Quiet Compact cars

[MoneyJohn]

Got a chance to ride 2019 Lexus ES300h a couple of times. I really liked the smooth ride and how quiet the car is. The road noise was significantly reduced.

Once the car prices come down reasonably, I will be getting a commuter car. Is there any compact car that is reasonably quiet? Consumer reports says Impreza and Mazda3 but neither of them I would call as quiet cars. Any other that people have a personal experience with?

Thanks in advance.

 

[supton]

Is there a need for it to be compact? Like for parking?

Larger cars can move the axles farther away the driver, which can reduce what potholes feel like.

I don't drive many cars so my non-experience isn't of much help. But our hybrid Camry is quiet, and we keep reasonably quiet tires on it. Watch out for tires! nothing like short sidewalls to ruin things. And I want to say, the better trims tend to bring out the not as good tires quickly.

Lastly, I'm not convinced car prices are coming down soon--tin foil hattery aside, I think only cars at the end of their lifespan might get cheaper, I think mildly used cars are still going to stay high in price, due to demand. Just a swag.

 

[FZ1]

Got a chance to ride 2019 Lexus ES300h a couple of times. I really liked the smooth ride and how quiet the car is. The road noise was significantly reduced.

Once the car prices come down reasonably, I will be getting a commuter car. Is there any compact car that is reasonably quiet? Consumer reports says Impreza and Mazda3 but neither of them I would call as quiet cars. Any other that people have a personal experience with?

Thanks in advance.

Camry

 

[Passport1]

Any other that people have a personal experience with?

I'm no expert but my personal experiences with econoboxes is the quietest ones are those not running.

 

[joekingcorvette]

I guess quiet and electric go together quite well.

 

[Drifter]

Mazda 3 2019 or newer. According to a You tube review I recently watched

 

[macarose]

Here's a surprise answer. Buick Verano.

https://www.guideautoweb.com/en/art...akes-quiet-tuning-to-new-level-of-refinement/

The Camry and Lexus ES are midsize cars. The Verano is a compact car. They are exceptionally quiet vehicles and they are incredibly reliable.

https://www.dashboard-light.com/vehicles/Buick_Verano.html

Find one that's been dealer maintained and you'll have a keeper for about 50 cents on the Toyonda dollar.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Hybrids are quieter when the engine isn't running, and most hybrids from the past 10 years are capable of at least a few miles on electric power only.

You might like the Ford C-Max

 

[meep]

Gen 1 Volvo s60s are surprisingly quiet. Gen 2 got louder. I’m wondering if Gen 3 got better.

our Lexus GS is quieter than most in its size. It is more quiet than a Camry.

pull everything honda off the list.

my f150 is very, very quiet. It bests the Lexus. F150s have been quiet for a while if you stay with conservative tires.

i havent had much seat time in it, but the mid size Mazda suv seems pretty quiet.

 

[JoelB]

My Accent is the quietest sub-compact I've had. But it's never going to be a Lexus. You really want quite you either go bigger or go luxury.

 

[vwmaniaman]

We have a Mazda 5 from 2012 and with my Falken tires it is quiet. It is essentially a Mazda 3 mini-van Mine is a Sport model and has 205/55R16 tires. Higher models with the 17" tires are noisier

 

[Graham Piccinini]

If you're ok with a little older and 2 doors, then Volvo C30 (last made in 2013) is a quiet and fun option. Until you floor that pedal and let the 5 cylinder sing its glorious song.

 

[SaberOne]

Got a chance to ride 2019 Lexus ES300h a couple of times. I really liked the smooth ride and how quiet the car is. The road noise was significantly reduced.

Once the car prices come down reasonably, I will be getting a commuter car. Is there any compact car that is reasonably quiet? Consumer reports says Impreza and Mazda3 but neither of them I would call as quiet cars. Any other that people have a personal experience with?

Thanks in advance.

I test drove a Mini Cooper a while back and it was as quiet as a church mouse pissing on cotton.

 

[MoneyJohn]

Thank you for constructive comments. With my requirements, I am probably looking for an unicorn.

In ideal case, I would just get ES300h, but we pay through nose for parking at work. $25 for a compact car, $35 for an SUV/Midsize sedan and $45-75 for a full size/luxury sedan. They do not allow EVs to park due to a couple of incidents of EV catching fire and their liability is only $25K. This limits my choice.

Plus, commuting is a 50-mile trip daily, half highway and half bumper to bumper. With gas prices going up, traditional vehicle costs a good chunk. At this moment. my commuting costs are close to $8K a year. In the end, I am trying to make my commute comfortable with an effort to reduce the costs.

Using public transport is not an option.

Looking at cars, those that are fuel efficient are not exactly quiet, and those comfortable quiet cars will cost to run/park.

 

[wag123]

Thank you for constructive comments. With my requirements, I am probably looking for an unicorn.

In ideal case, I would just get ES300h, but we pay through nose for parking at work. $25 for a compact car, $35 for an SUV/Midsize sedan and $45-75 for a full size/luxury sedan. They do not allow EVs to park due to a couple of incidents of EV catching fire and their liability is only $25K. This limits my choice.

Plus, commuting is a 50-mile trip daily, half highway and half bumper to bumper. With gas prices going up, traditional vehicle costs a good chunk. At this moment. my commuting costs are close to $8K a year. In the end, I am trying to make my commute comfortable with an effort to reduce the costs.

Using public transport is not an option.

Looking at cars, those that are fuel efficient are not exactly quiet, and those comfortable quiet cars will cost to run/park.

The ES300h is not exactly a compact car. I think that it is categorized as an intermediate/midsize car (except for the car rental companies who would categorize it as a full-size car). For your parking purposes you might want to clarify this with your parking provider. They may even categorize it as a luxury sedan.
The ES300h is an upscale corporate twin of the Camry Hybrid. The Camry does not have as much sound insulation as the ES and the interior is not as plush, but it will ride and drive the same (if you stick with a Camry LE or XLE) for better than $10k less money.
If you want to stay with a true compact sized car, then a Corolla Hybrid would be what you want since Lexus no-longer sells a car in this size class. If you want to purchase the quietest Toyota model, stick with something that doesn't have an "S" in the trim level (like SE or XSE), they will have considerably more road noise and a stiffer ride.
There are other choices available from other manufacturers if you don't mind going with a non-hybrid.

 

[addyguy]

One of the reasons I kept my G5 on the road and sold my Kia Soul is bc I had started doing a 75-mile rt daily commute; and the Pontiac is SO much quieter and more ‘relaxed’ than the Soul was.