"Diesel-like" Sound

solidbrix

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Feb 17, 2024
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Richmond, VA
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2024 Land Cruiser / 2020 4Runner
After almost 500 miles in, I've noticed on certain accelerations you can hear a diesel or snorkel like sound. I'm pretty positive this is something Toyota did via pumping in through the speakers aka it's a fake sound not coming from the engine itself. A lot of automakers have been doing this recently. From what I can tell, you cannot turn it off.

I'm not gonna lie, I kind of love it. Again it doesn't occur all the time, it's subtle, but man does it compliment the Land Cruiser so well. Hands down one of my favorite easter eggs of the LC so far...

Have any of you noticed it yet?

UPDATE: Yeah, I'm stupid, this is the turbo spooling up. Cool sound for those of us who have never owned a turbo-charged engine before.
 
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I think I read or heard somewhere, that the diesel like sound that you mention is due to the new type of ‘dual’ fuel injection system.
 
I noticed that sound a few times over the past few thousand miles.... After 20 years of VW turbodiesels and 8 year with my jeep grand Cherokee Eco-Diesel, I'm not going to lie, it brought me a bit of comfort.
 
After almost 500 miles in, I've noticed on certain accelerations you can hear a diesel or snorkel like sound. I'm pretty positive this is something Toyota did via pumping in through the speakers aka it's a fake sound not coming from the engine itself. A lot of automakers have been doing this recently. From what I can tell, you cannot turn it off.

I'm not gonna lie, I kind of love it. Again it doesn't occur all the time, it's subtle, but man does it compliment the Land Cruiser so well. Hands down one of my favorite easter eggs of the LC so far...

Have any of you noticed it yet?
I disabled the fake noise with the Carista app. You can’t hear any turbo spooling with it off.
 
I disabled the fake noise with the Carista app. You can’t hear any turbo spooling with it off.
You mean like the whistling noise? I thought it was so weird at first, now I like it. Reminds me I’m driving a next gen futuristic vehicle .. haha.
 
All I know is I did a 400 mile trip this weekend and heard the turbo-diesel like sound the entire time. It’s not unpleasant but is also not real.

I set up the Carista app when I returned home. There is a setting to enable/disable engine sounds as well as a separate setting to enable/disable automatic noise cancelling. I disabled the former and left the latter alone. Drove 100 miles today and there is no fake engine noise of any kind coming through any longer. My experience only.
 
All I know is I did a 400 mile trip this weekend and heard the turbo-diesel like sound the entire time. It’s not unpleasant but is also not real.

I set up the Carista app when I returned home. There is a setting to enable/disable engine sounds as well as a separate setting to enable/disable automatic noise cancelling. I disabled the former and left the latter alone. Drove 100 miles today and there is no fake engine noise of any kind coming through any longer. My experience only.
What’s the actual sound like?
 
What’s the actual sound like?
No idea. I put my foot down a few times and heard nothing. Neither did my passenger and we were listening closely. No idea what it would sound like from outside the vehicle didn’t test it. Coming from a sports car background, unless you add a cold air intake, a single turbo really doesn’t make much noticeable noise on its own. I disabled the fake noise in my last BMW because the fake gear shifts, burbles and whistles were too over the top for my liking. The LC is like a vault now with only the active noise cancellation enabled.
 
No they are not. Engine sound enhancement setting is not connected to anything. I am copying this from an attachment EOD Guy posted before.

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Great discussion. I just downloaded the Carista app and switched off the engine noises but kept ANC. My observations after several runs:

The turbo spool whistle, as we know it, is fake. That said, the engine does have turbo spool whistle. With the windows open and adjacent to a wall, the whistle is still there when you roll into the throttle. Compared to the fake noise, it is the same frequency and noise type, albeit shorter (about 1/3 of a second) and muted. But it is a repeatable, consistent sound that comes on for a burst at a certain rpm and load.

You can barely hear it in the cabin, but it is audible if you have the radio off. Since I already paid for the subscription, might as well see what I think for the next month before I decide and cancel the subscription.

For hardware, I didn't need more than the generic LX Bluetooth adapter I have for my bike.
 
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Just got back from a drive through Napa, where I got to roll into the throttle several times as you exit curves. I can confirm that with the windows up, the radio on or other people in the car, the turbo noises are gone.

I like it. No way I could keep that on knowing it was fake, anyway. Bonus is the sound system (LCLC no Premium), which isn't bad, has less to contend with.
 
Just got back from a drive through Napa, where I got to roll into the throttle several times as you exit curves. I can confirm that with the windows up, the radio on or other people in the car, the turbo noises are gone.

I like it. No way I could keep that on knowing it was fake, anyway. Bonus is the sound system (LCLC no Premium), which isn't bad, has less to contend with.
I'm with you, now that I know it's fake I'll be turning it off. Perhaps a cold air intake will bring some of it back. Also looking forward to a big turbo kit, probably won't do it myself but I know someone will.
 
I'm with you, now that I know it's fake I'll be turning it off. Perhaps a cold air intake will bring some of it back. Also looking forward to a big turbo kit, probably won't do it myself but I know someone will.
So I got Carista today and turned off both the noise canceling and fake engine sounds. Confirmed in car the turbo sounds are faint, however on the road with the windows down I can still hear it. I'll be keeping it this way.
 
The sounds are not fake. There may be a valve that allows more sound into the cabin that can be turned off (I. E. always closed).
 
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The sounds are not fake. There may be a valve that allows more sound into the cabin that can be turned off (I. E. always closed).
Personally I'd love that to be true, a la GT86, but I think the LC implementation is more similar to the RCF, where it plays the sound the engine already makes through your speakers. I'll poke around the engine bay some more this weekend. Physical sound generators should be easy to spot.

What I don't know about the latter system is if it plays the actual sound via a mic, or if it's just a soundtrack. Either way, super happy about the quieter setup. I still hear it when I want to.
 
Personally I'd love that to be true, a la GT86, but I think the LC implementation is more similar to the RCF, where it plays the sound the engine already makes through your speakers. I'll poke around the engine bay some more this weekend. Physical sound generators should be easy to spot.

What I don't know about the latter system is if it plays the actual sound via a mic, or if it's just a soundtrack. Either way, super happy about the quieter setup. I still hear it when I want to.
Totally agree that the GT86 sound tube was legit. Unfortunately in my GR86 they went to speaker sounds and it is total fakery, not a mic and speaker just fake sound. It's not awful, but it is definitely fake. I'd bet the farm that the LC is the same.
 
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