The List: 7 Best Factory Car Sound Systems

2009 Jaguar XF

You already know which new car’s your favorite, and here at TheCarConnection.com, we have some favorites, too. But when it comes to entertaining us at the wheel with great music and excellent music interfaces, which cars truly rock?

Spending $30,000 on a new car is easy to do–and yet, some luxury cars do a terrible job of bringing star-quality audio to their owners. On the flip side, some cheapo compacts have excellent stereo options, and the aftermarket offers a myriad of ways to upgrade your sound.

TheCarConnection.com’s editors think it’s easier to find a great car with a great sound system straight from the factory. Just by ticking an option box (usually to the tune of $1000 or more), home-theater-style sound is yours for the asking in most of today’s new cars. Some cars eliminate even that step, installing world-class music machines as standard features.

What’s the sound of success? After hearing from all of the 2009 new cars, trucks and crossovers, we like these seven factory-installed audio systems best:

Don’t forget to enter our Infinity speaker giveaway!

Jaguar XF: Bowers & Wilkins

Bless the Jaguar XF: it showed up just in time to clinch the sale from Ford to Tata. As great as the car is, we’re inclined to love on its upgrade audio system even more. For a mere $1800 or so, the 440-watt Bowers & Wilkins system offers up a bounty of Dolby 7.1 surround, 14 speakers, and the cleanest sound this side of a Magic Eraser on Michael Chiklis’ scalp. There’s perfect MP3 integration, a touchscreen for audio settings, incredible punch even from compressed music files–everything a discriminating music lover looks for other than a place to burn their “really? seriously?” Norah Jones CD, bought in a low-blood-sugar Starbucks moment.

Lexus LS 600h, among others: Mark Levinson

The entire Lexus range gets Mark Levinson love, but it’s the glassy-smooth sounds emanating from 19 speakers in the big LS 600h sedan that will lull you into loving even Miley Cyrus. And what better place to hear it all, than the rear seats of the LS, cruising smugly in traffic while Driver points out your hybrid street cred through clever hand gestures?

BMW 7-Series: harman/kardon Logic 7

The newest 7-Series has some marvelous room to spread out–and few cars indulge audiophilia so purely. BMW matches the 7-Series’ lounge-like atmosphere with the Logic 7 surround sound system and a state of the art list of ways to pipe in the music of your choice. There’s a hard drive for music storage, an iPod connectivity interface, a six-disc DVD changer, and premium sound with Sirius Satellite Radio and HD Radio. BMW also fits the 7er with a rear-seat entertainment system, so the kids or passengers can get in on the top-notch sound. READ MORE