Too noisy?

[Trevsked]

I have a 250 AMG and in my opinion it’s got quite a lot of road noise which seems to come from the rear rather than the front. Anyone else? I think I’ll look at sound deadening around the rear arches and beneath the kitchen units. Has anyone addressed this and if so how or is there a company that does that sort of thing?

Trevor.

 

[WILLH]

I drive a wide range of cars in the course of my job so I’m used to the relative road noise of different vehicles and don’t find the MP particularly noisy-quite the opposite in fact.

Yesterday I drove a VW transporter then jumped in my MP and it felt comparatively whisper quiet!

 

[Trevsked]

Hmmm, mine seems noisy to me, I have a new Transit van and that’s much quieter. Interesting you say the VW is noisier as I’ve not tried one.

Trevor.

 

[mptripsaway]

Hmmm, mine seems noisy to me, I have a new Transit van and that’s much quieter. Interesting you say the VW is noisier as I’ve not tried one.

Trevor.

Maybe you have Bat like hearing or you are used to driving a Rolls Royce . My 250amg is as quiet as a church mouse under most road conditions and on the odd occasion that there is any noticeable noise it tends to be due to my packing.

 

[Trevsked]

Defo not got bat like hearing . That’s the odd thing is that all the reviews said it was quiet but my wife and mother in law both mentioned how noisy it is without me saying. If you can look in your tyres and tell me what you’ve got I’ll do the same today as maybe they’ve changed the make/type.

Trevor.

 

[GeorgeG]

Defo not got bat like hearing . That’s the odd thing is that all the reviews said it was quiet but my wife and mother in law both mentioned how noisy it is without me saying. If you can look in your tyres and tell me what you’ve got I’ll do the same today as maybe they’ve changed the make/type.

Trevor.

I’m particularly sensitive to road noise and have even gone to extreme lengths in changing tyres to reduce it. The difference tyres make seems pretty marginal to me.

I don’t think the MP is particularly bad, but I think if you’re a rear passenger it will be a lot worse because of the large expanse of bare floor. I assume your MIL was in the rear so may have been much more aware of the road/tyre noise. Also, when someone comments on a feature of a car, I find you become much more aware of and sensitive to it than you would otherwise be.

FWIW, my son runs a civil engineering lab part of whose work involves testing tarmac and other road materials. He tells me that the problem in the UK historically with road construction is the surfaces were designed to be fairly coarse for better grip in an age of poor tyre design and construction. We’re moving to much smoother surfaces, like you find on the French motorways, which are much quieter. For those of you who live in the Bournemouth area, some of the newer road surfaces are much quieter. My son had a hand in the specification of the tarmac and tells me new roads will generally be much quieter than they currently are (unless they use concrete of course!)

 

[Trevsked]

Thanks for the info and yes totally agree it’s down to the surface. I’m sure if I lived or travelled in Europe I’d think it was great. It’s just road noise it seems and I’d like to improve the sound insulation and have seen a company in Oxford that I’ll contact for advise. I do agree that when on my own it’s not a problem as the radio is on and I’ll be listening to that at probably a higher volume which masks the noise but once you have a passenger it’s a different story as you’re trying to listen to the and even chat to someone in the rear (yes MIL was in the rear) and they say they can’t hear you properly. For me it spoils a nice experience slightly and something I wasn’t expecting to encounter.

Trevor.

 

[mptripsaway]

Defo not got bat like hearing . That’s the odd thing is that all the reviews said it was quiet but my wife and mother in law both mentioned how noisy it is without me saying. If you can look in your tyres and tell me what you’ve got I’ll do the same today as maybe they’ve changed the make/type.

Trevor.

Mine came equipped with continental sports contact 245-45-R19 102Y. I have carpeted mine in the rear cabin so maybe that has made a difference? If you travel with rear seats in most rearward position then I guess that is quite a long way back for passenger and driver conversation.

 

[Allan John Alexander]

I live in Surrey and if you drive on the M25 from the A 3 going east is worst but that area of theA25 seems to have the worst concrete on the whole of the 25 ,the first time on it in the new MP. frightened the life out of me I thought the rear axle had fell off. It's a large volume behind you and will have a loud speaker type effect,perfectly normal for the type of vehicle it is,having driven many and various different types of such vehicle for pleasure and work be assured it is one of if not the best .

 

[Carol]

I usually drive a 3 yr old Honda CRV which is a really great car , and I find driving the MP much smoother and quieter, l had a professionally converted T 5 for 8 years prior to the MP and there is no comparison would’nt change MP .
It smooth and quiet ,little road noise and rides our rough roads really smoothly

 

[GeorgeG]

I usually drive a 3 yr old Honda CRV which is a really great car , and I find driving the MP much smoother and quieter, l had a professionally converted T 5 for 8 years prior to the MP and there is no comparison would’nt change MP .
It smooth and quiet ,little road noise and rides our rough roads really smoothly

My wife ran a CRV several years ago, followed by a Jazz. Both fantastically reliable cars, but I seem to remember that they were very noisy - mechanical and road noise.

Like you, I’ve owned a T5 based camper (California in my case) and wouldn’t change the MP - it’s a great drive, even the V220.

 

[Tom rae]

Trevsked, did you get the sound proofing done and was it effective? I had a Viano MP and it was noisy compared to my subsequent T5 California and I am now looking at returning to the MP fold and I had forgotten about the noise issue!

 

[Trevsked]

Hi,

I’ve not done anything about it as yet because I’ve not used it much lately. I really should attend to it before the better weather gets where and it irritates as it’s spoiling ownership a little. It’s not terrible and I don’t want it to come across as such, just expected it it to be quieter.

Trevor.

 

[Tom rae]

Cheers Trevor, I agree it is not a major issue but a factor to consider.

 

[Steven rhodes]

I picked mine up an Saturday 250amg and coming out of a ml320 which was comfy and quiet my first impressions were that id had made a mistake ! the ride is harsh and loud I'm planning on carpeting the main floor area to reduce it somewhat

 

[Method7]

I think at idle the 220 is noisy, lumpy and generally agricultural, once rolling it seems to get smoother. I don’t really have anything to compare it with, our 1999 V-280 is much better at idle but has nothing compared to the Horizon once the hand brake is off..

I have no complaints, In fact I think it’s much more refined, the v-class has come a long way in 20 years, it now has heated seats, ventilation in the rear and rubber bands for tyres, not bad for a van.

I was surprised at the tiny little turbo on it though, that’s not going to win many points.

 

[Trevsked]

Just to be clear, I’m happy with the engine, it’s the ride that’s a little harsh and road/tyre noise that bothers me a little.

Trevor.

 

[GeorgeG]

Just to be clear, I’m happy with the engine, it’s the ride that’s a little harsh and road/tyre noise that bothers me a little.

Trevor.

I think you’ll find the AMG ride is a little firmer than the sport (from what I’ve read in road tests). I find the ride in my V220 Sport perfectly acceptable and a lot better than some of my recent cars. Try a Fiat Ducato based camper and you’ll think you’re on a magic carpet in the MP.

 

[GeorgeG]

I think you’ll find the AMG ride is a little firmer than the sport (from what I’ve read in road tests). I find the ride in my V220 Sport perfectly acceptable and a lot better than some of my recent cars. Try a Fiat Ducato based camper and you’ll think you’re on a magic carpet in the MP.

Another consideration regarding ride is the driving mode - eco, normal or sport. I generally drive in ‘Ecological’ (I’ve got used to ‘hypermiling’ in my hybrid car) and the ride is smoother in this setting. If you drive in Sport mode it firms the suspension up.

 

[Graham]

I am very impressed by the van and have no complaints at all about noise. I have never driven a VW Cali to compare as I wanted the MP from the moment I set eyes on it. My day to day car is a 9 year old Audi A8 that I have owned from "nearly new" and still runs like a dream. I have a place in Como and drove the A8 there in the summer. It is still a majestic motor and got me all the way from Glasgow to Luxembourg on one tank for a cheap refuel!

I have since taken the MP to Como twice. It is clearly a very different vehicle to drive, but I have absolutely no complaints and thoroughly enjoyed the journey, even though this involved driving for two days solid to get there in the shortest possible time. The van came with Continental Sport Contact tyres, but for my trip in November it was wearing a set of Continental TS 850's. Although I was not able to compare 'side by side' I did not feel there was any discernible difference in road noise and, based on the way you drive a van, in handling either. Was just glad to have them on when it started snowing driving through Switzerland!

I am not sure that the driving modes affect the suspension. I believe it is just the gear change characteristics. I mainly used Eco on the motorways as I am a tight Scotsman and want to eke out every last mile from the tank, but also because the fuel tank is much smaller on the MP than on the Audi. As soon as you get on to a road where there is more driving than 'cruising' or if the traffic is heavier, I would recommend going back to Comfort. I have not used Sport.

I am embarrassed to say my wife and I have only spent one night in the van so far, but we aim to sort this out over the summer months. It was supposed to arrive in July, but didn't get it 'til late October (no excuse I hear some of you say!). However, based on my experience of ownership of the vehicle as a long distance driver, I am delighted.