Best and worst HA-friendly vehicles

Interesting. Thank you. I just kind of stumbled on the Buick when I googled noise cancellation and cars. An Enclave is bigger than I want, but it looks like the acoustic technology has made its way into the lower priced Encore. Plus there’s more than hearing to think about. My Subarus have been completely reliable.

@Noreen1009 some hearing aids have a car program that your aud can install for you. I’m not sure if your brand does though. I had it in my first pair of Phonaks and it worked quiet well for me.

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+1 for a great pun, intended or not! :+1:

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Okay, I got it now. You need change the forum title to
Help with Best Excuse to Buy a New Car
:wink:

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We have a Subaru outback and a Jeep cherokee, the Jeep is a lot quieter than the Subaru.

Just test drive them all🙂

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I’ve have Subaru’s starting in 1975. A 2013 Forester & an Impreza. Great cars but still not quiet enough. They still fall into the truck category. I love the Hyundai Tucson. Everyone’s hearing is different. IMHO, pick several vehicles you like and test drive them. Not the typical test drive which is less than 30 minutes, but for an hour or so on all types of roads & traffic. After zoning in on 1 or 2, tell the dealers you would like to use the car for a day or two. Most if not all have Courtesy Cars so it is doable.

It would actually be much cheaper to change hearing aids than change cars. Phonak has Car as one of the automatic environments it recognizes. It lowers road noise. It is adjustable so you can customize it.

I own a 2012 Forrester. Currently wear opn and my phonak audeo smart were fine in the car.

Barely…

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The Grand Cherokee Summit has acoustic glass and for an SUV is pretty quiet. Much quieter than a Ford Explorer Limited for example. But they’re extremely pricey. Obscene actually. The first house I bought in 1973 was 20K less than the sticker on one of them. Unfortunately unless you’re willing to lay down a substantial amount of cash there just aren’t any quiet SUVs.

This depends a lot on your tires too. I have a Prius that’s not too bad. I would think any all-electric battery or fuel cell vehicle could be quiet, but that depends on the tires and whether it’s a bottom end $ car with lots of plastic. Tesla’s get a noise rating online anywhere?

My Phonaks work very well in the car also. I bought a turbo with continuous variable transmission this time so it is a bit noisier than the previous car but on the whole the Phonak aids perform well in the car. Also my aids cost a bit under one third of the cost of my Honda.(About half the cost of an average new car.)

I drive a 2001 Miata… My Quattros work well

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My 2013 Hyundai Sonata was one of the loudest vehicles I ever drove. I recently replaced that with a 2016 Kia Sorento. A big improvement in quietness.

When I was researching replacement vehicles, I went to Consumer Reports (we have subscribed for decades) and one of the features you can filter on is “cabin noise.” It help me a lot in making my purchase decision.

I very much appreciate your insights. My audiologist, a solo practitioner, is on maternity leave until March. When she returns to the office I am going to ask her if there is some adjustment/program that would help me understand speech better in the car. We discussed it already and she said it’s one of the most difficult problems. I could bother her if it were an emergency, but this isn’t. And, also possibly this spring, I’ll be ending up with a new vehicle so your vehicle feedback and research suggestions will be useful.

I ride a motorcycle and the acoustics are great. I can’t even hear myself sing which is a good thing I think.

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Here’s a list of the top 30 most quiet vehicles. The Top 30 Quietest Cars – A Cabin Noise Test by AUTO BILD – Elevating Sound | Sound, Acoustics, Noise, Audio, Soundscape, Sonic, Quiet, Silent, Tinnitus

Consider a loop inside the car or a remote mic for the speaker. Might be cheaper than an expensive car.

For all the time it takes at work to pay for the car, gas, registration, taxes and insurance plus the time spent stuck in a traffic jam, you could walk to your destination and get there much faster. By walking instead of owning a car you would also get more exercise and spend less time at work. Its better to walk, but if you must arrive on time ride a bicycle or just get a horse. i ride a bicycle and own a motorcycle. I haven’t owned a car for over 20 years. I reduced my work hours to part time at most. Henry Ford fooled us.