SOUNDS in SILENCE

Taking a detour from the sound of the engines, we indulge our senses into the sounds of the in-car audio systems with four of the best luxury EVs on sale right now.

Few things are inextricably linked to each other like the open road and music. In fact, with rising congestion across the globe, in-car entertainment systems have gained a level of sophistication never seen before in the OEM space. So while we still strive to find that perfect ribbon of tarmac behind the wheel of the perfect car, it’s also important to address the everyday victories. The “stuckin-traffic-but-headbanging-to-AC/DC” sort of victories. Speaking of AC/DC…EVs incidentally make for the perfect testing bed for the sound quality of stock audio systems. Thanks to the inherently quieter cabins, the vanishingly low NVH levels and their relatively newer system architecture compared to ICE counterparts. This feature focuses solely on the sound quality and sonic characteristics of each car in question and doesn’t delve into their respective infotainment systems or operation.

Our quartet of Avengers included the Audi Q8 e-Tron, Mercedes EQE SUV, Jaguar i-Pace and BMW iX, all roughly in the similar price bracket but vastly different in their cabin design and system configuration. The task was simple; to ascertain which car could separate the Weeknd from the Milli Vanili based on stringent parameters such as Soundstage, Clarity and Precision, Tonality, Bass Definition, Maximum SPL (sound pressure levels) and Structural Rigidity. Every system was tested with the car parked in Autocar’s very own studio, in controlled conditions that allowed us to maintain extremely low ambient noise levels. This allowed us to pinpoint misgivings more easily than driving around, which would lead to body flex on our battered city roads and incessant honking in the perpetually trafficated Mumbai corrupting our impressions and findings.

SOUNDSTAGE