Does The F-150’s Fake Engine Noise Bother You?
Earlier this year, I had an opportunity to test-drive the 2015 Ford F-150 at the official press launch in San Antonio. After spending most of the day in the fantastic 2.7L EcoBoost, I jumped into a Lariat with the 3.5L EcoBoost. I’ve driven several EcoBoost-equipped F-150s in the past, and this one sounded different.
When I’d get on the throttle, it sounded gnarlier than I remember. I didn’t think much of it, but it turns out that Ford is using the stereo system to augment the engine noise with some V8 grunt.
In hindsight, I knew something was up. But if I’m being 100% completely honest, my brain didn’t immediately think “it’s a fake!” Rather, I thought they did some engineering voodoo with sound tubes and what not to make the engine sound a little beefier. In the Focus and Fiesta ST, they use the sound tube to great effect. BMW has been pumping engine noise into the cabin for years, especially on their performance models. Even the new Mustang has an augmented sound track by the vehicle’s stereo.
On the surface, as an enthusiast, it does bother me. I don’t like the idea of having a fake engine noise, especially in days when a car like the Challenger Hellcat sound so amazing. But thinking back to that driving experience, I really think the sound augmentation made the truck sound awesome. Isn’t that what you want; your truck to sound awesome?
The only real downside I can see with this type of setup is that if you modify the truck and that changes the engine noise, it will still sound relatively the same inside the truck. I suppose for the people who want an authentic V8 sound and the ability to modify to make it sound better, the 5.0L V8 is still available.
So what say you? Does the augmented engine noise in the higher-trim Ford F-150s bother you?
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