[Rhoffman26]

I have a 2020 Limited that is primarily driven by my wife. Her biggest complaint is when she pulls into the garage and the kids open the back doors there is a buffeting feeling from the exhaust that resonates thru the cabin. I've also noticed it when parked in the open, it's a milder version of when you roll down a back window while driving. Have any of you noticed this or do I have the only one? I'm hoping to find a solution to it before she makes me sell the car.

 

[hokiefyd]

I have a 2020 Limited that is primarily driven by my wife. Her biggest complaint is when she pulls into the garage and the kids open the back doors there is a buffeting feeling from the exhaust that resonates thru the cabin. I've also noticed it when parked in the open, it's a milder version of when you roll down a back window while driving. Have any of you noticed this or do I have the only one? I'm hoping to find a solution to it before she makes me sell the car.

I think we're hearing the exhaust pulses from the horizontally-opposed engine. These boxer engines definitely have a rumble/burble that is not like any other engine type (inline-4, V-6, V-8, etc.). A closed area like a garage makes it very apparent. It's not an exhaust leak or malfunction. It's just a "gutteral" sound and frequency produced by the engine layout. Ours absolutely does this, too...it's just the nature of the engine.

 

[rockthebeef]

Possibly add some acoustical treatments to your garage? Like bass traps, used in studios, theaters, etc...

 

[SkiPro3]

I don't understand why she's leaving the motor running after pulling into the garage and the kids are already unloading. Why not just turn the car off?

 

[Rhoffman26]

I think we're hearing the exhaust pulses from the horizontally-opposed engine. These boxer engines definitely have a rumble/burble that is not like any other engine type (inline-4, V-6, V-8, etc.). A closed area like a garage makes it very apparent. It's not an exhaust leak or malfunction. It's just a "gutteral" sound and frequency produced by the engine layout. Ours absolutely does this, too...it's just the nature of the engine.

That sounds exactly like what we're hearing. I enjoy loud cars but she's apparently more sensitive. Hopefully it's something we'll get used to.

I don't understand why she's leaving the motor running after pulling into the garage and the kids are already unloading. Why not just turn the car off?

They usually bail out like a swat team right about the time I put it in park, then there's the noise, then I get a dirty look and complaint about said noise.

 

[hokiefyd]

That sounds exactly like what we're hearing. I enjoy loud cars but she's apparently more sensitive. Hopefully it's something we'll get used to.

It caught me off guard at first. We have a bonus room off the master bedroom over our garage. That's used as our home office. I usually hear the starter motor and then the faint din of an engine running when my wife starts one of our V-6 cars. The first time she started the Ascent in the garage, I was like, "holy cow -- what is that??"

Listen to your Ascent running cold in a room above your garage. There's a real rumble going on!!

There are probably countless videos on YouTube of Subarus with modified exhausts. Older STIs sound like deep bumble bees with uncorked mufflers. Our Ascent's engine is different in several ways from the older EJ engines, but that boxer-4 rumble is still present to some degree.

I've grown to like it. I think there's a lot of character to this engine -- that gutteral "purr" is one of the charming things (to me) that differentiate it from all the other SUVs out there.

 

[mtmra70]

My 2011 wrx has a nice rumble with the stock exaust. Only going 20mph down the street the dogs hear me inside 10 houses away...lol

Love the boxer engine, and it's the best with uneven headers

 

[rockthebeef]

Was it always like this from day one? Perhaps you have an exhaust leak or crack. I had a cracked manifold on my Outback and it was pretty loud. I only realized how bad it was after I had it replaced. It was like driving a Rolls Royce after that.

 

[mtmra70]

Me? Always like this. It's the WRX typical sound.

 

[rockthebeef]

Me? Always like this. It's the WRX typical sound.

No, sorry. That was for the OP. The WRX should definitely sound like a WRX.

 

[Rcjr]

I like the stock Ascent motor sound. Of course back in the day, I ran glass packs on my V8’s.