Context: I drive a 15+ year old SUV, and I am no longer in the position to just replace everything should anything bad happen. So sadly I will have to buy a newer car at some point. Hopefully not anytime soon 🤞🏼🤞🏼 But, I noticed when shopping with other people that newer cars sound weird. My knowledge of car troubleshooting is little more than sounds good/sounds bad, looks good/looks bad, smells good/smells bad, feels good/feels bad.
So, how are newer cars supposed to sound?
Depends on the car. If you’ve heard a 4 cylinder you’ve heard most of them. GDI engines have loud ticking fuel injectors at idle, this is normal, they’re squeezing 600-2000 PSI of fuel pressure into the combustion chamber. Unfortunately, while a lot of modern cars have 4 cylinder turbos now, they are almost all smol turbos that spool at 2000 and run out of breath past 4000. They also don’t make any cool turbo noises.
Engine will turn itself off when you come to a stop and it’s warmed up. Don’t worry, EV motor will get you going while the engine restarts. Lots of stop-start engines will start up as soon as you let off the brake pedal and be good to go by the time you move your foot over to the gas.
Also, engine may stay off for a bit depending on your driving mode and speeds. This is good, especially with a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), which has a small “for around town” battery it can drive on. Saves you in gas to charge it on the wall for those <40-mile grocery runs. Can also save you a gallon or two on longer trips by running on battery for a few before firing up the engine.
A lot of modern cars also play fake engine noises through the speakers so people who are allergic to the sound of a quiet car can pretend they have a V8 under the hood.
If you want a car that still has an angry growl but is good on gas, get a Subaru. Still a very “personality” car in this day and age, even with a CVT and a hybrid drive system. She makes lots of noises and demands your regular maintenance care (on-time oil and transmission fluid changes, regular oil level checks and topoffs if needed), but will last a long, long time if you do.
On Subaru and CVTs, I hate most modern automatic transmissions due to the rough shift and indecision but the Subaru CVT ain’t bad at all.
Brum Brum bruuum bruuuummmmm bruum uurrrrr “fuckin look where you’re going tosser” rrrrr VROOOOM vrooom
Regular gas cars should sound like normal muffled engines (comparable to your experience with 15+year old SUVs). Outside slight improvements in cabin isolator material which can dampen or lessen road noise and exhaust noise, they should sound roughly the same.
The injectors can sound like loud clicking or tapping occasionally, and depending on the make/model it can be quieter but usually audible inside the vehicle when at drive-thrus or when idling.
Hybrids usually turn the engine off at stops/low speeds and can often have a brake pedal that people complain feels spongey or loose, but due to how hybrids work that is normal since they use the electric motor more than the actual brake pads to stop in most cases. So hybrids usually have brake pads that last a really long time compared to non-hybrids.
Definitely shouldn’t sound loud unless it has some aftermarket exhaust or the cat was stolen.
So hybrids usually have brake pads that last a really long time compared to non-hybrids.
Mine has a bit over 90,000 miles and still has the factory pads. I’ve made very heavy use of regen braking. They’re still in good condition (passed inspection), but I’m going to get new tires soon and will just have them replaced for good measure - I definitely feel I’ve gotten my money’s worth out of them.
Pads dont really need to be replaced if they arent low and arent crumbling or falling apart, but if it makes you feel better then you can have them replaced. If you want to keep your fuel economy make sure you install an economy tire for hybrids, theyre a harder tire.
I don’t know exactly how much life is left on them (just that they passed inspection), but I’m due for tires soon so figured might as well since it’s sometimes a hassle to schedule that.
Yeah, I cheaped out the last time I got tires and didn’t spring for the “eco” tires. Lost 2-3 MPG but was still averaging 48. The regular tires were like $200 less than the eco ones (per tire). I haven’t done the math, so I don’t know if the 2-3 MPG savings would have broke even or not. I do know they did better in the snow.
This is helpful, thank you. I wonder if it’s the injectors I was hearing then that sounded weird.
Thanks for the heads up about the brake pedal. That would probably freak me out especially if the car’s detection system beeped at me for a random reason while I was braking.
If its not the injectors, then its the high pressure fuel pump, but they sound very similar with a loud clicking. A similar sound to lifter ticking, if youve ever heard that sound before.
Hybrids will also turn the engine off while driving sometimes, so that can sometimes scare people as well. So don’t be too scared if that happens on a test drive.
Yeah I really hated driving hybrids and EVs around because of the brake pedal. I daily drive a car without power brakes or ABS so I am used to a really hard pedal and manually pumping the brakes. Hybrids and EV brake pedals basically just felt like another throttle pedal to me.
If you get a plug-in hybrid then low speeds might also have a pedestrian safety sound which is a humming that gets louder until 24 km an hour which is when it will shut off because the car road noise is then loud enough to be audible to pedestrians.
Sadly, a lot of pedestrians are stupid. I’ve watched them walking across a road, phone in hand, straight into an idling parked V6 with a hole in its exhaust, and still be confused.
Pedestrian warning systems are a good idea. But nature will always come up with a better idiot
I just don’t understand looking at your phone when crossing the street. So, you have the right of way. Fat lot of good that is going to do you as you are flying through the air.
Most main stream, dare I say appliance cars, have what is called a rattly ass 4cyl. Not to be confused with nice sounding 4cyl engines.
I’ve also noticed new cars sound bad.
Cringe comment but I agree with the sentiment. My grandfather just bought a BMW crossover with a 2.0 I4 that sounds like completely dogshit.
Ooof don’t mistake intent… It’s difficult over text. Rattly ass 4 cylinder isn’t a term I coined. Some sound good, some sound bad, modern engines are stifled and amazing all at the same time. Mainstream appliance 4 cylinder are designed for fuel and emissions
Direct injection engines sound like a tractor at idle.
Ford eco boost cam phasers sound awful at cold start.
We’re at peak performance and efficiency for gas engines right now and they don’t sound like older engines.
Quiet normally. Besides the fuel injectors which is 90% of what you hear in a modern direct injection car.
Copper coil squeak. No, wait, those are EVs.
