Correction. Internal combustion engines are loud.
The tires are like nails on a chalkboard to me after living that way for a 5 years. It cut through my apartment walls and morning rush hour served as a mandatory alarm clock.
The only time engines were an issue were people with modded exhaust or people street racing (motorcycles or cars).
This is why it is useful for cars to make sounds. It also is the reason why that sound is so annoying. It is a constant trigger for our brains to react.