The sound an engine makes is almost as important as the power it delivers. A great sounding car enhances the experience of driving and can make it more pleasurable. Luckily for us, we do not need a super car to achieve sonic euphoria. Even in some rare cases you don’t even need an engine with a conventional configuration.



Below is a list of the five best sounding unusual engines from VW, Mazda, Volvo, Audi, and Subaru. So turn up your speakers and enjoy the sounds of automakers who chose not to follow the crowd.


VW VR6

The VR6 was released in the late 1980’s to give extra power to VW’s performance models of the time. It was the perfect motor since its narrow angle allowed it to fit in an engine bay designed for a 4cylinder engine. Along with extra power, the VR6 had a very unique exhaust note that VW enthusiasts long for to this day.


Mazda Rotary engine

This list would be incomplete if I forgot to mention our friends at Mazda, who were the main supporter of the Wankel rotatory engine. This engine was far from perfect but its smooth power delivery and high red line made it a pleasure to drive.


Volvo Inline 5 Cylinder

This is one of my personal favorites. Volvo was one of the few automakers to embrace the inline5 cylinder engine arrangement. Although the engine is less balanced than a straight 6, the inline 5 offers superior packaging traits to fit into engine bays in a transvers mounted fashion for added safety. The inline5 engine is essentially half a V10. It becomes even more special under the hood of a Volvo.


Audi 5 cylinder

Audi has a rally racing pedigree based heavily on the inline 5 engines. From the Audi Quattro or the more recent TTRS, Audi continues to prove that 5 cylinder engines deserve a place in your garage.


Subaru 4cylinder Boxer

The Subaru brand has been based on the flat four or boxer engine from the beginning. The rumble of the boxer engine became very popular in the early 2000s, when the STI was launched in America. Prior to the American STI, Subaru had the 22b that was the forbearer of all performance Subarus.


These engines prove you don’t need a conventional cylinder layout or even cylinders to create beautiful sounding engine.