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      03-17-2013, 03:26 PM   #78
auaq
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Drives: 03 530i
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bradleyland View Post
It's pretty much a foregone conclusion that a turbocharged inline 6 isn't going to sound as good (to fans of N/A V8s) as the outgoing M3, or even the S54 powered E46 M3. You simply can't coerce those kinds of sounds out of a turbocharged engine when you have a turbine sitting in the exhaust flow. The natural effect of a turbine is to smooth out and muffle exhaust pulses, which results in a completely different characteristic.

No one is saying it won't perform better, but some people ask more of the experience. For me, how a car sounds is a big part of the overall experience of owning the car. As others have pointed out, you hear the car every day, but you only have the opportunity to extract maximum performance on a rare occasion.

BMW isn't alone in this challenge though. Turbocharging is the future of petrol powered cars. It's the only way to deliver big power, but also perform well on the government efficiency test cycles. Audi no longer puts a V8 in the S4 or S5 either. That's not going to stop us from lamenting the loss of good engine acoustics though.
Agreed. We need to adapt to newer standards of where the manufacturers are heading towards to. I already knew that any turbocharged engine in general will never sound like a naturally aspirated engine that we have been so accustomed to for many years. Not unless if you go aftermarket route to make it sound louder and meaner, but that's a whole different level. EPA and the government have kind of forced the manufacturers to develop more fuel efficient engines; hence, the reason why we are seeing smaller displacements, smaller engines with turbocharges. Otherwise, I think I am incline to say that the manufacturers would have had no interest in making greener cars, being more friendlier to the environment; not that they have any cruel intentions to the environment by the way. Anyways, we just need to move on. And, again, I don't think that exhaust sounds bad. You can still hear it from quite a distance as well as with a slight hint of turbo sounds and whistles which should boost up one's mood.
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