I've had my nearly new metropolis now for a couple of months after having 4 years of fantastic trouble free motoring with my SD4 GS.
The Metropolis is a lovely car and very well spec'd but I have noticed some differences between this and my old SD4 GS.
1. The SD4 GS definitely sounded quieter, smoother and more refined. The Metropolis sounds more agricultural.
2. A lot more road noise on some road surfaces in the Metropolis probably due to 19 inch wheels and Continental cross contact tyres fitted
3. The SD4 GS felt more spritely on take off and didn't sound as harsh when pushed.
4. The SD4 GS gearbox felt different, smoother, I never really felt or sounded like I was driving an automatic - maybe it just hasn't learnt my driving style yet!
5. The Metropolis definitely has a better fuel consumption probably at least 4 mpg, not that this bothers me.

Don't get me wrong I love the Metropolis and all its toys, but I find it strange that I think I'm general the old car was more refined.
Anyone else had this experience?

What tires do you have fitted in MY11 SD4 GS?

I've comparison: MY11 with Goodyear Wrangler All Weather HP Tires fitted on 17" rim (rated 69dB) and MY14 with Continental Cross Contact UHP (rated 72dB) on 18" rim.

Continentals are awful because of noise level. I want to swap to Michelin Lattitude Tour HP (rated 69dB) or Wranglers again.

EDIT: sorry for mistake
Wrangler HP AW 235/65 R17 104V rating is 71dB
CrossConcact UHP 235/60 R18 107V XL rating is 74dB!!!!!

But Wrangles AW HP on 18" rims (235/60 R18 103V) will be even more quiet (69dB)

Last edited by pporocki on 7th May 2015 1:15 am. Edited 1 time in total

I'm finding both the engine and tyres very quiet and I've come from a petrol! Only time I notice the engine is on cold mornings. Normal operating temperature quiet and refined at any rpm. Only noise at speed is wing mirrors unless I've got roof bars in place.
Maybe you need to put some more mileage to compare? MY15
Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Surround Camera System
InControl Apps soon to be replaced with CarPlay (WIP)
Meridian Premium Surround Sound
Digital Audio Broadcast
Timed Climate
Cruise ECO Data
Follow Me Home Reverse
Extra Features Menu
Picture In Motion
4x4i screen (WIP)
Digital Broadcast TV
Meridian Rear Media with WIFI
Factory Powered Tailgate
Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM)
Reverse Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
Electrochromatic Wing Mirrors (WIP)

pporocki wrote:

What tires do you have fitted in MY11 SD4 GS?

I've comparison: MY11 with Goodyear Wrangler All Weather HP Tires fitted on 17" rim (rated 69dB) and MY14 with Continental Cross Contact UHP (rated 72dB) on 18" rim.

Continentals are awful because of noise level. I want to swap to Michelin Lattitude Tour HP (rated 69dB) or Wranglers again.

When the dealer replaced my 2 front tyres and I paid for the rear 2; I wanted to fit the Michelin Latitude Tour HP but they declined saying Michelin tyres aren't OE recommended.
They fitted Pirelli Scorpion Verde M+S tyres; they are much better and less noisy than the old tyres Scorpion Zero M+S.

If you want to compare apples with apples you should compare tyres of identicle width/aspect ratio.
Generally speaking a narrower tyre and higher aspect ratio will be quieter due to smaller contact patch and higher side wall creating a quieter ride, NVH.
So if its quiet ride your after I suggest a reduction in your rim diameter. May i also suggest you pay attention to your "speed rating" and if quiet smooth ride is your thing then a "h" rated tyre would be far more suitable than a "V" or "W" rated tyre.
The Michelin Latitude tyre is great for quiet/smooth ride (i used to work for Michelin Australia National Level) but the Continental is a far superior road holding tyre.
Michelin Latitude and ContiCrossContact UHP are not comparable tyres, one is far more comfort,quiet, low rolling resistance orientated whilst the Conti is suited towards higher performance.
Your Choice  MY15
Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Surround Camera System
InControl Apps soon to be replaced with CarPlay (WIP)
Meridian Premium Surround Sound
Digital Audio Broadcast
Timed Climate
Cruise ECO Data
Follow Me Home Reverse
Extra Features Menu
Picture In Motion
4x4i screen (WIP)
Digital Broadcast TV
Meridian Rear Media with WIFI
Factory Powered Tailgate
Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM)
Reverse Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
Electrochromatic Wing Mirrors (WIP)

Sorry to be pedantic but the contact patch will be the same regardless of tyre width. If your car weighs a certain amount say x pounds and the pressures are say 30psi then you need x/30 sq inches of contact area to hold the car up regardless of tyre width. I agree with the rest of what you say. 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

In short "no"!
Secondly the air within the tyre is what supports the vehicle, not the tyre! MY15
Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Surround Camera System
InControl Apps soon to be replaced with CarPlay (WIP)
Meridian Premium Surround Sound
Digital Audio Broadcast
Timed Climate
Cruise ECO Data
Follow Me Home Reverse
Extra Features Menu
Picture In Motion
4x4i screen (WIP)
Digital Broadcast TV
Meridian Rear Media with WIFI
Factory Powered Tailgate
Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM)
Reverse Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
Electrochromatic Wing Mirrors (WIP)

I am looking at the basic physics here and not allowing for sidewall deflection etc but the total force exerted by the air in the (static) tyre pushing on the ground through the tyre must equal the weight of the vehicle so vehicle weight is tyre pressure times contact area.

This doesn't equate to tyre grip etc as that is a more dynamic effect. 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

The ground contact of a 235 tyre is constant, what changes in the profile is the amount of air. the air is compressible, the side wall is flexible, the lower the profile the less flex, the less air, there is less tyre compressibility for the same load hence a harder ride. my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

The argument here is simply that for a given vehicle weight and tyre pressure the (static) contact patch size is constant regardless of tyre geometry. This ignores the secondary effect of sidewall flexibility and other dynamic effects etc 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

Stuartc wrote:

.............
Michelin Latitude and ContiCrossContact UHP are not comparable tyres, one is far more comfort,quiet, low rolling resistance orientated whilst the Conti is suited towards higher performance.
Your Choice

Actually the tyre noise is what bothers me least because I can explain it away.
Maybe it's just my imagination but the engine and gearbox does not feel as smooth,powerful and refined as my old SD4 and after 7k miles I though it would be run in enough.
Have they changed to a different gearbox or modified the SD4 engine since it was first introduced?

Strangely I have a similar experience. My 2015my metropolis with 4,000 miles subjectively isn't as smooth to drive as my 2013 HSE Lux was. Especially the gearbox and engine appear less smooth.

I've just compared my both cars MY11 TD4 manual and MY14 Si4 Auto once again, one after one, on the same road in the same conditions, on the same surface. Old one's mileage is 45.000kms and new one's mileage is 1000kms.

I am sure Continental tires are very very loud. There are louder at any speed when comparing to Goodyear Wrangler HP All Weather. I've checked speeds from 0 up to 180kmh. Bot of them has the same track width (235mm) but old Freel has 17" rims and new has 18" rims. The loudness of Continental is most noticeable when driving about 100kmh (about 60mph) because with this speed air resistance is not too loud but the speed is not low and tires rolling resistance is noticeable

Other ride handling changes is steering wheel sensitivity!!! Old one was very light to turn, new one is harder,more like an Evoque. Can't say which one I prefer. I belive it's not tires releated

I couldn't say anything about old vs new auto transmission because I had manual.My old TD4 is very "agricultural"

Petrol Si4 engine seems to be quieter than TD4 at any revs, even on 4500rpm (max revs of TD4).

Last edited by pporocki on 7th May 2015 12:38 am. Edited 4 times in total