[josby]

This is welcome news to me too. I like a quiet car to be able to hear quiet passages in music more clearly. I just checked the Car & Driver road test results - at the same testing track (CPG, wherever that is), the 2013 Civic EX-L averaged 75 dB at 70mph, while the 2016 Civic Touring averaged 71 dB. Four dB is a pretty significant improvement, although I am still surprised that it isn't more than that with all these changes. In comparison, the 2013 Accord averaged 69 dB.

I wonder, though if there is a subjective quality to the noise that's not being captured by those test numbers. I don't find my 2015 Accord to be particularly quiet. There's an annoying wind whistle. Meanwhile, the 2015 Acura TLX was widely hailed as being very quiet, yet C&D's test average for it was 68 dB.

 

[josby]

Even when the climate control system is set to recirculate mode, cars have some vents in the firewall that still allow air to flow into the cabin for ventilation purposes. But these are specially designed ports that allow air through without allowing noise or water through.

The air then flows through channels into the trunk and then out of the trunk through vents in the rear bumper area.

This video from Buick that details their steps to quiet the Verano shows some of these vents.