Best cars for windows-down driving

[briantroutman]

For the past two years, I've been driving a 2016 Volkswagen Golf–the wagon version. It's a terrific car in almost every regard, but there's one annoying exception: Driving at highway speeds with the windows down and the sunroof open is almost unbearable. Speeds up to about 30-40 are generally tolerable, but even at a modest 55 MPH, the roar of wind and the sensation of air turbulence in the car become unpleasant. I've tried various combinations of windows and roof being open to various degrees, and none have seemed much better.

I don't recall my past cars (various '90s Subarus, two Toyota Matrixes) being quite as loud with windows down and roofs open. And I don't recall my family's cars in the '80s and '90s being so unbearable with windows down either.

So I'm left to speculate that enhancements in aerodynamics have optimized modern cars' shapes to slip through wind resistance efficiently (with windows closed), and when a window is opened, that shape is spoiled, creating much greater turbulence–and therefore, noise.

Are there any cars (or trucks) that are noticeably better suited to driving with windows down?

[Brandon]

Only if it lacks working air conditioning.

[Takumi]

Most 90s Hondas. They feel like go-karts anyway but the windows-down experience just amplified that.

[corco]

I have a 2015 Golf and find it similarly unpleasant at speed. My 2002 Liberty is actually great with the windows down.

But I'd echo Takumi's notion of older Hondas - my 2001 Accord was probably the best for it.

[formulanone]

And I don’t recall my family’s cars in the ’80s and ’90s being so unbearable with windows down either.

So I’m left to speculate that enhancements in aerodynamics have optimized modern cars’ shapes to slip through wind resistance efficiently (with windows closed), and when a window is opened, that shape is spoiled, creating much greater turbulence—and therefore, noise.

This seems to a concern I've heard echoed, but I've experienced the same thing with my most recent car, a 2009 Scion xD. The wind flutter and chop is horrendous at anything over 30-35 miles an hour, unless all four windows are completely down. I can get away with just two driver's side windows for quick trip to the store. At 65 miles an hour and above, it's not as pleasant as it once was in other vehicles of 1980s/90s-vintage.

My wife's van (a Mazda 5) doesn't seem so bad, but I don't think I've gone over 55 mph with all the windows down.

I don't always roll down all the rental cars' windows for much of any length of time, maybe a few times a year. I did notice the latest Ford Mustang convertible was quieter at 80 with no windows than my car was at 40mph sans windows. Maybe the V8 rumble tuned out the wind noise.

[Beltway]

My 2016 Buick Lacrosse does well with the sunroof open even up to 70 mph.  Good streamlining.

[Max Rockatansky]

The muscle car shape of my previous 5th Generation Camaro and current generation Challenger I noticed tend to keep wind out even with the window fully open.  Usually I drove both of them with the window down, I suppose the gun slot size doesn't hurt keeping the noise down.

[Duke87]

Only if it lacks working air conditioning.

So, it's 65 degrees and sunny and you're driving around on roads where your speed is under 55. You telling me you're keeping the windows closed and turning on the AC in these conditions? If so.... why?

[SSOWorld]

Convertibles

[abefroman329]

Only if it lacks working air conditioning.

So, it's 65 degrees and sunny and you're driving around on roads where your speed is under 55. You telling me you're keeping the windows closed and turning on the AC in these conditions? If so.... why?

I don't really keep the windows rolled down on the expressway at all, I don't want to get blown to bits.

[Henry]

Convertibles

Yes, this. Because of what it was, my dad's Cutlass was the ultimate road-trip car during my childhood. I've tried recreating the feeling with all the windows open on my 2001 Tahoe, but it just doesn't feel the same.

[jeffandnicole]

Only if it lacks working air conditioning.

So, it's 65 degrees and sunny and you're driving around on roads where your speed is under 55. You telling me you're keeping the windows closed and turning on the AC in these conditions? If so.... why?

I don't really keep the windows rolled down on the expressway at all, I don't want to get blown to bits.

Relatively speaking, air conditioning is pretty common in all vehicles.  You only have to go back to the 1980's when it was still an option.  And, like everything else, people w/o a/c survived by putting the windows down. 

When you see UPS and delivery trucks driving by with their doors open, it's not just for convenience.  They'll tell you it's because their air conditioning "operates at 55 mph".  Most delivery trucks still don't have a/c, so they just leave their doors open while they drive around.

[briantroutman]

Most 90s Hondas.

I'll take a rough guess and assume that your experience with '90s Hondas is probably not that different from my experience with '90s Subarus–which is to say that the windows-down experience was at least tolerable if not spectacular. I would drive for hours on long trips with the windows down and roof open, and though my hair would get blown around, I don't recall it ever getting to the point where the wind noise and buffeting became noticeably irritating.

I have a 2015 Golf and find it similarly unpleasant at speed.

Glad to see that I'm not imagining things.

My 2002 Liberty is actually great with the windows down.

That leads me to something else I've wondered: Are less aerodynamic vehicles less turbulent in cabin at speed with windows down because their body shapes aren't as carefully honed for windows-up operation? I realize that it's just one additional data point, but I recall that the cab of the International Durastar truck I rented for my move back to Pennsylvania was quite calm with windows down at freeway speed.

I've experienced the same thing with my most recent car, a 2009 Scion xD. The wind flutter and chop is horrendous at anything over 30-35 miles an hour, unless all four windows are completely down.

In my Matrixes, the windows-down experience was generally better than it is in my Golf, but there were combinations that produced some very bizarre and undesirable effects. For example, if I had the sunroof open but left all of the windows up, I'd get a very intense low frequency buffeting in the car that practically hurt my eardrums.

My 2016 Buick Lacrosse does well with the sunroof open even up to 70 mph.

The muscle car shape of my previous 5th Generation Camaro and current generation Challenger...

I don't see any commonality in overall vehicle shape or type here, so maybe the level of turbulence truly is a matter of fine details–the shape and position of mirrors, fender flares, etc.–that set up a pattern of airflow around the car and determine the level of noise and buffeting in the car.

Only if it lacks working air conditioning.

So, it's 65 degrees and sunny and you're driving around on roads where your speed is under 55. You telling me you're keeping the windows closed and turning on the AC in these conditions? If so.... why?

I guess this is just a matter of personal preferences. Speaking for myself, I like open air whenever and wherever possible–open windows at home, sliding balcony doors at hotels, outdoor seating at restaurants, etc. And for me, air conditioning is a last resort that I'll turn to when heat and humidity become too oppressive to deal with–or in the car if I'm trying to carry on a conversation or pay close attention to something I'm listening to.

But not infrequently, I'll see people sitting in parked cars on a sunny 70° day with all the windows sealed tightly, the engine idling, and the A/C compressor running. Or on a summer evening when the temp has dropped to 65° with a gentle breeze and the soft sound of crickets in the distance, and a neighbor's house is sealed tightly with the A/C running. To each his or her own, I suppose, but I don't understand people's resistance to just opening the danged windows.

Convertibles

For a few weeks several years ago, I borrowed a then-girlfriend's '87 Chrysler LeBaron convertible that she had inherited from her grandmother. I recall that, with the top down, the level of wind and noise wasn't terribly bad. And if you put the top down but left the windows up, it was quiet enough to hold a conversation or stay reasonably comfortable on a chilly day.

I really took to the convertible experience and put the top down nearly every time I got in the car, even though it was autumn at the time. I wondered how I'd ever drive any car that wasn't a convertible afterward. The only thing I didn't like was that "looking down the back of your neck"  feeling driving in heavy traffic or with tractor trailers trailing close behind. At least sunroofs–particularly large sunroofs like the one on my Golf–give a reasonable dose of that open air feeling without the limitations, drawbacks, and costs of a true convertible.

I don't really keep the windows rolled down on the expressway at all, I don't want to get blown to bits.

Well–that's basically the purpose of this thread: What cars can you drive on the expressway with the windows rolled down and not get blown to bits. Clearly there are some that fare better in this regard than others.

[abefroman329]

Only if it lacks working air conditioning.

So, it's 65 degrees and sunny and you're driving around on roads where your speed is under 55. You telling me you're keeping the windows closed and turning on the AC in these conditions? If so.... why?

I don't really keep the windows rolled down on the expressway at all, I don't want to get blown to bits.

Relatively speaking, air conditioning is pretty common in all vehicles.  You only have to go back to the 1980's when it was still an option.  And, like everything else, people w/o a/c survived by putting the windows down. 

When you see UPS and delivery trucks driving by with their doors open, it's not just for convenience.  They'll tell you it's because their air conditioning "operates at 55 mph".  Most delivery trucks still don't have a/c, so they just leave their doors open while they drive around.

When I was in college, or just out of college and not making much money, I wouldn't run the A/C to save on gas money (and there was the one summer in college where I didn't use it because I couldn't afford to have the system recharged).  That's not the case any more, and assuming extreme temperatures, I can't see why I wouldn't use my A/C.

[abefroman329]

Well–that's basically the purpose of this thread: What cars can you drive on the expressway with the windows rolled down and not get blown to buts. Clearly there are some that fare better in this regard than others.

Probably just convertibles with the top down, really.

[briantroutman]

^ Oops–blown to bits, that should have read. Not blown to "buts" .

When I was in college, or just out of college and not making much money, I wouldn't run the A/C to save on gas money...

And just to be clear, I'm not talking about avoiding using A/C because you don't have it or can't afford to recharge it or are trying to save a few cents on gas (which may be impossible due to increased drag at highway speeds anyway). I'm talking about having windows down on a moderate-temperature day because you like the feeling of open air.

[PHLBOS]

For the past two years, I've been driving a 2016 Volkswagen Golf–the wagon version. It's a terrific car in almost every regard, but there's one annoying exception: Driving at highway speeds with the windows down and the sunroof open is almost unbearable. Speeds up to about 30-40 are generally tolerable, but even at a modest 55 MPH, the roar of wind and the sensation of air turbulence in the car become unpleasant. I've tried various combinations of windows and roof being open to various degrees, and none have seemed much better.

Brian, You may already know this but what you're describing above is the downside of vehicles having more aerodynamic profiles.  Such designs reduces wind drag (when the windows are closed) & allows for better fuel economy.  While aerodynamic designs in vehicles have been around for decades; the drag coefficients of vehicles have dropped to a point where even opening a window a crack can increase noise due to the added wind resistance associated with such.  Note: aerodynamic testing is done by placing a vehicle in a wind tunnel.  The windows are closed when vehicles undergo these tests.

Actually, this issue with vehicles is not new.  When my brother rented an early 2000s-vintage Chrysler Pacifica (the CUV not current minivan bearing the same name) for a long trip; he noticed that whenever the windows were down, the related road & wind noise would become too loud to keep the windows down... especially with passengers traveling with him.  Such ticked him off royally because he couldn't drive the vehicle even on 30-40 mph roads with the windows down and it was 65-70 degrees outside (perfect for windows-down driving).

Convertibles

Amen.  Whenever it's a nice day & I need to drive; that's where my 2007 Mustang convertible comes in handy.

Are less aerodynamic vehicles less turbulent in cabin at speed with windows down because their body shapes aren't as carefully honed for windows-up operation? I realize that it's just one additional data point, but I recall that the cab of the International Durastar truck I rented for my move back to Pennsylvania was quite calm with windows down at freeway speed.

Short answer: yes.

Only if it lacks working air conditioning.

So, it's 65 degrees and sunny and you're driving around on roads where your speed is under 55. You telling me you're keeping the windows closed and turning on the AC in these conditions? If so.... why?

I guess this is just a matter of personal preferences. Speaking for myself, I like open air whenever and wherever possible–open windows at home, sliding balcony doors at hotels, outdoor seating at restaurants, etc. And for me, air conditioning is a last resort that I'll turn to when heat and humidity become too oppressive to deal with– or in the car if I''m trying to carry on a conversation or pay close attention to something I''m listening to.

But not infrequently, I''ll see people sitting in parked cars on a sunny 70° day with all the windows sealed tightly, the engine idling, and the A/C compressor running. Or on a summer evening when the temp has dropped to 65° with a gentle breeze and the soft sound of crickets in the distance, and a neighbor''s house is sealed tightly with the A/C running. To each his or her own, I suppose, but I don''t understand people''s resistance to just opening the danged windows.

You, me, my brother and Duke87 agree with you 100% regarding the above.  My brother (in MA) sees what you described all the time and just can't comprehend why people would do such (ride with the windows up on a local road when it's 65-75 degrees outside).

I don't really keep the windows rolled down on the expressway at all, I don't want to get blown to bits.

Well –that''s basically the purpose of this thread: What cars can you drive on the expressway with the windows rolled down and not get blown to bits. Clearly there are some that fare better in this regard than others.

Anything from the 1980s-vintage and earlier when one gets right down to it.

[jeffandnicole]

Only if it lacks working air conditioning.

So, it's 65 degrees and sunny and you're driving around on roads where your speed is under 55. You telling me you're keeping the windows closed and turning on the AC in these conditions? If so.... why?

I don't really keep the windows rolled down on the expressway at all, I don't want to get blown to bits.

Relatively speaking, air conditioning is pretty common in all vehicles.  You only have to go back to the 1980's when it was still an option.  And, like everything else, people w/o a/c survived by putting the windows down. 

When you see UPS and delivery trucks driving by with their doors open, it's not just for convenience.  They'll tell you it's because their air conditioning "operates at 55 mph".  Most delivery trucks still don't have a/c, so they just leave their doors open while they drive around.

When I was in college, or just out of college and not making much money, I wouldn't run the A/C to save on gas money (and there was the one summer in college where I didn't use it because I couldn't afford to have the system recharged).  That's not the case any more, and assuming extreme temperatures, I can't see why I wouldn't use my A/C.

Yep - today's climate control systems in cars are much more efficient than many years ago, so on a gas-mileage standpoint its better to use your a/c or heat (or auto climate control) versus having the windows open.  Not to mention keeping any bad stuff out of the vehicle.

But...some days, it's just nice to have the windows open, arm sticking out, enjoying the smell of that skunk the guy in front of you ran over...

[abefroman329]

But...some days, it's just nice to have the windows open, arm sticking out, enjoying the smell of that skunk the guy in front of you ran over...

I had to stop doing that when I drove from GA to VA non-stop with my arm out the window and ended up with a left arm that was much more tanned than my right arm.

[PHLBOS]

But...some days, it's just nice to have the windows open, arm sticking out, enjoying the smell of that skunk the guy in front of you ran over...

I had to stop doing that when I drove from GA to VA non-stop with my arm out the window and ended up with a left arm that was much more tanned than my right arm.

Aka trucker's tan. 

[AsphaltPlanet]

I had a rented Toyota Corolla a few weeks ago that fared pretty well at highway speed with the windows down.  I generally won't put the windows down on a freeway, but do prefer windows down driving on a two-lane country highway.

I currently drive a current generation Ford Escape.  It's not too bad with the windows down, but with the driverside windows down there is an odd creaking noise that comes from the sunroof when it's down.  That creak goes away if a passenger side window is opened a crack.

My previous car was a 2009 Pontiac Vibe.  That was a great car for windows down driving.  More than that, the window height was perfect armrest height.  On the Escape, the window is slightly too far and too high to be comfortable as an armrest.

[jeffandnicole]

But...some days, it's just nice to have the windows open, arm sticking out, enjoying the smell of that skunk the guy in front of you ran over...

I had to stop doing that when I drove from GA to VA non-stop with my arm out the window and ended up with a left arm that was much more tanned than my right arm.

That reminds me.  I'm going down to The Villages, Florida (a golf cart community) in a few days.  I'll be the one driving the golf cart much of the time.  My left arm is gonna have a nice tan by the end of the week!

[abefroman329]

But...some days, it's just nice to have the windows open, arm sticking out, enjoying the smell of that skunk the guy in front of you ran over...

I had to stop doing that when I drove from GA to VA non-stop with my arm out the window and ended up with a left arm that was much more tanned than my right arm.

That reminds me.  I'm going down to The Villages, Florida (a golf cart community) in a few days.  I'll be the one driving the golf cart much of the time.  My left arm is gonna have a nice tan by the end of the week!

America's Friendliest Hometown!

And home of the highest STD rate in the state!

[jeffandnicole]

But...some days, it's just nice to have the windows open, arm sticking out, enjoying the smell of that skunk the guy in front of you ran over...

I had to stop doing that when I drove from GA to VA non-stop with my arm out the window and ended up with a left arm that was much more tanned than my right arm.

That reminds me.  I'm going down to The Villages, Florida (a golf cart community) in a few days.  I'll be the one driving the golf cart much of the time.  My left arm is gonna have a nice tan by the end of the week!

America's Friendliest Hometown!

And home of the highest STD rate in the state country!

[webny99]

The Taurus (which is, interestingly, used by law enforcement) and Fusion both create a horrific blowing effect with the windows down at freeway speeds. It almost "stutters", sounding like there is unbelievable amounts of resistance. This happens to a much lesser degree in larger vans and trucks I've been in.

I personally try to use freeways where possible, and as such, don't make a habit of rolling the windows down. Unbelievable how many arms I see sticking out of truck windows this time of year, though.
I'm fairly warm-blooded and seem to heat up easily, so I tend to use the AC if it's above 60 degrees or so, maybe even lower on a sunny day due to the black interior.