road noise

There are very good replies here. The replies correctly suggest that your evaluation of road noise in a Prius will be based on your experience with the vehicles you have driven before the Prius. We find our Prius to be the quietest vehicle we have ever owned.

 

I agree with 2to4 - Once you drive a quiet car you notice the noise in other models.

At least to me, my Prius would be much more enjoyable if it was quieter at highway speeds. And while I'm at it...the lack of automatic headlights in a car with this incredible technology is inexcusable and annoying.

 

I was in an '07 Fusion before. In that car, very low wind noise coming into the passenger cabin from windows, doors, etc. But there was a lot of road noise coming in through the floorboards. Tires-on-pavement type noise.

With the Prius, it's just the opposite. Much less noise through the floor. I think Toyota put a sheet metal pan under a pretty big portion of the passenger cabin, so maybe that is helping. But I find Prius to be a bit noisier from wind noise coming through windows and doors. Doors, especially the rear doors, make a cheesy "pong" sound when you slam them shut, so probably thinner steel, and not as soundproof.

Also the ICE makes quite a loud roar under certain conditions. For example, at higher speeds, say 50mph and above, you tromp the accelerator for more speed. This causes the ICE to spin up to a high RPM to satisfy your request. It makes a good bit of racket while it is working at that level. Sounds like a bear with its foot stuck in a trap. But when you take your foot out of it, the ICE immediately settles back into a lower RPM and purrs along quietly.

As far as operating bluetooth, listening to the radio, carrying on a conversation, I would rate it at average. Like andino said in his post, on a par for cars in this class.

 

that's interesting about the fusion. i thought ford had a rep for quiet.

 

I find that there can be quite a bit of road and air friction type noise, though, only at highway speeds and only on certain highways. That is to say I agree with those here saying the car is inherently quiet, though not soundproofed well enough to preserve that quiet on certain pavement or in high winds

 

That is what happens when you design to cost and weight targets. I think Toyota made good compromises to reach those targets.

 

I adjusted the bluetooth on my genII.

the only noise that really bugs me passes through the floor.

even when i'm cranking up my music...i notice most sound escapes through the floor. (doors are pretty "soundproof")

i boosted my incoming volume and out volume on the bluetooth. this allows me to turn the main volume down a bit. i also adjusted my sound quality to 4 instead of 3... this helped reduce echo.

there was a "perfect" setting beforehand... where we could both talk at the same time... but i have yet to find it again.. and now feel like i'm on a walkie talkie... (i talk.. then you talk.. then i talk.. but you started talking.. so i wait till you're done... now i talk again)

 

The road noise with my Prius is much lower than my last vehicle - a diesel 4x4 big ol' pick-up truck, so I am rather pleased with that as well as the fuel mileage.

 

I'll second what other people have said here. Tires are very important, if you are unhappy with the road noise in the particular car you buy the best way to deal with that is to replace the OEM tires...