When Milli Vanilli admitted that the vocals for which the group won a Grammy in 1990 were not its own, the award was returned, contracts were voided, careers were finished, and weaves were ripped out. Hoping to avoid a similar backlash, BMW’s M division has been completely transparent with the new M5’s lip-syncing soundtrack.

M division engineers discovered that the F10 chassis, like that of so many other new cars these days, is so effective at insulating the cabin from road and engine noise that the M5 lost one of the characteristics that made the previous two iterations such visceral thrills to let off the leash: its bark. To give the driver a better feel for the engine, an exterior recording of the M5’s motor plays through the car’s stereo. The precise sample is determined by engine load and rpm. Some of the real engine notes are still audible to the driver, so the recording is more of a backing track. BMW says the setup helps the driver shift by ear and reduces the chances of bumping the rev limiter when using the full rpm range.

BMW is hardly alone when it comes to enhancing engine sounds. When Lexus launched the LFA, the company wanted drivers to experience the full range of the car’s V-10. To achieve this, Lexus contracted Yamaha—not the Yamaha that built F1 engines in the ’80s and ’90s but rather the musical-instrument division—and its Center for Advanced Sound Technologies to tune the LFA’s symphony hall (cabin) for the audience (driver). It treated the engine as a sound generator and developed components to direct all of the V-10’s wail to the driver.

High-tech sound tuning is not limited to six-figure vehicles, though. Ford installed a resonator pipe between the Mustang GT’s V-8 and its fire wall. The Boss 302 takes this further by adding a second pair of exhaust pipes tucked behind the rocker panels. Owners can remove restrictor plates located just upstream of the side exits to open the exhaust. The resulting note causes pedestrians to duck and cover.

View Photos Ford Mustang Boss 302

Volkswagen previously used a resonator tube similar to the Mustang’s in its GTI but has switched to what it calls a “Soundaktor.” This system is like the M5’s, in that an audio file is stored on the car’s computer and then played during certain throttle applications. Unlike the more selective M5 setup, VW’s broadcasts all the noise from under the hood through a dedicated speaker located near the engine’s throttle body. Soundaktor speakers are currently making noise in the GTI, GLI, and Beetle Turbo.

Porsche’s new Sound Symposer, fitted to the new (991) 911 and forthcoming Panamera GTS, is another intake-noise amplifier. As the 911 has grown up, so have the needs of its ­drivers: One need in particular is quiet cruising. Wide, low-profile rubber howls at 80 mph, and damping that distraction also diminishes the primal sounds of the engine. Porsche calls its amplifier an “acoustic channel,” and it consists of a tube housing a diaphragm and a valve. When an occupant pushes the sport button on the ­center console, the valve opens and the diaphragm goes to work amplifying the mechanical sounds radiating from the intake plenum.

It’s kind of like a timpani at the symphony, except that you don’t have to sit through an actual symphony. Or, for that matter, Milli Vanilli.

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