Acoustic Comfort Package....My only disappointment
 

This is by no means a complaint as I love the car. This is more to provide my opinion about the ACP option for potential buyers considering it in their build. If I had to do it over again, I don’t know if I would select the ACP option. It’s not because I feel it deadens the exhaust note too much, rather, I don’t think it deadens the road noise as much as I was hoping. The whole reason I selected the option was so I could close the exhaust valves and have the quietest cabin possible.

I understand the tires and their low profile nature will transmit more road noise than a typical profile tire. However, IMO, it’s excessively noisy for a car in this category despite playing with the tire pressure. The Michelin Sport 4s are great tires and little pebbles stick to them and get thrown at the inner fender wells. I can hear these pebbles bouncing off as if there is no sound deadening. I can also hear the road somewhat loudly when the road surface is less than smooth. About as much as the average economy car (little sound deadening). There is more to the ACP than (the supposedly) thicker sound deadening. It does come with a sound absorbing film with UV blocking on the windows. For anyone getting their windows tinted (probably everyone), would likely get ceramic tint to provide the same UV blocking so I don’t know that you’d be missing out on much here.

Unfortunately, I can’t compare the E63 S without the ACP because there were none available for me to test drive. I do wonder if the cars without it are significantly louder though. In any case, just my honest opinion about the ACP. Anyone else have it? Feel free to post your thoughts about it. I know some have said it deadens the exhaust too much. I’m curious if anyone else feels the car has a lot of road noise with or without the ACP.

Likewise, I haven't had the chance to compare the car with another that doesn't have the acoustic package.

I, on the other hand, was pleased with the low cabin noise. My car came with Pirelli tires, not sure how much difference that makes.

But compared to the other vehicles I own or have ridden in, this car was much quieter. We spent multiple hours in the car at a time driving about Europe and were able to carry on conversations in the car at more or less normal conversational volume - even with rear seat passengers. Something that I can't do in any of my other cars.

Of course it's not fair to compare it to my Jeep Wrangler or the F-250, but its still quite a bit quieter than the Honda Odyssey. Having ridden in various sedans of my friends and rental cars, it seems quieter than those too - though it may be just my memory.

The engineer in me understands that a real test with a sound meter in each car to measure the difference would be the way to go.

Thanks for your thoughts and feedback. I should have mentioned that when the road is smooth, the cabin is as quiet as I was hoping it would be. In these road conditions, I'm satisfied. It's just when the road surface is less than ideal, it gets a bit on the loud side. Not to the point I have to raise my voice significantly or at all to carry a conversation but enough where it almost does. Noise levels are somewhat subjective so I expect varying opinions. Even for those without the ACP may find their car completely quiet and that's okay. I do have a decibel app on my phone. Not exactly accurate but I may have to compare my other cars. Good idea! BTW, I also have a Jeep Wrangler, Jeep wave to you! :-)

Test drove a non acoustic E43, the car really sounds hollow and tinny, like a Kia or Hyundai.
Now this might be cos I stepped out of a 2018 Panamera into that. The Panamera felt so much better insulated than the E did.

Edit: Just realized how random my post was in this.

My point was to ask, does the acoustic package give a more muffled solid feel on the Es than the non acoustic versions? For anyone who has driven a Panamera, can you weigh in??

So I read all the posts here and then took my car out today. The roads are wide open and I was able to really get the car going from WOT at a dig up to speeds past 140 mph. The exhaust can definitely be heard; Ive only driven a non ACP car a few times but in reality the noise was still there from the exhaust but clearly it had to be at WOT. I think the ACP does its job numbing the sounds of the exhaust from lower rpms. As for the road noise, I find that the suspension dynamics play a big role here. The car is so taut and connected to the road that every thing I feel can also be attributed to my hearing and vice versa. I dont mind this- road feel to me connects me more to the road and its conditions especially when Im driving the hard aggressively.

I have no doubt our cars are loud with the PE as the DB's measured at the Lightning Lap were the loudest of any car. With all this being said I would not have got the ACP but it was part of the ED1 package.

Today I compared my daily driver which is a 2013 Lexus CT200H. Not known for being quiet. In fact, I believe most owners complain about the road noise and I definitely think it's loud. Driving on the same stretch of road and at the same speed (65mph). The CT200H measured about 85db on the smooth stretch, using the same app on my phone. 5db is significant so at least my E63 S is not as noisy as the CT200H. I do notice the my E63 S (with the ACP) does a good job suppressing noise from other cars as well as wind noise. It's just road noise that's a bit loud when the surface is not ideal. Which really narrows the cause to the firm suspension and low profile tires with stiff sidewalls (performance tires). It makes me realize that while it's probably not a night and day difference from an E63 S without the ACP, it must be quieter with it. So I am glad I opted for it considering how loud it would likely be if I didn't have it.

Agree with you here...the car would be vault-like with the ACP, if the tire noise wasn't there. Exhaust, other cars, wind, etc are all blocked very effectively, which I imagine was the goal. I have the Michelins on my car, and they have a very stiff sidewall, as you mentioned....swap for some Hankooks (or other soft sidewall tire), and the ride mellows, and the noise is decreased. Went from Pzeros to Hankooks on my w212 amg, and this was certainly the case. In curves, the car felt a bit squishy, but it was softer and less noise as well. No free lunch, as they say. :)

edit: and, yeah, the supension on this car is tuned to be very, very tight

I use to drive VW's, I had a 2015 TDI Wagon last car, that car got a real lot of road noise over grainy pavement similar to the AMG Wagon I have. Thats suspension was very tight to, I guess a lot of it does have to do with the tightness of the suspension and think maybe the fender walls are fairly thin plastic in both cars. I know in both cars I can hear it when little pebbles off the road hit the inside of the fender skirts, a lot of cars you can't hear this sort of thing.

Yes my car has it....

I repeated your experiment with my S6.
52db idle at stop light
75db cruising at 60mph
84db hard acceleration

All on very nice smooth roads with no wind.

Thanks for posting your comparison. Did you use a phone app? Which one if you did.

The app name is 'Sound meter' . I may have my new car in couple weeks and would be interesting to measure noise again.

Good to know, thanks!

And to give some idea, every 6 dB is a doubling of sound pressure level. Basically 20 log(p/p0) where p is the RMS (root mean square) sound pressure level in pascals (Pa) and p0 is the reference sound pressure (20 uPa) (roughly the sound of a mosquito flying 3 ft away from your ear).

While a 6 dB change is doubling of sound pressure, to the human ear, roughly a 10 dB change results in a doubling of perceived volume.

So a car with a sound level 10 dB higher than another car would sound twice as loud.

Admittedly, I looked some of this up just now :) I deal with dBs ever day, but more related to radio than sound level. But it's pretty similar math wise.

Good stuff, thank you for posting. I've also been told that the frequency of the noise/sound can affect the perceived loudness as well.

Wow... My 1996 S500 sedan, at 70 mph on busy expressway driving tops at 62-75dB! In city driving (45 mph normal Dallas roads, which are not quiet) I get down to 52 dB in traffic. In the garage at idle: 33 dB. (I am a professor of electronic music, and teach acoustics).

I have been considering the new E class with the acoustic package, but those levels suck!!!! (Pardon my French) I think if someone is considering the acoustic package, then any MENTION of "exhaust note" is irrelevant. I don't want to hear a BIT of noise, from car or engine or road!80-90 dB is outrageous for a Benz with "acoustic package"! Even an AMG (which my son owns C63)

Thanks for the info...