2025 4 cylinder sounds awful to this 2022 4R Owner!

[Nodak]

we turned it off on our 23 tundra platinum via carista (or techstream if you have it on a laptop or can get the dealer to turn it off for free)

 

[Jetsareus]

I noticed that some lower grade models do not have a panel on the underside of the hood. It makes me curious if there are other noise dampening upgrades through the various models.

 

[DustyLens]

I really don't want to hear the engine at all. Engine noise is merely a necessary evil. (I'm certainly not going EV.)

Having said that... I enjoy hearing the growl of my wife's supercharged Jaguar F-Pace.

 

[Henry]

I noticed that some lower grade models do not have a panel on the underside of the hood. It makes me curious if there are other noise dampening upgrades through the various models.

That's correct -- the higher trims have the under hood insulation. I believe the higher trims also have rubber stripping on the front edge of the rear door to reduce wind noise

 

[Zaki]

Hopefully this doesn't sound like a Rant - I'm trying to be helpful to those intending to purchase the first deliveries. Up front we are retired, love powerful cars but prefer a wolf in sheep's clothing, so as not to attract the attention of the boys and girls in blue.

My wife drives our 2022 4R most of the time and loves it. We don't Off Road, but roads in our area are in deplorable condition so you could say we off road every day. However, we do live in a very hilly area that gets lots of snow and ice for that reason I absolutely prefer full time 4WD since the surface can change every few yards and 4WD is much better on highways in extreme weather.
A few months ago we test drove a Tacoma TRD Sport to gauge the engine sound and noise and we hated it - sounded like a sewing machine - along with rough gear changes.
Today we test drove a LC 1958, again to check out the engine sound levels since the average Joe hasn't driven the new 4R and the press just go on about the vehicle looks and price.
The power from the 4 Cylinder Turbo and Hybrid was superb, the noise level (mostly valve train I think) was again awful, gear changes were also rough.
The 1958 is very basic and the cheapest offered, but had several negatives in our opinion.

Sound deadening / isolation was terrible even for the roof - it was raining and it sounded really loud. Remember we are comparing directly to our TRD Sport .The roof lining and pillars being all black and combined with the drivers side grab handle was intrusive to visibility and the front screen seemed smaller than 4R.
The full time 4WD was really good in the rain - no wheel spin, but the limited vehicle spec has strange things included or omitted - the taller LC with 20" wheels and probably better sound deadening (for $12K) more will not fit in our Garage.

So, to focus on the 4 banger .... why is it so noisy - maybe Tacoma truckers and real off roaders like it - not us. The engine sounds really stressed even when pushed fairly gently (dealer was in car) and was quiet about my comments. He just said people like the power - that is not in question.

We also have Rav 4 Platinum, the same engine but no turbo, so we know the engine doesn't have to be so noisy and it's not even a good throaty noise, it sounds like the engine wants to explode when pushed.

Hopefully the 4R's will get better noise "insulation/ Isolation/ deadening" especially the fire wall, if not a lot of folks are going to get an unpleasant surprise.

Fingers crossed, we will be waiting to test drive a TRD Sport - Premium without sun roof.

 

[Dead Horse]

The 4.0 is an underpowered wheezy noise factory that nobody in the history of ever has ever said sounds great.

It's fantastically reliable and just f'n works. Legendary status was long ago achieved. Absolute unit of reference for reliable and well built mills. But your barometer is broken if that's your metric for engine noises LOL

 

[ModernDay4Runner]

I don't know if I have ever driven a vehicle without the music on. Should I expect to hear the engine noise over top of the music playing from JBL system in my TRD Sport Premium that is literally on the slow boat from China, oops Japan, right now? I had a 2012 Tacoma then a 2016 4Runner SR5. I know that both of those vehicles had different engines than what I will soon have in my 4Runner, but.what should I expect with respect to engine noises when the music is playing?
.

 

[Dead Horse]

I don't know if I have ever driven a vehicle without the music on. Should I expect to hear the engine noise over top of the music playing from JBL system in my TRD Sport Premium that is literally on the slow boat from China, oops Japan, right now? I had a 2012 Tacoma then a 2016 4Runner SR5. I know that both of those vehicles had different engines than what I will soon have in my 4Runner, but.what should I expect with respect to engine noises when the music is playing?
.

My experience with this engine is in a LC (mid trim, Premium package) and a 2024 Tacoma Limited hybrid.

Both were quiet enough to drown it out with just the dash speaker(s) barely turned up.

 

[ModernDay4Runner]

My experience with this engine is in a LC (mid trim, Premium package) and a 2024 Tacoma Limited hybrid.

Both were quiet enough to drown it out with just the dash speaker(s) barely turned up.

That's what I was thinking or hoping anyways. People that are not fans of the 6th Gen will focus on the perceived negatives while fans of the updated 4Runner focus on the other things. I get it.

 

[Nodak]

I don't know if I have ever driven a vehicle without the music on. Should I expect to hear the engine noise over top of the music playing from JBL system in my TRD Sport Premium that is literally on the slow boat from China, oops Japan, right now? I had a 2012 Tacoma then a 2016 4Runner SR5. I know that both of those vehicles had different engines than what I will soon have in my 4Runner, but.what should I expect with respect to engine noises when the music is playing?
.

the way toyota pipes in fake engine noise is mostly noticable at lower speeds. once you get up in speed its toned down in volume somewhat, but its also dependent on headunit volume.

the fake engine noise volume is independently controlled by another module outside of the headunit volume control.

 

[Nodak]

here is more info...

The "fake engine noise" setting on a Toyota is called "Engine Sound Enhancement" (ESE), and it can be accessed and adjusted through the vehicle's onboard diagnostics system (OBDII) using a tool like a Carista adapter, allowing you to turn it off if you wish to hear the real engine sound without the enhanced audio simulation; most often, this feature is found on sportier Toyota models

here is better explanation and pics of techstream (its not accessible by the customer directly)

forgot to add, the ANC is noise cancellation feature

 

[ModernDay4Runner]

Thanks for the additional information. If I am not going to hear it as long as I have my music playing, I'll be good.

 

[mars001]

Can any obd app like Torque turn it off or only Carista can do it? Carista app is a subscription-only app.

 

[Nodak]

Can any obd app like Torque turn it off or only Carista can do it? Carista app is a subscription-only app.

torque is mostly a read only app and reset codes. you have to be able to do what techstream can do and change variables. carista mimics techstream so thats how that app works.

and you can pay like $10 for a month and be done with it. i gave up trying to keep techstream on a laptop, just easier to pay $10 for a month test things out and set what i like/dont like and never change them for the life of the vehicle.

just less hassle in the long run

 

[mars001]

torque is mostly a read only app and reset codes. you have to be able to do what techstream can do and change variables. carista mimics techstream so thats how that app works.

and you can pay like $10 for a month and be done with it. i gave up trying to keep techstream on a laptop, just easier to pay $10 for a month test things out and set what i like/dont like and never change them for the life of the vehicle.

just less hassle in the long run

Thank you. Didn't know we can pay per month. That'll work