For an automaker looking to enhance driver engagement in one of its BEVs, there’s always been a reliable stock solution: pumping synthetic (read: fake) engine sounds through the speakers. Everybody from Honda to BMW has used this in one way or another to mask the experience, and now Lexus is doing the same with the RZ.
Over in the Japanese market, 2027 model-year Lexus RZ units will be equipped with something called ‘Interactive Manual Drive Engine Sound’—a new system that imitates “the exhilarating engine sound that is synonymous with Lexus.” But which Lexus soundtrack in particular? The automaker did not specify, but our fingers are crossed it lets us emulate the LFA’s mythical V10.
The fake engine noise machine actually works in tandem with the ‘Interactive Manual Drive’ added in a previous RZ refresh. This gimmick replicates an eight-speed transmission, shifting gears in response to throttle input or as dictated by the paddle shifters. Of course, faking a gearbox isn’t new—CVTs with ratio profiles you can ‘shift’ through have been around for a while now. An electric powertrain just has to put in extra effort to calculate all sorts of things: the current running gear, how much power to deploy, and timing the next pseudo-shift.
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Unfortunately, this seems like a Japan-only update for now, with no guarantee that the refresh makes its way to our shores. As for other updates to the Japan-spec RZ lineup, the digital rear-view mirror is now standard equipment across the board, and a new ‘L-Tex’ upholstery in a colorway called Grayscale can now be spec’d on the RZ500e and RZ350e.
Just how effective and engaging could these simulated ICE aspects be? Well, we certainly won’t knock it before we try it—some of the most engaging drives of the past few years have been electrified, after all. Look no further than the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and Honda Prelude. But what say you, though? Let us know what you make of all this in the comments.
