Quote:
Originally Posted by nachob
I know that "real car guys" are a diminishing breed and some may just prefer to call us "old school" but fake engine sound is the last straw that shows the BMWs lack of caring for real car guys. I must admit that they grudgingly put manual transmissions in their cars for us but deep down BMW resents it. Life would be much simpler for them with just an automatic that lets you "shift" or drive in full auto but at least they do it and I still own a BMW for that reason.
Lexus on the other hand doesn't do it on their IS 350 and I will not buy one because of it BUT after having read that Active Sound is mandatory on the new M cars.......I am puzzled and seriously saddened by it.
This is the new height of poserdom. I cannot buy a car with fake engine sound and to make matters worse you cannot disable it without disabling the stereo system. I have been seriously holding out of M235 or M2 but I don't know if I can overcome this. I would be embarrassed if other car guys found out I was driving with fake engine sound track.
Not only is there the embarrassment but more importantly the it is one more loss of connection to car. I listen to my engine! As some have called it, I have "mechanical empathy" and I listen to it. Every ping when accidentally lugged, every VANOS rattle when the idle drops to low and the crescendo of mechanical music when making serious power. Even turbos and wastegates are part of the "rhythm" when you are autocrossing or cruising on a mountain road. That is a another connection lost. With automatics, you do not control or manage the engagement so you lose that connection, then the new steering racks further detach you from the road feel and now you cannot "really" listen to the engine.
Sad. I know most of you don't feel the same way, I understand, since you grow up with iPhones that are set to the "old" analog phone ringer and think it's quaint.
I was just wondering if there were any of you out there that are also sad about fake engine sound?
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Well, that obviously makes you one rare exception of a driver. I salute you. But what the both of us believe does not matter to BMW shareholders. Sales is the name of the game. If other people are doing it, they will do it and do it better to move another car off the lot.
Having said that, and I am not saying that I agree with this technology, but I could barely tell it's even there in my 2013 GTI. I am very pleased with the way the car sounds. The active sound (sound-aktor) is not at all intrusive. So it may be worth giving the next generation of M's the benefit of the doubt? It goes without saying that some will like it, and some won't.
Let's not forget that one of the early complaints form f10 M5 owners was ... wait for it ... not enough cabin engine/exhaust sounds.