VIDEO: BMW M3 and M4 Engine Sound Explained

When BMW killed off the S55 engine in the M3 and M4, in favor of the newer S58 engine, fans were mostly happy. While the outgoing S55 engine wasn’t bad, per se, but it lacked soul and that was mostly due to its exhaust note. Only now, a full six years later, has BMW figured out how to make the S55 engine sound good, in the new M2 Competition. However, the new BMW M3 and M4 S58 engine sounds great. In this new video from BMW M, that engine sound is explained.

The sound for the BMW M3 and M4 engine has been tuned to provide a more classic BMW straight-six sound, something that so many BMW fans will be happy to hear. It get asymmetrical headers, with equal length exhaust pipes and valve adjustment, so the sound can be fine-tuned for any given situation. Inside the car, you can even adjust the sound level through the iDrive screen. Not only is that a relatively new BMW M technology but it’s also quite useful.

If you’re driving around in Sport Plus mode, with the exhaust fully open, you’re going to wake your neighbors, or even your own family, when driving home. However, with the new BMW M3 and M4, you can switch just the exhaust to quiet mode, while keeping everything else extra sporty. Thus preserving your relationship with your sleeping kids. Although, no word on speaker augmentation for exhaust noise inside the cabin. We assume it’s there, though.

In the video, you get to hear the new BMW M3 and it sounds surprisingly good. It’s raspier and more growly than the previous-gen M3, which is automotive music to our ears. Let’s just hope that there isn’t any — or very little of — the speaker/exhaust faker in the new BMW M3.

Also, click below to see our own M3/M4 videos of the exhaust system:

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