2023 Prius Road Noise

I dont notice road noise coming from the hatch but when I step outside, I hear what sounds like a generator/turbo/hyperdrive sort of sound coming from under the hood.

 

The Prius and Rav4 are not the most noise isolated cars Toyota offers. Saves weight and helps mileage. Yes there is road to tire noise especially on worn tires and wind noise. Not much drive train noise.

 

i wonder if the hatch seal isn't mating properly

 

Got my XLE on Friday and honestly compared to my 2022 Corolla Hatchback that I traded in, I think the Prius was an upgrade. I had a CT200h before the Corolla Hatchback and the road and wind noise on the highway was just as bad as the Corolla Hatchback. The new Prius is quieter compared to those vehicles. I was actually pleasantly surprised.

 

Wonder if the tires are adding to the sound noise. Also, that cheap beep foam they put in the back of the hatch…don’t know if it cuts/deadens sound very much. If not rear hatch seam issue maybe see if purchasing a toyota rubber rear matt helps any.

Glad to ‘hear’ the engine drone is not more then prior gens though from reviews some felt it was more present with this new gen it seems, maybe even taking into account larger tire size (which itself does had to sound factor).

 

As a general statement and under normal driving conditions, I find my 23 XLE to be quieter than average. I do find higher than average noise from a couple of conditions: 1st is hard acceleration with engine noise increasing dramatically. 2nd is roads with rougher surfaces causing tire noise to dramatically increase. Might be the tread pattern, not sure. Other than those 2 conditions, I quite enjoy the low noise level.....

 

I traded my 2022 Limited for my 2023 Limited.
Overall noise level is about the same.
The 23 is louder when accelerating, more engine sound, but I like that as it is more like a regular sounding car.
Some may not like the engine sound, but I love it and enjoy my 23 so much more than my 22.
Only downside thus far is my 23 is averaging 50 MPG and my 22 averaged 58 MPG.
But for the looks and performance I get with the 23, in my humble opinion, more than worth the loss in mileage.

 

and that may improve over time

 

I'm guessing when your car gets broken in, you will see a MPG increase. People around here have said that MPG's get maxed around 10k. You also might be leaning a little more into the loud pedal than your 2022, for obvious reasons... Part of the magic with Prius is if you drive easy, you get disproportionately increasing MPG returns than you do in a normal car. But drive her aggressively, and you can see your MPG's come back down to earth.

 

I tried to find the video, but couldn't. There was a professional car review guy running a decibel meter test of the new Prius (non-LE/bigger tires) on the highway. He was getting low 40's, which is compared to an electric toothbrush, refrigerator, or washing machine.

Obviously the numbers will be higher if you are flooring it during a test, or if you are on a rough road. In the city it is extremely quiet. On the highway on a nice road, it is also just as quiet as the previous generation.

I also just watched a video that discussed new noise cancelling technology included in all models. They continued to call this year's car a 2024 though so...

6:20

 

wow, that would be sweet!

 

I test drove xle awd and measured noise level during the whole test drive. It was 62-67DB. It might be 40 at the parking lot speed or stationary when ice is turned off. I.e. usually 30-35db is a noise level when you are at home and 40Db when you step out from your house or car in a very quiet street. Vortex generators alone should push nose level into 45-50db territory.
ANC - would be a really great to have in a Prius. I really hope Toyota will add ANC into 2024 models.

 

After reading your post, I did an extensive search to find the video of the decibel level test, and I found it! You are right, my memory is failing, it wasn't low 40's. I don't know where I got that number...

He was doing 65 mph on the freeway, and it registered 59-60 dbs.

2:21 is the test reference.


Choosing a quiet car, and how cabin noise affects your concentration

"Some examples of dB ratings

20dB – rustling leaves

30dB – whispering

50dB – light traffic

60-70db – normal conversation range

80dB – alarm clock

100db – riding a motorbike

110db – moderate rock concert

130db – peak stadium crowd cheering"

"An average car cruising a road with a smooth surface will typically produce around 70dB in the cabin, but not all cars are made equal. A Porsche GT3 creates just under 80dB while a BMW 730d creates just under 60dB. That’s a 20dB difference, which, as we explained above, means four times the volume in the Porsche. Part of the attraction of driving a GT3 will be the noise, but over a long distance that sound is not only tiring, but also can be damaging."

https://www.auto-decibel-db.com/index_kmh.html

Here's a database of 100's of cars. 59-60db like the tester in the video noted, would be considered a VERY quite car compared to the average at 100 km/h (62mph). Your results of 62-67 would rank, quiet-to-average. The quietest car I could find was a 2010 Acura TL at 56.2

The latest model Prius listed in the database (2018), has a rating of 66.8db at 100 km/h. Pretty average as cars go. At 50 km/h (31mph), it registered at 45.5, the volume of a babbling brook or computer.

Okay, we're all experts in cabin noise now lol.

And the 2023 Prius is still.... AwEsOmE!

 

do you think they tested them all on the same stretch of road?

 

Yes they did. And, they also tested at the same exact time.


...

‘There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.’
Mark Twain


Fwiw. just touching on a very involved and complex subject:

Code:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0PkoYN45tY&t=220s

Note:
3:40 Baseline sound measurement

This is a DISASTER
Server Room Vlog
Linus Tech Tips
15.5M subscribers
1,408,207 views
May 17, 2023
.

 

I’m surprised at the decibel ratings of some of the luxury cars.
I’ve ridden in them, and they seem much quieter than mine

 

Yep. I was surprised yesterday when measured 70db in my wife’s 2022 Subaru Outback limited at 65mph.
Her Subie always felt very quiet.
I guess not all noises are equall for us. Some are pleasent and don’t bother us at all and some are annoying even if they are barely present.

 

dB readings are some of the most unreliable numbers out there. Using a phone to take a reading is amazingly inaccurate. Placement of the mic is important. Orientation of the mic is important. Quality of the mic is super important. When comparing car to car, how is the testing done and is it consistent? Off, idle, medium throttle, full throttle, low speed, high speed, wind conditions? And what do the frequency ranges look like? Are the loudest parts of the noise in the low range, mid range, high range? Certain ranges are annoying or tiring to hear while others are almost pleasant and relaxing. And while there are general tendencies for humans, different people can have specific pitch ranges that really get on their nerves.

There's just too much important info for it to be boiled down to a single number that's usually wrong anyway. Best thing is to just test drive and decide if the noise level and pitch range is something YOU can live with.

 

We've passed over-complicating things about 5 miles back...

A single number need not be exact, it is a reference point. A Porsche GT3 is loud, a BMW 730d is quiet. The 2023 Prius' cabin sound will be closer to the BMW, than the Porsche. If you drive on a newly paved asphalt road, the Prius will be quieter than if you drive on worn out concrete. This isn't "rocket surgery".