My 2002 Corolla makes more of a sad rattle now than those new trucks do. I used to pretend my clunker had a tough diesel vibe to fit in with the neighborhood sound. Now it just sounds like a broken lawnmower next to all that quiet humming. Guess my car's character was always fake anyway.
Uncle Joe's 1998 Civic had a similar pretend grumble we all cheered for. We attach personality to random rattles because it makes the drive feel more human. Modern quiet engines strip away that chance for imagination, leaving just a machine.
Fake character" is a weird way to put it. That tough diesel vibe you made up was real because you felt it. My old truck had a squeak that sounded like a bird chirp. We called it the canary and joked it was checking for clean air. The new quiet cars don't give you anything to work with, no inside jokes, just silence. The rattle IS the personality.