Augmented engine noise

midlifecrisis

midlifecrisis

Member
Messages
16,229
Oneball said:
I was looking at new cars a while back and popped into the Audi showroom to look at an A7. I told the guy there’s one that goes past me every morning that sounds like a lovely V8, that’s the diesel six cylinder he says they’ve got speakers underneath.

Or

Click to expand...
Do they do a two stroke one and can I add an incense candle that smells like Castrol R? (or ARRRRR! as crofty says!)
 
midlifecrisis

midlifecrisis

Member
Messages
16,229
As for the OP's question, big no from me. Just a gimmick, that manufacturers put in to raise car prices and profits. OK you can turn it off but you've already had to pay for it, the parts, its fitting, its development by a focus group, these all add up.

When Nissan Leafs came out and I found the bluetooth connectivity I played Maserati V8 noises over it as a joke, and that's what it is a joke.
 
Wack61

Wack61

Member
Messages
8,793
FIFTY said:
I remember seeing a few early Ghibli diesels with the exhaust speaker kit fitted as an aftermarket modification
Click to expand...

Please tell me this is real on the petrol, I though this was the best advert for a car I'd ever seen.

 
PaulCambio

PaulCambio

Member
Messages
485
Ghibli diesel's have it as standard. Speakers on either side in a bell housing near the tail pipes. Activates in Sport mode. You can buy an aftermarket mod to increase the sound. It doesn't come through in the cabin.
 
FIFTY

FIFTY

Member
Messages
3,100
midlifecrisis said:
As for the OP's question, big no from me. Just a gimmick, that manufacturers put in to raise car prices and profits. OK you can turn it off but you've already had to pay for it, the parts, its fitting, its development by a focus group, these all add up.

When Nissan Leafs came out and I found the bluetooth connectivity I played Maserati V8 noises over it as a joke, and that's what it is a joke.
Click to expand...

You cannot turn it off easily at least not on the "sports cars" I have test driven recently... Either have to unplug a connector inside the dash or ask the dealer if they are willing to do it via their diagnostic software
 
gb-gta

gb-gta

Member
Messages
1,139
Scaf said:
I can’t take the concept of “augmented” engine noises inside or outside the car seriously.

In fact when I first read a thread on here about car being fitted with speakers underneath, I thought it was a wind up and had to google it to check.
Click to expand...
Not as offensive as the ‘karaoke taxi’ we used to use sometimes on nights out in Oslo.
That had speakers on the outside, playing the drunken attempts at 80’s classics by 3 or 4 northern idiots to everyone on the street.

It was probably still better than a farting/banging A3/golf though!
 
mjheathcote

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,038
My BMW M140i has it.
Sounds okay actually.
I can turn it off with an app on my phone with a Bluetooth OBD2 plugged in.
So much quieter in the cabin.
However being pre ppf the standard exhaust with the B58 engine it sounds good... but only with the windows open.
So see why they do it, more so with ppf filters in the exhaust now post 2018.
 
T

TimR

Member
Messages
2,731
Been listening to various clips of the Alpine A110 with sports active valve ..Its a bit of a disappointment tbh. Its no reason to add fake noise IMO. Or not buy one though..Its a turbo thing...listened to the MC20 at all...?:conf4:
Maybe the v8 soundtrack has set the bar too high already...?
I was always taught that the noise of the car , the engine especially, was part of driving; information that is itself instructive to the operator...
Seems a bit naff to me...
Loud pipes saves lives though..That I have no issues with, certainly....
 
FIFTY

FIFTY

Member
Messages
3,100
TimR said:
Been listening to various clips of the Alpine A110 with sports active valve ..Its a bit of a disappointment tbh. Its no reason to add fake noise IMO. Or not buy one though..Its a turbo thing...listened to the MC20 at all...?:conf4:
Maybe the v8 soundtrack has set the bar too high already...?
I was always taught that the noise of the car , the engine especially, was part of driving; information that is itself instructive to the operator...
Seems a bit naff to me...
Loud pipes saves lives though..That I have no issues with, certainly....
Click to expand...

I was actually refering to the Toyota Supra and LC500h (the latter has a lot of fakery going on with the drive train as well).

The Alpine was the better one... In Sport mode the active exhaust came on but no fake noises through the speakers... It does sound a bit like a hot hatch as it is the engine from the hot Megan with DCT but it ticks all the other boxes and it fits down a country lane/in a parking space

The supra was really silly particularly how the noise came out the subwoofers behind you.... BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! I think to myself thats a loud exhaust tone for a new car and open the window to just wind noise. Anyway it drove like a fast non-M BMW so I don't see the point.

Just to underline that I'm not hating on tuning the noise of the actual exhaust... Just the current technology of sound cancelling plus fake engine noises through the speakers to "enhance the driving experience" which it doesn't.
 
Last edited:
safrane

safrane

Member
Messages
16,862
FIFTY, My hybrid Volvo XC90 has it as well, only found out yesterday when accidentally putting it into sport mode - No way does it have an adaptive exhaust?!? so it must be augmented!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.