Toyota reveal the sound of its new four-cylinder engine, but keeps the car blurred

Toyota has revealed what its new four-cylinder engine will sound like in a new video, but – intriguingly – left the car itself blurred.

Earlier this year, Toyota announced that it was developing a new four-cylinder engine that will be more powerful, efficient, and lighter than its existing offerings. 

Now the Japanese car manufacturer has given us our first chance to hear how the engines will sound while managing to completely avoid giving us a first look. 

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We can hear the new Toyota engine but the car remains secret

In a clip shared on the YouTube channel for Toyota Times, the company’s in-house publication, a blurred-out car fitted with the new engine is being tested at the Fuji Speedway. 

Eagle-eyed petrolheads have pointed out that the blurred vehicle appears to be a Lexus IS with a stripped-out interior. 

Although we can’t actually see the car, we can hear that four-cylinder engine for the first time – and it sounds great. 

The engine produces a substantial and deep sound, which builds as the revs increase. 

The clip shows that the new engine has been paired with an automatic transmission, and it can be heard making some pops on downshifts. 

“You can really feel it speed up”

Sitting behind the wheel is Takashi Uehara, President of Toyota Powertrain, who says the new motor is incredibly responsive, ‘you can really feel it speed up’ he adds. 

He goes on to explain that the engine is positioned lower down than it has been previously and can be fitted further back in the bay, giving it a lower center of gravity and improved balance in the chassis. 

Toyota, which is also working on a revolutionary hydrogen engine, says the new engines are low-emission and will be available in 1.5-liter or 2.0-liter. 

“It will be a totally new engine for the era of electrification, intelligence, and diversification,” Uehara said. 

The company has said they are designed to be used alongside batteries in hybrid models. 

“In an era when the development of battery electric vehicle technology is accelerating, there is a new role we can pursue for the internal combustion engine as well,” Toyota’s chief executive Koji Sato said.

According to the Financial Times, the new engines will go into production in the latter half of 2026.

So looks like we’ll be waiting a little bit longer before we get to hear it in real life.