I just did the reverse of this trip over Thanksgiving and didn't find it any more uncomfortable than my previous cars. I too found it to be quieter than I thought it would be at speed (60-70mph). Strangely I found coming back up to Dallas I got better fuel efficiency than going down to Houston. I guess wind resistance factors more than elevation change as I had a head wind going to Houston (51.5mpg) and a tail wind coming back up to Dallas (53.8mpg). I think wind speed was around 15mph both ways.