Are new Prius any quieter?

a little maybe, it's still a prius

 

My comparison: 13 years in a 2010 Prius II vs. 3 days in a 2023 Prius AWD Limited

The 2023 seems to be noticeably quieter at city speeds, but similar at highway speeds. I need to take it out more on the highway to be sure of that last part.

Take the following with a giant grain of salt, but my sales guy said he recently drove all the trim levels at a sales workshop and the Limited was noticeably better than the LE & XLE. I don't really believe him because it doesn't make sense, but he didn't have much reason to lie to me since I had decided on getting the Limited long before contacted him and there was no need to upsell me. In fact, this came up in conversation only when I was picking it up.

 

I had a 2012 that I drove from Phoenix to OKC last weekend, and got a 2023 ltd that I drove back (on a mix of interstate and state hwy’s) back to Phoenix. In town, and at lower speeds, the 23 is definitely quieter, but the 12 was quite noisy due to rattles and squeaks. At highway speed a lot depends on the road surface. Smooth roads are great in the 23 vs. the 12, but rough asphalt or concrete still brings a lot of road noise into the 23 cabin.

 

I'm talking for the Prime (Plug-in in EU) in EU versions, but i think is the same for the HEV e Prime in US.
Some EU brochures reports the base trim (of 3 as in US) doesn't have "glasses" with soundproof nor "hydrophobe" treatment.
I think is related to the windshield and front windows, the latter perhaps double pane.

It would be nice if someone can take a shot along the thickness of the front windows glasses of an LE, XLE, Ltd so we can check.
I do remember in the gen 4 PHEV EU base trim was the same, no double glazing in front windows.

 

HM english can be difficult to translate at times. I think this is one of those times.
Providing a few pics of your own or links to help our friends on this side of the pond could possibly help to get some more interest. know what I'm sayin?

 

He's just saying that in the EU, there's a source that says the SE equivalent of the Prime has thinner windshield and side window glass than the XSE and XSE+ equivalents(Toyota uses different names for the trims in different countries). Since the Prius and Prius Prime trim levels are basically the same(SE=LE, XSE=XLE, etc.), he's asking for owners of each trim to measure the thickness of the side window glass so we can compare and see if that's true. We could also compare the codes on our windshields to see if there's a difference.

Toyota(and many others) sometimes uses thicker glass, or double thick glass with an extra layer of film in between, in order to reduce road noise. While Toyota uses this more in Lexus products, it's possible the higher Prius trims also have it. That would be yet another factor as to why the SE and LE trims get significantly better milage(thinner glass = lower weight and every bit helps).

 

I'm planning to test this: 22 Prime base vs. 23 XLE AWD using identical routes/speeds and my trusty DB sound meter. Will post back when I do.

 

I'll be doing the same thing when I get my 2023. 2019 LE vs 2023 LE.

 

Drivers window glass thickness on an AWD Limited is 7.4mm. I can also confirm that the windshield in mine might be different than the ones in European Priuses. Mine has the AS1 designation that is required for US cars, but it doesn't have the circle E that is required for EU cars. That doesn't necessarily mean they're different(Toyota might only stamp the glass for the market it's going to), but it doesn't guarantee they're the same, either. For what it's worth, the windshield was made by AGC(Asahi Glass Company). I'm sure there's a bunch of other information contained in the dots placed in certain spots, but the only thing I can be sure of is the glass is AGC type M814I, and I think it was made in the second week of March 2023(there's a code 10A, which I think means the 10th week of year A; I assume they rotate the letters through the years and A=2023).

 

I hope not, or I hope there'll be cars that let you hear the outside more than these new insulated boxes on wheels these days. My Avalon is way to quite. You can't hear anything outside with the windows rolled up. I can't hear the birds or the deer or anything else. Not even a police car, ambulance or fire truck with it's siren going off until it's right behind me. I like hearing my tires roll on the ground too. It gives me a sense of speed so I don't have to constantly look at the speedometer.

 

That's odd because Consumer Reports rates Gen 4 4/5 in noise. Gen 5 should be the same as Gen 4 in noise.

 

I got the part about the windscreen thickness. The double glazing in the front was where I lost context since I thought all car glass was/is safety glass. It's always nice when others offer to fill in the details, thanks.
So I thought I'd take my own advice and do a quick search of double glazing
Double-glazed windows on cars: What's the experience like? - Making Your Car Service Fun
opionion - gotta love terms with multiple meanings depending on how it's used in context.

 

All windshields are safety glass(two layers of glass with a nylon film sandwiched between), but most cars have single-layer tempered glass for the side and rear windows. Some top car models that focus on comfort and quiet put a type of safety glass in the side and rear windows as well. The very top(Rolls, Bentley, Maybach) might use extra thick glass layers, maybe three of them instead of two, and use a special film in between that has extra noise insulating properties.

And I wouldn't trust the info in that link. Whoever wrote it(if it was even a human) was confusing building glass double glazing(multiple layers of glass with gas spaces in between) with automotive safety glass(multiple layers of glass with polymer layers in between) which is sometimes referred to as double glazing even though it really isn't.


Side note: I believe some jurisdictions require at least one automotive window to be ordinary tempered glass as safety glass all the way around would make it almost impossible to get out of the car in an emergency if the doors were inoperable.

 

The word safety glass for side and back windows is more that it’s tempered glass that breaks into many small fragments, and laminated safety glass is used for two layers bonded together with some film between. So all car windows have safety glass all around the way I’ve always understood it. Not sure if windshield glass is tempered as it’s laminated, as it cracks in long pieces, held by the film I know, but tempered glass explodes instead of cracking. I don’t think windshields are tempered safety glass without looking it up.

 

I bought the 2023 Prius on the first year. Did I made the right decision? I hope there is no defect.

 

we won't likely now for quite awhile. i hope you have few issues!

 

You're mixing up safety glass with double glazing. As @Hammersmith said, some luxury car have front side driver & passenger double glazing for better noise insulation, like Tesla did from 2021 my on.
Nothing to do with safety that is a compulsory requirement.

Here Bjorn Nyland test on noise when Tesla upgraded the model 3:

Tesla Model 3 Double Glass: Does It Make A Big Impact On Cabin Noise?

At the least in EU, the gen 4 was offer in 2 trims, and the base model did'nt got the double glazing side windows. I'm afraid it is still the same for the US LE/SE, so i asked the comparison. As you see from the pic, you can tell apart just having two photos.

 

I had a 22 Limited and now a 23 Limited, noise is about the same in my humble opinion

 

to me, prius noise has always come up through the tires, wheel welss and etc., aside from engine at higher rpm's