Toyota Adds Fake Engine Noise Rather Than Horsepower To Avalon For An "Adrenaline" Rush

The sound of silence is normally a prized commodity inside a car cabin. But not when there's a satisfying growl from something lean, mean and not so green under the hood.

Or if, as in Toyota's case, you want to burnish the street cred of a product that's trying to break out of its mold for being a staid and steady choice of the over-60 set.

That's a big reason Toyota is expanding its use of a technology that pumps its engine sound directly into the cockpit for an extra adrenaline boost. Toyota calls it an intake sound generator, or ISG, and the component makes its latest appearance in the 2019 Avalon sedan.

MDarringer - 4/18/2019 10:08:17 AM

+5 Boost

Shouldn't an Avalon be blissfully quiet?

Agent009 - 4/18/2019 10:22:06 AM

+3 Boost

One might think that...

cidflekken - 4/18/2019 11:47:32 AM

-3 Boost

Can't believe I'm saying this in public, but I really like the exterior styling of the Avalon. Even the huge grille works. The interior sucks, though.
Had Toyota put this exterior with the Lexus ES' interior and AWD, I'd probably heavily consider it.

MDarringer - 4/18/2019 6:46:44 PM

-6 Boost

The Lexus ES is very nice looking in person as well.

cidflekken - 4/19/2019 2:13:32 AM

+7 Boost

No it’s not. I’ve seen many new ESs and they are an eyesore.

YoCarFanto - 4/18/2019 6:19:49 PM

+2 Boost

This is old technology. BMW used it early on the Z3.

scenicbyway12 - 4/19/2019 11:23:13 AM

+1 Boost

Unfortunately, that is completely incorrect, The first BMW to use "fake sound was the 2012 BMW M5. The Z3 first and second generation never used piped in sound.

garysandiego - 4/19/2019 4:10:07 PM

+2 Boost

Does the general public, let alone potential Avalon buyers, really want a noisy car? Really?
Asking for a friend.

Fishface - 4/20/2019 12:19:50 PM

+1 Boost

Who said it’s noisy? Infinities tend to be noisy, especially the M35’s in the past.

cidflekken - 4/21/2019 1:35:03 AM

+1 Boost

Well, relative to how Avalon’s typically behave, any so7nd enhancement would be considered noisy