Here’s What Toyota’s New Four-Cylinder Engine Sounds Like

While most other manufacturers have been abandoning internal combustion development, Toyota has gone ahead and made a whole new family of engines. And now, we get to hear what the unit sounds like.

Not only that, but the version of the engine shown in this Toyota Times video is described by engine Takashi Uehara, Toyota Powertrain Company president, as one made “for car lovers who expect a little something extra”. It’s fitted to what we think is a Lexus IS, and while admittedly helped by this being a stripped-out development mule possibly fitted, the din produced by that new four-banger is very pleasant indeed.

With Toyota seeming keen to produce a new generation of sports cars, the new unit could be ideal, particularly because its volume and size have been reduced by 10 per cent relative to currently-produced engines of the same capacity. As well as allowing for lower bonnets for better aero and thus improved fuel economy (12 per cent better for a saloon car, Toyota claims), the new engine can also be mounted lower and further back than before, improving weight distribution and the centre of gravity.

The engine family will be produced in two capacities displacing 1.5 and 2.0 litres. Of particular interest is the former, which is set to replace Toyota’s current 1.5-litre inline threes - that’s good news, as triples are inherently unbalanced and thus not the most refined things.

Speaking at a press conference shown in the same video, Toyota’s executive vice president Hiroki Nakajima said: "While regulations get tighter, we feel that engines can still exist and be affordable if used cleverly with batteries.”

The new units, part of a programme Toyota calls “engine reborn,” have been designed with electrification in mind. The smaller engine will be available in naturally aspirated and turbocharged guises, while the bigger one will only be made with a turbo attached.

Expect to see the first production cars using the engines to appear in 2026.