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Cars are getting quieter and quieter. Many makers – Maserati, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz among them – are swapping frenzied and often frangible engines for batteries, and with it a new era of silence has arrived. Serene calmness, it seems, is the new luxury.
Last year Rolls-Royce became the latest marque to embrace electrification with the Spectre (from £330,000). It raised the bar high: the car glides forward with the muffled whoomphs of a soundproofed studio. As Torsten Müller-Ötvös, then Rolls-Royce CEO, put it at the car’s launch last year: “Electric propulsion fits extremely well [with] Rolls-Royce because it is silent [and] aids waftability.”
Likewise, Maserati has achieved the unthinkable by updating the bristlingly loud GranCabrio V8, replacing its roar with a subtle whoosh in the GranCabrio Folgore (from £185,610). As Maserati’s first luxury electric convertible, it replaces the model’s long V8 lineage. Driving around Italy’s Lake Maggiore with the roof down, I forgot an engine was ever required.
Replacing combustion engines is still a fine balancing act. Sam Fiorani of US-based AutoForecast Solutions anticipates global automotive trends and sees challenges in getting it right. “Balancing the sound a buyer of a high-end car wants with the silence is difficult when the sound is part of the DNA,” he says. “Buyers want the sound and the gearbox shifting points. A sense of motion is why you bought a Maserati over a Ferrari; and it’s going to have to have some new DNA.”
Fiorani says finding a way to tailor this into an electric motor will be the holy grail for whoever cracks that code. “Once you figure that out, people will flock to the newest [electric] Maserati or Lamborghini.” As cars no longer require engines, expect to see designers showcasing ever more enticing cars. Fiorani acknowledges when you go electric, you don’t have to deal with as many regulations, making it easier to develop ultra-high-performance vehicles. Without a combustion engine, engineers aren’t restricted by emissions.
Not ready to throw in the towel on combustion engines yet? A hybrid car might offer a compromise. “Depending on the model, you get between 30 and 50 miles of electric range,” says Wayne Bruce, Bentley’s chief communications officer. “Ten years ago, hybrid was thought of as a transitional technology, but it is increasing in popularity. You [can drive electric] Monday to Friday, and you’ve got the petrol fuel tank and a combined 400- to 500-mile range, which means you never worry about public charging.”
There are also environmental benefits. According to Bruce, the V8 plug-in hybrid drivetrain for the new Continental GT (from £236,600) is not only more powerful than the old W12 engine – the official emissions figure is 90 per cent lower. The V8 engine still thunders with a deep growl: switch to electric and it transmutes into a stealthy car that prowls the streets with a faint humming sound. Expect to see the first fully electric Bentley in late 2026.
The fact that mainstream electric cars can now accelerate faster – and more quietly – than a Porsche Boxster does come with safety concerns. According to an analysis of British road traffic accidents, electric and hybrid cars are twice as likely to hit a pedestrian than a petrol or diesel car. One of the main theories is that they are less likely to be heard. Some drivers are also unprepared for the instant performance of an electric vehicle: because of their linear acceleration, electric cars are without the incremental gear changes that act as mental mile markers while driving a fuel vehicle.
But silence remains a coveted luxury. Could our pursuit of it turn the boy racer to the path of zen?