Can an enhanced driving experience still be authentic?

At the end of the day, it just comes down to, is it fun and enjoyable? If it adds to your experience of slinging your toy around a track, then how does it hurt? (Sure, have an off button though for when you just want to drive in peace)

And if you don't think it can enhance the experience, then you must have never played a good driving game. If you have ever been immersed by a good driving simulator, or enjoyed a car game with a great engine audio, then you should already know a completely artificial engine note is essential to selling the  illusion. Try turning off the sound on your favorite racing game next time you play it and see how it changes how you feel about the experience. The thing that really got me was the first time I tried driving a Tesla Model S in Forza. All the regular sounds were there, tire squealing, brake noises, wind noise, but with no engine note, I could not get into it and I couldn't adjust to the speed the car was moving at. It completely broke the illusion and made the car undrivable for me. So I can easily see how adding an artificial engine note to an EV could enhance the experience.

For sure it would be fun to download any engine not you can think of and try them out, but as has been mentioned what they really need to do is develop a unique and original kinda sci-fi sounding motor note, and thus it would be authentic, as well as enhancing the experience.

Dodge kind of tried this with the EV Challenger thing they're making. I was surprised they didn't just throw a hemi engine note at it, they actually did attempt to make something unique and new that still sounded like a muscle car, unfortunately it just wasn't very good. They should probably hire some video game audio developers to help :)

That's a great question. I'm firmly in the camp of it being dumb. The horseless carriage analogy fits well.

BUT

If I understand it correctly, my BMW has a pipe underhood that's meant to deliver a throaty sound to the passenger compartment. I always liked the sound of the car but it really hit home after letting a Miata driver borrow it and she returned with wide eyes, "the Miata doesn't sound like THAT." Now I relish the sound. 

Yet it is a kind of artificial, is it not? For purely functional reasons, that sound would not reach my ears. And so it's stupid, right? 
 

And then what do you do with custom tuned exhaust? Or even any exhaust that makes it sound any different from the "real" of open headers and straight pipes (legality aside), or, conversely, as silent as a Cadillac.

So maybe it's okay because all of the above are tuning or enhancing the vibrations (sounds) that ACTUALLY emanate from the moving and exploding bits in the machine. ?
 

Undoubtedly, sounds make the experience more fun. I learned this firsthand with a peppy little 2nd gear scratch 89 Prelude when I wore headphones one night. It's true. But something just feels ridiculous or embarrassing about imitating something else. Like putting a racing wing on a Geo Metro. Or a non-functional hood scoop on an Impreza RS. I'd be somewhat embarrassed to run any of those "mods." Poser-esque. I think the ICE-replica sound would constantly grate on me. Rolling my eyes, you would hear the very authentic sound of me apologizing to any passengers in my car. 

P3PPY said:

That's a great question. I'm firmly in the camp of it being dumb. The horseless carriage analogy fits well.

BUT

If I understand it correctly, my BMW has a pipe underhood that's meant to deliver a throaty sound to the passenger compartment. I always liked the sound of the car but it really hit home after letting a Miata driver borrow it and she returned with wide eyes, "the Miata doesn't sound like THAT." Now I relish the sound. 

Yet it is a kind of artificial, is it not? For purely functional reasons, that sound would not reach my ears. And so it's stupid, right?

It's mechanical sound, mechanically delivered?

If so, it's NOT artificial.  It's genuine engine noise - used for aesthetic purpose, yes, but 100% authentic.

Artificial would be if it was electronically synthesized and broadcast through speakers somewhere.

Keeping in mind this is strictly an opinion and I get that it may sell cars but I am still here:

Does a P51 Mustang need any enhanced sounds................no because it's a P51 Mustang.

This only goes one of two ways for me:

1. The manufacturer is admitting the basic ingredients are so lacking it needs fru fru sauce.

2. The manufacturer thinks I'm so unsophisticated that I can't understand subtlety, so I need fru fru sauce.

So, how does Hayden Paddon's electric rally car with mechanical noise generator fit in?

I haven't seen any details on how exactly the thing works.

In reply to Oapfu :

If it serves a purpose such as alerting people to it's approach I am OK with it........otherwise I find it lame.