Time also gives this person a chance to find a vehicle that has this daily driving rocket take off that most people do not really need . Seems like there are a whole list of things that are more important about a vehicle purchase.
Keep in mind that many modern vehicles have adjustable driving modes. Eco mode will often feel laggy when you accelerate, by design. Drop it into sport mode and things tighten up.
If quiet is important, look at Lexus. The ES is a gussied up Avalon, and it has the quietest interior of any car Iāve ever owned, by far. Itās not the quietest thing out there, but itās also half the price of stuff with noticeably better sound deadening.
If sportiness is important, look at an Acura TLX. Itās a gussied-up Accord and itās a very nice car. It isnāt quite as quiet as the Lexus, in part because if I recall they pipe in engine noise through the sound system, but itāll be a lot more fun to drive. If I remember right, the top-end version (Advance Package) has acoustic glass to make it quieter than the lower trim levels.
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Most newer smaller displacement (~2.0L) turbos have twin-scroll turbos which tend give very good low end torque, but tend to run out of steam at higher RPMs. The Ecoboost Mustang, BMW 328i/330i, and the Skyactive turbos found in newer Mazdas, are all good examples of this. My F-150 has twin turbo V6 and easily out-torques all competitors standard V8ās and most of their larger (6+ liter) V8s.
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Iāve had (3) Hondas, and while theyāve all been fine cars, theyāve all had what Iād call a higher level of road noise. Which makes me think itās just endemic to Hondas.
I will say if it bothers you that much, you might consider a different set of tires. Iāve noticed some tires are louder than others on our Hondas.
Just a suggestion, as it sounds like youāre overall pretty happy with the car you have, and this is a terrible time to be trying to buy a car.
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Exactly. Search on tirerack for tires that are rated as quieter.
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Thatās my plan when my OEM tires finally wear out. Over 48,000 miles and thereās a lot of tread left.
Yes, very quiet. The quietest car Iāve driven was the Buick Enclave.
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Thatās a very good point. If it wasnāt for the noise, I wouldāve kept the car a couple more years.
I currently have the Michelin Premiere A/S; they get an 8.26 noise score on tirerack.
The tirerackās recommendation for low-noise tires is the Michelin CrossClimate2 A/S, which has a 7.88 noise score. So Iām not sure how much I would gain (or maybe lose) by trying a different set of tires.
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I have the Envision. They market on the quietness. It is really shocking how much of the outside noise it eliminates. I do hear some tire noise. Am curious how much better it will be come time to replace tires. The Envision and Enclave are roomy passenger wise also. Not the Encore.
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I think a lot of it is in the computer tuning, since most vehicles are drive by wire now. Toyota, to me, seems to have an aggressive throttle response. Honda may be similar. Others, the throttle feels a little delayed or ānumbā - probably in a fuel savings effort.
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While I understand that plenty of low end torque isnāt necessary I can well understand the OPās preference for having such.
In most normal day to day driving it isnāt an issue but in situations such as merging onto an interstate or, more rarely these days for most drivers, passing on a two lane highway that very quick acceleration is darned nice to have.
To the OP, keep in mind that quick acceleration isnāt only a matter of engine low end torque. Acceleration is also affected by transmission gearing and by the computer controlled drive-by-wire throttle.
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I wonder how similar that engine is to my wifeās 2013 3.5 v6 Highlander? Itās pretty responsive. Does not have any driving modes other than āsnow modeā, which obviously provides little acceleration by design.
They have improved, with direct fuel injection and 8 speed automatic transmission.
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I can keep up with traffic , merge and pass with no drama in our 2018 Ford Fiesta . And it is not sound proof but it is resonably quiet and I did not have to spend 65000.00 .
Quiet and instant torque = EV. For 65K there ought to be quite a few, but I have never paid attention to that price range. Have fun checking them out. I for one am interested in hearing your opinions about them.
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Avoid low profile tires since you need to drive on roads with pot holes. That should eliminate a portion of the vehicles.
Is safety a concern? Have you considered a luxury car like a Jaguar?
A 1995 Toyota Camry with the V6 has a smooth ride, big windows, and instant torque. It just doesnāt have adaptive cruise control. A budget of $60k should easily take care of all maintenance. A lot of newer cars have hoods that are higher up, and the window sills have been raised up to be even with the hood line. So you feel like youāre riding around in a bath tub.
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It is also old and I doubt if the person who started this is even interested in something like that. You really think someone would spend 60000.00 to maintain a 27 year old Camry ?
No, I expect someone to buy something more modern because people like new stuff even if it isnāt always better. There are people out there who drive 30 year old Cadallics because thereās nothing else like it.
Hi Max. Welcome to the forum. 
-)
Based on my experience with Accords (Iām on my third), I would recommend a Genesis G80 sedan. I had a 2016 Hyundai Genesis 3.8 and it checked (almost) all of your boxes. It has a 3.8L 311hp V-6, an 8-speed automatic, paddle shifters and a sport mode. It had more than enough torque. I hardly ever uses sport mode because I didnāt need it. Itās also larger, roomier and much quieter than an Accord.
Itās not as easy to see out of though. I bought mine used in the low 20s, but with your budget, you can get a brand new G80 with adaptive cruise control and an awesome sound system.
And, according to CR, the Genesis brand does very well in owner satisfaction, so Iām sure youāll be happy with the build and ride quality.
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Thank you for the suggestion. When looking at G80 and some other cars recommended in this thread, I see that going above the basic trim usually comes with larger wheels. I am not quite sure but my understanding is that larger wheels tend to affect comfort and quietness. If I go with one of the higher trims, should I immediately switch the wheels to the smaller size for better comfort/noise reduction, or there are other alternatives?