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I currently have one of the new A3s (1.4TFSI SE model), and find the ride quality to be quite poor. Every slightest imperfection in the road surface can be felt, and the ride is constantly restless, jolty and jarring. And this is supposed to be Audi's 'comfort' suspension. Perhaps as another consequence of the hard suspension, the tyre noise is terrible, on almost any surface.
How does the new Golf compare in these respects, given that it is mechanically very similar ?
Hi I test done the 1.4cod with the comfort suspension and found the tyre noise to much. I then drove the golf 1.4act which was very quiet in comparison hence I ordered one. I prefer the dash in the audi but could not have lived with the tyre noise.
I am a bit obsessive about road noise and I can say hand on heart the Mk7 Golf - especially an SE on standard 16's - is very quiet for the class of car. In comparison to recent Audis, it's quieter than my 2012 A6 S-Line on 18s and about the same as a 2012 A8 on 19s. My GT is on 17's and lower suspension and it's still fairly quiet and the ride is firm-ish but still comfortable because the damping is so well judged. Are you on the standard wheels ? Tyre pressures correct ? What tyre make/variant ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cs2009
is it new as in brand new ? what tyres are fitted ? are they the originals or something else?
Interesting question.
On all of the websites I visit to hear about the Mk 7, I have yet to hear any complaints about ride quality and/or tyre noise.
Mine is the 2.0 tdi GT with DSG, and I think the ride quality is excellent. However, near me is an A road that lorries use as an alternative to the M 25 and the surface is a mess. The car doesn't like that, bit it would be a challenge to any car.
Thanks for info.
The car is brand new (bought May this year) and came with Pirelli Cinturato P7 tyres on 17" wheels.
ok, jusy checking as you would be surprised how many folk fit some cheap nasty chinese tyres then wonder why their car rides a lot worse.
I've had my MK7 GTD for 2 months now and a number of people I've given a lift to have quoted how quiet it is. At legal speeds 70-75mph, it's probably the most quiet car I've ever owned, and that's with 18" alloys. I have to praise the ride as well. Mine came with Bridgestone Potenza tyres and I'm not sure if they contribute to the low noise ? It's only on really poor surfaces (like those concrete sections of road), that the noise starts to enter the car, back onto tarmac - all quiet again.
I went for the adaptive chassis control (similar to Audi's magnetic ride - although slightly different technology), and it's a revelation. In comfort mode it really does feel like a large Merc or BMW and just glides over the road and handles imperfections in the road surface no problem. Even hitting large ruts or small potholes doesn't upset it all all. Stick it in sport mode and it sharpens up considerably, but even then doesn't bang or crash or shake your fillings loose. It's one area of the car that to be honest I just can't find fault with.
My Mk7 GT is on 17s with the same tyres, so I think we can rule them out as the problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by cs2009
Thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by a8toa6convert
Sounds as though I need to take a test drive of the Golf.
At this time of year, or any time the roads are wet, it's more the noise of the water on the roads intruding into the cabin space that seems more obvious. Not sure whether it's because the cabin on the whole is quiet, but I'm sure I've not heard it as obvious as this either in my previous Passat or cars before that.
This 'too quiet' cabin could also be why the noise from vehicles either travelling in the opposite direction, or passing by alongside, seems more intrusive as well. Anyone else noticed it?
mine are 17" on P7. All fine with ride & noise..
The noise I get with the A3 is definitely a roaring and rumbling sound, and it completely obliterates the engine noise. If anything, it gets slightly quieter if the roads are wet.Quote:
Originally Posted by G0rdon
When I first got the car, I thought they had fitted sports suspension by mistake, but then the car had to go back to the dealers for a couple of days. They gave me another A3 which did have sports suspension, and the ride on that was atrociously bad, although admittedly it also had 18" wheels.
I have the previous generation Golf on 17 inch wheels with sports suspension. At first the car was very quiet but got noisier as the tyres wore down. Ride is firm and the potholes don't help.
The road noise drove me mad and I ended up getting the car soundproofed which helped a bit.
It is good to know that the sound suppression has improved in the newer model which I look forward to test driving when I change cars at some point.
Quite surprised by the difference in sound levels between the Audi and Golf considering they share the same chassis (I think).
I would be interested in hearing some comments from those moving from the previous Golf model to the latest on the same size wheel size.
That is definitely transmission of vibration through the tyres into the suspension, through the suspension/sub-frame mounts into the car body, and then radiation from the car body panels into the interior. It's a PITA to deal with, definitely the hardest kind of NVH to tackle. I guess Audi just did a worse job than VW of "tuning out" the typical resonant frequencies of this kind of noise when they designed the body and the suspension components. Wouldn't be the first time......Quote:
Originally Posted by cs2009
Thanks, that sounds very plausible.Quote:
Originally Posted by a8toa6convert
You have to wonder if Audi deliberately left out some rubber bushing components in the suspension to give a 'sportier' feel, but ruined the ride and noise level in the process.
I believe you said you drove a Sport version with bigger wheels which was much worse, but maybe worth driving a car with the same spec as yours just in case there is actually something amiss.
Slightly off topic, but related. I test drove an Octavia 1.6tdi DSG yesterday. Very nice car, but it made a really weird noise between 35-40mph - a sort of booming resonance like you get with a rear window open by an inch (which it wasn't).
Salesman was completely baffled by it and acknowledged that there was clearly something wrong with the car. As he didn't have another one to try he had to let me walk away. Probably some vital piece of soundproofing that was missing or loose, could be the case with the OP's Audi.
Shame, would have been a sale, much nicer car than the 1.6 Golf I drove the same day.
The noise I get is just classic road roar - there is no particular resonance noticeable.
Before buying the car, I did test drive a Sport model which had the standard suspension (as in SE), and that too was very noisy. At the time, I just put it down to the fact that the roads on the test route were mainly rough country roads.
Factory fitted 17" Singapore alloys and Bridgestone Turanza er300 tyres with sports suspension. The ride is great. The tyres roar like a jet plane on the motorway!
Thought I would post an update on this, now that I've had a chance to test drive the following: an SE 1.6TDI, a GT 2.0TDI, and an SE 1.4TSI.
Starting with the SE diesel, it was immediately obvious that there was a huge improvement in both ride and tyre noise compared to my A3 SE, even over very badly pot-holed roads. To be fair, the Golf had 16" wheels whereas my A3 has 17" wheels. I then tried the GT diesel, which although was noticeably firmer than the SE, was still more comfortable and had lower tyre noise than my A3. It was as though the Golf suspension was able to smooth over the sharp edges of the road imperfections, whereas they cause a sharp jolt in my car. But here's the thing: the Golf GT had the exact same Pirelli tyres as my car, yet was quieter and more comfortable. This proves that VW have done something different to Audi in their suspension design. On a second visit, I also drove the Golf SE 1.4TSI, with very similar results to the diesel version, although it was perhaps marginally firmer.
So, the upshot of this is that I will be trading in my A3 for a Golf GT 1.4 ACT next month. With the benefit of hindsight, I actually prefer the Golf interior too, despite what the hacks say about the A3 having a 'classy' interior !
Great inside on the model types.
So in terms of road noise between the Golf SE and GT, would you say the difference was minimal between the two? Did you notice much more in the way of tyre roar on the GT?
The tyre noise on the GT was higher than that on the SE, but still markedly less than my A3. However, this could be due to the 16" wheels on the SE, rather than the stiffer suspension.Quote:
Originally Posted by icebun
One other thing I noticed about the Golf GT were the sports seats, which were absolutely superb. The combination of the alcantara centre panels and cloth side bolsters gave a perfect combination of lateral support and comfort IMO. I have also tested the sport version of the A3, which had alcantara seats but with leather bolsters. They were very uncomfortable I found.