[Jetstreamblue]

The Lexus hybrids I've been around have the most obnoxious back-up warning noise when in EV mode. I thought that all Toyota/Lexus hybrids pretty much have the same thing. But today I was walking behind a Sienna as it backed up, and I couldn't really hear anything at all except for a slight motor whine. This was on a quiet residential street too, whereas I know I can hear that Lexus sound even in a busy parking lot for 20 feet away.
Does the Sienna have a different sound, or not at all? Or maybe the Canadian ones don't have it enabled cause it's not required by law here?

 

[Chubbysumo]

that wasn't motor whine. the motor whine is inaudible unless you really listen for it, and its a pitch changing sound as you speed up, it whines higher pretty fast.

the "singing", or "angels" as my kids call it is actually a speaker. The sienna has 2 of them. one in the grill in the front, and one in the back somewhere(I still haven't found it). that sound you heard was the speaker, or "pedestrian alert system", which is federally mandated in the US on all cars that can run electric only modes under 23mph.

I dunno if its mandated in Canada, but I would bet you didn't hear the motor whine. mine is not very loud in back, just loud enough that if you were within a few feet you would hear it. my front one however, is loud AF, and makes people stare at me in parking lots. this isn't even a competition tho, because my HiHy one is louder than the lexus one you speak of in reverse, its so loud that my neighbors have asked if something is wrong with my car the week we brought it home, because they heard it on their porch about 100 feet away.

 

[Jetstreamblue]

I'm going to have to listen to another Sienna backing up to check. The reason I thought it's motor whine is cause it was really quiet, like a Tesla, and only started when it moved.

 

[pamhar]

We can hear slight sound inside cabin, when battery only, going in forward or reverse.

Gonna have to listen from outside one day!!

 

[Chubbysumo]

We can hear slight sound inside cabin, when battery only, going in forward or reverse.

Gonna have to listen from outside one day!!

that is the only place I can hear the motor whine on mine, sitting inside, and it really has to be quiet for it. I cannot hear it from outside the van if someone else is moving it, just the speaker sound.

 

[3Wheelerguy]

I will try and check a Canadian model tomorrow as I have 1 at work. I have a Rav4 hybrid on order. Those suckers are loud.

 

[wscan]

As mentioned above, the Sienna has a front and a rear speaker to generate the federally mandated sound. May other Toyotas, including the RAV4, have only a front speaker. To get the mandated sound level in the rear, the volume has to be much higher coming from the front speaker. I can only guess that because the Sienna is longer and boxier, they may not have been able to get the required sound level in the rear without making the front speaker super obnoxious when in reverse, so they had to put in a rear speaker.

 

[Dimitrij]

that wasn't motor whine. the motor whine is inaudible unless you really listen for it, and its a pitch changing sound as you speed up, it whines higher pretty fast.

the "singing", or "angels" as my kids call it is actually a speaker. The sienna has 2 of them. one in the grill in the front, and one in the back somewhere(I still haven't found it). that sound you heard was the speaker, or "pedestrian alert system", which is federally mandated in the US on all cars that can run electric only modes under 23mph.

I dunno if its mandated in Canada, but I would bet you didn't hear the motor whine. mine is not very loud in back, just loud enough that if you were within a few feet you would hear it. my front one however, is loud AF, and makes people stare at me in parking lots. this isn't even a competition tho, because my HiHy one is louder than the lexus one you speak of in reverse, its so loud that my neighbors have asked if something is wrong with my car the week we brought it home, because they heard it on their porch about 100 feet away.

My favorite name for the pedestrian warning sound is "robot choir".

I will try and check a Canadian model tomorrow as I have 1 at work. I have a Rav4 hybrid on order. Those suckers are loud.

From all the 4 cars with the "robot choir" that I have had Sienna is the quietest. The RAV4's is indeed a lot more energetic, which makes sense, because when the choir is not loud enough to stand out in the street noise, it's not doing its job.

 

[wickedbusa]

I honestly didn't think the Sienna had speakers outside to generate that EV noise. My sister has a RAV4 Prime and that thing is super loud when backing up, I always thought it sounded like a UFO. My 21 Sienna is dead silent in comparison to my sister's RAV4 Prime. I can barely hear a little while when in EV mode, but I have to have the window down in order to be able to hear it.

 

[wscan]

I honestly didn't think the Sienna had speakers outside to generate that EV noise. My sister has a RAV4 Prime and that thing is super loud when backing up, I always thought it sounded like a UFO. My 21 Sienna is dead silent in comparison to my sister's RAV4 Prime. I can barely hear a little while when in EV mode, but I have to have the window down in order to be able to hear it.

The reason for the difference is in post $7 above.