[norMcal]

A lot of the debate around the M2 Competition is about the sound of the S55, or lack thereof. So I ask myself, is it really that important? Of course we all love a great soundtrack from our cars, no doubt about it. If I had it my way I would have a GT3, or a V10 Lambo, or a Maserati in my stable, and the sound alone would be worth the price of admission. But here are a couple of observations I've made regarding engine sound.

My DD (VW GTI) and my track toy/recreational vehicle (e46 M3) vary greatly in sound. And admittedly the sound of the e46 M3 with euro headers and modified muffler adds a lot to the driving pleasure, as far as it "feeling" faster, but in reality it isn't one bit faster because of the sound. So yes, it does add a certain value to the senses. However, does that mean I don't appreciate the performance, torque, dynamics of the GTI? No, absolutely not. Even though it sounds like an ordinary car, I don't find myself wishing it sounded different. It makes up for it with that turbo torque and ultimately the performance is what makes this car what it is.

My second observation is from a friend of mine's last two cars. He was leasing a Maserati the last few years, which is arguably one of the most glorious sounding cars on the market. However, he wanted a sportier car again and decided on a 991 GTS. He struggled with that decision for a long time. The sound was high on his list of criteria, yet he ended up going for the 991.2 turbo GTS, and not the 991.1 N/A GTS. Why? Because ultimately the performance was what mattered. And 3 months later he has no regrets and that is from a person who had a fabulous sounding car and did not want to give that up.

I've driven both his cars, and had the pleasure of even driving the GTS on track recently. The way I see it, once you have a car that performs like this, you forget about the sound, or lack thereof. Yes, it would be an added bonus to have both, but performance > sound.

So I don't buy the arguments that one would take a regular M2 over an M2C because of the sound is bogus IMHO. Ultimate I will chose the better performing car, as long as I can still hear the engine and it's not an electric vehicle.