First introduced in 1984, the BMW M5 is understandably regarded as one of the greatest high-performance super sedans ever produced. Throughout its life, it has been offered in five different generations all with different engines and creating entirely unique exhaust notes. Just which sounds better however?
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmUKiQQw6E0[/youtube]
Well the four most recent generations of M5 were recently lined up for a rev-off and all sound undeniably impressive. Starting with the original E34 M5, it is certainly the tamest of the group but its 3.5-litre inline-six cylinder is still menacing enough to wake the neighbours.
As for the E39, it is the loudest thanks to its free-flowing 4.9 litre V8 delivering 400 hp. This example appears to be installed with an aftermarket exhaust so it perhaps isn’t the fairest comparison. As for the E60 M5, it sounds completely unlike the others thanks to its naturally-aspirated V10 engine. It is due to this engine that it sounds almost like a true supercar!
Finally we have the current, F10 M5. As the only car in the group using forced induction in the form of a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, it only seems a little bit louder than the original. While it isn’t as loud as some of its predecessors, it is considerably faster than all of them!
