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Massive merged wind noise thread.

1M views 3K replies 536 participants last post by  AimoPaukku 
#1 ·
I read many reviews on the subaru outback 2015.

Many mentioned the problem of wind noise on the highway from the door-mounted side view mirrors. Is it realy loud?
 
#5 ·
Yes, I did hear the swishing noise from the wing mirror at highway speed. I initially thought I did not wind up the window fully. Honestly, I get worst noise from wing mirror in Santa Fe, Altima and others with crappy design. The wind mirror aerodynamic design helps reduce that. You don't get noticeable noise from Audi but they do exist.

I do not find the sun visor flimsy at all. Its just the design.
 
#11 ·
Hybrid Toyota Matrix err Lexus - the Matrix was never really packed with sound proofing to start with.

Having said that back in 2010 the legacy was listed as having the lowest road noise of any car in its class. I suspect that still remains to be pretty darn close today with the wagon version ie the OB not being that far off but probably louder than the Legacy.
 
#13 ·
It's interesting that this is discussed here. I just test drive the OB 2015 Premium 2.5i and 3.6R. In both, I notice the wind noise suddenly becomes noticeable above 80-85 km/hr (or 50 mph) and gets louder as the speed increased. Upon researching, I found this forum and I also found this article:
2015 Subaru Outback: More Of The Same.
2015 Subaru Outback Review | AutoGuide
2015 Subaru Outback Consumer Reviews

I know you guys mentioned it's normal. I have been driving honda civic and CRV which is not sound proof. Actually this is to replace the CRV. I just tested on my CRV, it only becomes noticeable above 110 km/hr (>65 mph), which I think makes sense and both these cars are not sound proofed by all means. And I was never bothered with it until I notice it on the Outback.

I wonder if anybody else has or found theirs has this issue that hard to ignore/mask.
 
#14 ·
I've test driven the 2015 Outback three times (all including a portion on the highway at up to 70 mph) and didn't notice anything untoward as respects wind noise. Certainly wasn't bothered by anything in the 50 to 60 mph range.

It compares favorably against the other cars I've shopped the last few months -- actually I found it a bit quieter than I expected as the CVT whir on the 2014 Outback was more noticeable.

I suspect some people are more annoyed than others by different frequencies. There is also the psychological issue that we often tend to ignore something until it has been pointed out to us, as those articles did.
 
#15 ·
I'm coming from a BMW X5 4.8is which is SUPER silent and I can tell you I'm not disappointed with my OB. Yes I did notice a little more exterior noise(and that "famous" wind noise everybody is worried about) but it is really not a deal breaker IMO ... It's a beautiful car.

Stop worrying so much about reviews and what you read , it'll only influence you in probably the wrong direction. Go out and try it. It was probably easier for me cause this is my first Subaru so I can't compare it with previous years but like I said before, coming from a long time BMW ownership of different models in the past 15 years , I was PLEASANTLY surprised with pretty much everything about this car.
 
#17 ·
The new acoustic glass that Subaru keeps mentioning about is really nice. Whatever they did to get it to keep the cabin quiet is quite amazing. I drove from Denver to Spring (close to an hour's worth on the highway) and I could really enjoy my music without having any concern to drown out any noise. Compared to my 07 Legacy, 98 Accord, 86 BMW 5 series and some other cars, this 2015 Outback is solid on the highway and I get excited everyday I drive it... Then again its only been a week and some change but I'm still excited! :)
 
#19 ·
Test drove 2 Outbacks yesterday. At about 65 mph I began to hear wind noise from the driver's side mirror. It's kind of weird in that it wasn't constant, rather than an occassional added fast noise over the background wind noise. Even with the radio at a normal volume (not loud), I still heard the random wind noises. I took the Outback up to 80 mph and the wind noise didn't seem to increase much from when I first began to hear it.

After reading about wind noise here I purposely listened for it. If I didn't know about it I probably wouldn't have noticed or thought much about it. It's definitely not a deal breaker for me.
 
#24 ·
Glad I found this thread because I forgot to mention this in my review.

Yes very much the wind noise stood out big time to the point I thought I left the window slightly cracked. It was definitely noticeable. My 12' doesn't sound no where near that loud.
That was at local speeds 45mph at highway speeds it didn't really change. For me it's not that big of a deal, it's not crazy loud or unbearable.
 
#25 ·
Anyone with a 2014 who test drove the 2015 and can make a direct comparison of the wind noise between the two model years. Also road/tire noise and overall cabin noise?

I'm starting to wonder if a deep discounted 2014 might be a way to go for now . . and come back to a Gen5 for model year 2016/17 when the dust has settled and the new model issues have been proven/disproven and addressed as appropriate? (wind noise, racks, oil burning, seats, hitch delay, eyesight delay, 80% new engine parts, new cvt, unknowns, etc..). Just a thought!
 
#32 ·
Yes.

Easy fix? To early to tell. It could just be the way it is.

After my drive I was pretty certain that the wind noise was coming from the side mirror area.

It is possible that the door seal may not be fitted properly allowing some aero wind noise to enter the cabin. So if anyone feels they have an abnormally loud cabin I would direct them towards that area, they should inspect and correct it under warranty if they see the problem. But we all know all dealers are not alike.
 
#35 ·
I read that too somewhere. It's odd because to my ear the cabin noise and vehicle overall seemed generally very quiet on the test drives but, like many others have commented, the sound that appeared to be coming from the mirror area was for some reason readily apparent to my ear. Perhaps it's just noticeable to some of us because the rest of the vehicle is so quiet, or it's just at a frequency that we're not used to hearing and therefore notice. Sooo . . as Tab25 recommends . . I have driven, I have heard for myself, and have arrived at my own informed conclusion.
 
#38 ·
I hear the wind noise on mine, and always have. I was not listening for it, I just heard it. It bothered me, but you do not need loud music to drown it out; the radio doesn't have to be loud at all. Then I drove my girlfriends 2006 Impreza wagon and was reminded of how loud the older Subarus truly are. It seems that I forgot in a week and 1,033 miles. For perspective, this is my first Subaru of 10 that I've owned that is new enough to have framed door windows.
 
#39 ·
Just got my 2015 2.5i this weekend and I can say I never would have noticed the wind noise until reading this. IMO, it's a testament of how quiet the cabin is. Coming from a Grand Cherokee (with exhaust...), this thing is luxury car quiet. As quiet or quieter than a family members new Cadillac.

Whatever amount of wind noise that's present at the mirrors doesn't bother me the slightest. I'd have to have the radio off and be in awkward silence with my new wife to really be annoyed with it...
 
#42 ·
Has anyone driven with the mirror folded to see if it made a huge difference. I'll try that today on the highway. If it does make a big difference maybe the shape of this mirror deflects the wind too aggressively on the window.
I wonder if we can swap mirrors with other 2015 Subaru models. This would be an interesting test.
 
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