticeably higher altitude than those in the front, there's just one thought in my mind: can we really get away with this?
In the EU every new tire has a
tyre label that lists the rolling resistance, the grip on wet roads and also the
noise emission
at 50mph and 7.5 m distance.
The ride feels particularly well - judged for the motorway, and it's ultra-refined
at speed - though again, on UK roads we'd expect a little more
tyre noise than we heard on the smooth autobahns.
At a steady 100km / h there was a light rumble from the drivetrain and a whisper of wind accompanied by minimal
tyre noise.
That means there is barely a peep from the motor when driving, and when
at any sort of speed wind and
tyre noise drowns that out quickly.
But where NVH is taken into account, the engine and
tyre noise does enter the cabin
at high speeds, which results in poor ride comfort
at highway speeds.
The engine is quite refined
at lower revs, but
tyre noise and wind rustle from the large door mirrors are less impressive
at high speeds.
There is also
tyre roar from the front end and wind
noise around those large A-pillars
at motorway speeds.
At least it calms down at a cruise, fading to a point where wind noise (from the side mirrors) and tyre roar easily drown it ou
At least it calms down
at a cruise, fading to a point where wind noise (from the side mirrors) and tyre roar easily drown it ou
at a cruise, fading to a point where wind
noise (from the side mirrors) and
tyre roar easily drown it out.
Unsurprisingly there's some
tyre roar over coarse surfaces, but wind
noise is never an issue
at motorway speeds and the ferocious V6 is easily tamed.
Comfort is first rate, although
at motorway speeds there's a fair amount of wind and
tyre noise.
At motorway speeds you mainly notice
tyre noise though you can hear the sporty pulse of the small engine when accelerating.
Wind
noise becomes noticeable
at higher speeds, though
tyre noise is minimal even on rough surfaces.
Travelling on highways, the Forester remained stable, while the NVH improvements kept wind
noise and
tyre roar
at bay.
Apart from squeezing into cramped parking spots, it felt most
at home out on smooth, open freeways, lazily revving around 1700rpm in sixth
at 100km / h with just a hint of
tyre and wind
noise.
At higher speeds, the Cooper S remains thoroughly composed however the ride isn't particularly refined due to excessive
tyre noise but for the kind of performance on tap, it's totally acceptable.
Some
tyre noise is present
at higher speeds, and the manual RT - S with an optional roof rack generated some wind
noise on the freeway, but the cabin is well insulated from
noise.
At lower speeds there was some
tyre noise penetrating as well.
At open road speeds the only
noise audible in the XV's cabin emanates from the
tyres.
If there are fingers that need pointing
at the drive experience, it would be Volvo XC40's
tyre noise.
The main interruption is likely to come from
tyre noise, and large wheels are likely to exacerbate this, so it's worth sticking with 18 - inch alloys for the smoothest journeys, or
at least taking a test drive in a Koleos with bigger wheels.
You can't really hear the wind rushing past
at high speeds, nor do you get much
noise from the
tyres rolling along the road surface.
Wind and road
noise is present
at highway speeds, but not intrusive; the latter no doubt generated from the HL - spec's low - profile 17 - inch
tyres.
Some wind
noise was present
at that sort of speed, and the Bridgestone
tyres were audible in a high - pitched whine on those same freeways, but not on the sort of coarse - chip bitumen that is a staple of Australian country roads.
The suspension gets noisy
at speed and it simply can't insulate you from our monsoon struck tarmac while on smooth roads the road and
tyre noise is simply too high.
The interiors also remain largely unchanged and the car is loaded with features like a 20 - speaker audio system, sunroof, air suspension for all wheels, seats draped in Nappa leather, heating and cooling function on all seats, touch screens
at the front and rear,
tyres with
noise cancellation technology and Orrefors crystal gear knob.
There is more
tyre noise on country roads
at speeds of up to around 80km / h; beyond that the roads are usually better sealed and the wind and driveline make more of an impact.
Only wind and some
tyre noise intruded
at that speed.
The
tyre noise is well within limits and the wind
noise is almost nil even
at very high speeds.
The ride is less bothersome
at higher speeds and there isn't a lot of
noise from the
tyres, either — further qualifying the S4 as an express cruiser.
Wind
noise was present
at higher speeds, but
tyre noise on Sweden's high - grip bitumen surfaces accounted for the major part of the NVH in both the Multivan and Transporter.
If you are lucky enough to own a surround - sound headset you are in for a real treat — from the roar of 24 engines
at the start of a race to
tyres doing all they can to stay on the track as you speed around corners — the
noise is always immense, the musical score is superb too.