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Automakers fake engine noise, leading to calls for transparency

 
The satisfying rumble of a new Ford F-150 or Mustang may not be coming from the roar of the engine alone as automakers amplify — or even create — the noise.    
The satisfying rumble of a new Ford F-150 or Mustang may not be coming from the roar of the engine alone as automakers amplify — or even create — the noise. 
Published Jan. 22, 2015

Stomp on the gas in a new Ford Mustang or F-150 and you'll hear a meaty, throaty rumble — the same style roar that Americans have associated with auto power and performance for decades.

It's a sham. The engine growl in some of America's bestselling cars and trucks is actually a finely tuned bit of lip-synching, boosted through special pipes or digitally faked altogether. And it's driving car enthusiasts insane.

Fake engine noise has become one of the auto industry's dirty little secrets, with automakers from BMW to Volkswagen turning to a sound-boosting bag of tricks. Without them, today's more fuel-efficient engines would sound far quieter and, automakers worry, seemingly less powerful, potentially pushing buyers away.

Softer-sounding engines are actually a positive symbol of just how far engines and gas economy have progressed. But automakers say they resort to artifice because they understand a key car buyer paradox: Drivers want all the force and fuel savings of a newer, better engine — but the classic sound of an old gas-guzzler, too.

For the 2015 Mustang EcoBoost, Ford sound engineers and developers worked on an "Active Noise Control" system that amplifies the engine's purr through the car's speakers. Afterward, the automaker surveyed members of Mustang fan clubs on which processed "sound concepts" they most enjoyed.

Ford said in a statement that the vintage V-8 engine boom "has long been considered the mating call of Mustang," but added that the newly processed pony-car sound is "athletic and youthful," "a more refined growl" with "a low-frequency sense of powerfulness."

Among purists, the trickery has inspired an identity crisis and cut to the heart of American auto legend. The "aural experience" of a car, they argue, is an intangible that's just as priceless as what's revving under the hood.

Car companies are increasingly wary of alerting buyers that they might not be hearing the real thing, and many automakers have worked with audio and software engineers to make their cars' synthesized engine melody more realistic.

Orchestrated engine noise has become a necessity for electric cars, which run so quietly that they can provide a dangerous surprise for inattentive pedestrians and the blind. Federal safety officials expect to finalize rules later this year requiring all hybrid and electric cars to play fake engine sounds to alert passers-by, a change that experts estimate could prevent thousands of pedestrian and cyclist injuries.

All this raises a more existential question: Does it matter if the sound is fake? A driver who doesn't know the difference might enjoy the thrum and thunder of it nonetheless. Is taking the best part of an eight-cylinder rev and cloaking a better engine with it really, for carmakers, so wrong?

Not everyone is so diplomatic. Karl Brauer, a senior analyst with Kelley Blue Book, says automakers should stop the lies and get real with their drivers.

"If you're going to do that stuff, do that stuff. Own it. Tell customers: If you want a V-8 rumble, you've got to buy a V-8 that costs more, gets worse gas mileage and hurts the Earth," Brauer said.