Influence of impression of vehicle styling on loudness of acceleration sounds in cabin

The influence of participants' impressions of vehicle styling on the loudness of acceleration sounds was investigated. A series of images of luxury or sporty vehicles was presented to the participants as acceleration sounds were being replayed. The results indicated that participants who were frequent drivers felt that the sound associated with luxury vehicles was louder than that associated with sporty vehicles. However, participants who rarely drove perceived almost no difference between the loudness of the two vehicles types. Thus, the loudness was shown to depend on both the participants' impression of the vehicle and their driving frequency.