BMW M5 exhaust sound battle: E34 vs E39 vs E60 vs F10

[5soko]

God that V10 sound!! That engine is forever best sounding bar none

[Blindside_137]

RIP NA, you will me missed.

In this comparison the E39 is the winner but an E60 with a comparable type of exhaust is unbeatable.

As pointed out in this thread already it is truly an amazing engine and the exhaust note is just intoxicating.

F10 is not surprisingly, quite weak. I would rank them:

1. E39
1. E60
3. E34
4. F10

[Mgone]

Originally Posted by Blindside_137

RIP NA, you will me missed.

In this comparison the E39 is the winner but an E60 with a comparable type of exhaust is unbeatable.

As pointed out in this thread already it is truly an amazing engine and the exhaust note is just intoxicating.

F10 is not surprisingly, quite weak. I would rank them:

1. E39
1. E60
3. E34
4. F10

Agree withE39 sound for N/A

[ron_jeremy]

The best sound came from the I6, the E34.
Then the V10, V8 sounds lazy and not very sporty imo.
The F10 was just weak

[Mgone]

Originally Posted by ron_jeremy

The best sound came from the I6, the E34.
Then the V10, V8 sounds lazy and not very sporty imo.
The F10 was just weak

Videodoesnt do justice on the f10 sound. But each one can have ciew of whats best and what sound preference you have in mind. Personally i cant decide which is good. Imo all of them are good sounding ones.

[lm1z]

E60 is obviously a work of art.

However, I am a bit bias owning an F10 M5. DP's and exhaust and the car sounds unbelievable. High pitched growl + V8 rumble + turbo spool out the back end of the car is hard to ignore. Unfortunately not a lot of modified F10 M5's driving around these days!

[Mgone]

Originally Posted by lm1z

E60 is obviously a work of art.

However, I am a bit bias owning an F10 M5. DP's and exhaust and the car sounds unbelievable. High pitched growl + V8 rumble + turbo spool out the back end of the car is hard to ignore. Unfortunately not a lot of modified F10 M5's driving around these days!

You're in Texas, lol who is there Driving M5's?...i thought i saw a few Board Members.

[Thunder43]

The E39 sounds awesome

[bradleyland]

S85 all day long. There's something about the V10 layout that makes the exhaust sound like a screaming banshee.

[IB M]

E39 for me

That said:
Purchase E60 and swap v10 into new M4

[Db750]

I have heard all of these cars in person with both stock and custom exhaust (except the e34) and IMO they all sound great, and they also sound better in person than in videos. I personally think the f10 sounds great. I rented one for a day, and I really enjoyed the sound including the burp on upshifts and the snaps and crackles when revving. The e39 sounds amazing as well. To me it sounds more like your classic V8 roar; angry and muscular.

However, my previously owned S85 M6 is on a completely different level than anything else bmw has every produced in terms of sound. These cars sound as good or better than most exotics. They are IMO some of the best sounding cars on earth. The sound of these cars is the most difficult to capture in a video. The way these engines rev higher and higher when you are driving them the sound just seems to surround you and really just takes the whole experience to a different level.

No matter how much I type I feel I will never fully capture how special, and just damn good the S85 sounds. An 8,250 RPM 5.0L V10 (w/100 hp/litre) in a four door sedan is just damn awesome. The E60 M5 is in my opinion the coolest sedan ever produced. The S85 powered cars are very special, entry level exotic in performance, feel, sound, experience, and I would highly recommend that anyone that can own one and experience the greatness.

[Db750]

Originally Posted by IB M

E39 for me

That said:
Purchase E60 and swap v10 into new M4

If BMW went high revving NA engine in the new M4 I would be skipping meals to save up for one. Too bad.

[E90M3JETS]

E60 all the way baby. Do sexy...

[MilehighM3]

E39 all day for me. That's not the most flattering exhaust, but the car still sounds the meanest. The best sounding S85 I've heard is my neighbors M6 with cat less evolve headers and Akra Evo. It actually makes the car sound unique and sets it apart from all other S85 systems I've heard, for the better. To those saying the E60 will always be the best, have you checked what the E60 is worth lately? Lol at best all time!

[dhirm5]

I like a good sounding exhaust as much as the next guy, but keeping it real, the F10 would mop the floor with the rest of the field by any performance measure. That matters more. Just sayin'.

[Crisp]

I'm the proud new owner of an F10 M5.
I just got to open up the car through some of the best roads in the world, including tunnels and a bunch of top speed runs. Let's just say that I really got to hear the exhaust in a bunch of different scenarios.

Now sound is all based on opinion. To some, the best sound in the world is their trophy wife ripping ass.

The F10 M5 sounds great for a performance car. However, I can't even compare it to the S85 or even the S65 motor. The V10 is a work of art to me and there are very few cars that sounds nearly as good.

Anyway, I'm obsessed with the F1 high pitched scream, not the V8 rumble, so again, it's all based on opinion.

[Nebraska330xi]

E39 stole the show for me. Although it's hard for that E60 v10 to shine doing a quick rev like this, really needs to be rung out as I've heard better from them. The F10 sounded like a Camry as expected

[KevinM]

I'm biased, but that E39 does sound good. Although for a DD I prefer my stock exhaust, which has a low rumble but is not even close to being this aggressive. The E34 has that classic BMM straight six sound, almost as nice as the S54, my favorite BMW six cylinder (biased here again, but that is why I bought a Z4M coupe!).

[Damage Inc]

E60 is at a different level. I sold my E63 M6 for an E92 M3. E92 M3 is up for sale, dreaming about the S85. In the hunt for a low mileage E60 M5.

Drove the F10 M5. Felt more like a sporty 7 series, sound was a dud. Nice car, but very different animal than the E60 sound and fun factor.

[boots]

I love the v10 sound better than turbo charged v8. But the new platform v8 coupled to dp and straight pipes. Crazy nice

[MCarsFan]

Originally Posted by boots

I love the v10 sound better than turbo charged v8. But the new platform v8 coupled to dp and straight pipes. Crazy nice

Drove an E60 M5 this weekend. Made the hair standup on the back of my neck.
I want to pull the trigger on that RPi GTM.

[gmfive]

Wow, that E39 sounded pretty good and raw. The best of the lot. F10 was the most muted though it's the most refined M5 to date. Really feels/behaves like a reliable well-sorted car.