I am just curious and would like to seek experiences from people on current NEW vehicles which you feel are quiet, with good NVH and minimal rattling sound inside the cabin when travelling at highway speeds along the North-South highway or poor quality roads ie. uneven, old or worn-out surface. It doesn't matter if it's a sedan, SUV, NA, turbo or electric but the focus is on combustion engine instead of electric. When the car goes over these roads with old worn-out surface or unevenness, if the soundproofing is lacking or the quality of fitting is poor you will not only hear loud noises from the roads, suspension, tyres or traffic noises intruding into the cabin but also rattling sound from loose fittings inside the vehicle such as sound of loose panels or screws from the dashboard, air-cond vents or door panels vibrating alongside the noises from the road, suspension, tyres and engine.

Benchmark of a decently quiet vehicle with good NVH is the Nissan Teana. Ideally vehicles around RM160k or lower, new vehicles.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Apr 2 2025, 11:07 AM

I recently watched a Youtube review on the Kia Sportage. The reviewer mentioned the NVH of the vehicle is excellent and better than most Japanese equivalent. Is this true?

I am only aware that Honda cars have poor NVH and rattling sound. However, the obsolete Nissan Sylphy which I owned actually has better NVH and is more quiet than the Ford Focus which I also own. Both have decent NVH but the Nissan is quieter, comparatively to the European Ford Focus. The current Nissan Almera has inferior NVH though, unfortunately.

The Toyota Corolla and Camry are also noisy since you mentioned most Japanese cars are noisy?

I guess it depends on which continental. Ford Focus NVH still loses out to the older Japanese Nissan Sylphy.

Only new cars, not used.

Good to know. CX30 and Mazda 3 upward are CBU from Japan so I presume that plays a big part in the NVH. It's a collective factors that contribute to NVH, so apart from good soundproofing to block noise from the engine, road, tyres and traffic outside, it is also the quality of fittings and how solid the panels or fittings are assembled or put together in the sense that when the vehicle is going over some bad roads with poor uneven surface, imagine the car bouncing up and down with the undulations of the poor roads, you hear no rattling sound. Perhaps all you hear is just a solid but muted thud sound from the suspension when the vehicle is going over these bad roads. Vehicles with inferior NVH will produce all the loud rattling noises from the suspension and interior fittings inside the cabin rattling together in tandem with the exterior noises.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Apr 2 2025, 12:11 PM

Right, it's down to Nissan Kicks and Mazda CX30 for now for a quiet and refined drive with good NVH. Will only test the vehicles out if there is intention to purchase, which won't be too soon.

There are few reasons the Corolla and Camry are lesser than Honda equivalents. To me, it's mainly due to the higher price for a less powerful 1.8-litre NA engine so it's seen to be less value-for money when compared to the cheaper equivalents with a more powerful and higher capacity engine, apart from other considerations such as spec, design etc. I've test driven the Corolla GR Sport sedan and Corolla Cross about 2 years ago with an intention to purchase but after the test-drive, I changed my mind based on the above considerations as mentioned. It's mainly due to the lethargic acceleration coupled by high price >RM150k for the Corolla GR Sport, and for the fact that it's not very quiet with average NVH. If it's cheaper, I could have accepted the shortcomings of the Corolla (I've gone with the Nissan Almera instead).

The Nissan Almera was OK for the price and I like the overall design and sporty exterior, power was also acceptable for a 1.0-litre turbo. However, the NVH still doesn't quite cut it but my benchmark was rather high having owned the Nissan Sylphy which surely was much quieter overall. There was a lot of road noise mainly from the tyres and suspension. Nevertheless, for the price can't complain much.

Honda vehicles, I've driven and also sat in my colleagues Accord, Civic and City throughout the years. Well, I don't want to repeat any more as much have been said about the poor NVH of Hondas but good to know you share the same impression. It's good not to hide any flaws or weaknesses and just tell them as they are, since some die-hard fans will get offended easily even though it's a prevalent phenomenon. Similarly, I don't hide the fact that the 1+ year old Nissan Almera which I bought, although good in most areas are lacking in NVH with a bit of rattling sound when going over poor surfaced roads. I just tell them as they are.

I've driven an older generation Kia Sportage company car. The overall NVH was OK but engine noise was a bit loud and rough. Perhaps the newer generation Kias and Hyundais have much improved NVH. Anyway, I would want to avoid a Korean if possible but we'll see.