Over the years, the BMW M3 had a variety of special editions. From the Evolution variants of the E30 to the E36 GTR, E46 CSL and down to the E92 GTS, the list will continue in the future with more special M models. At the moment, this legacy is continued by the BMW M4 GTS, a car that received stellar reviews and it’s probably the most desired BMW today.

However, when people compare M3 models they tend to do it from all points of view. Therefore, the new M4 GTS was bound to be compared to the E92 M3 GTS, especially since they wear the same acronym on the boot. There are notable differences between them though, and they span over a wide range of factors. We’re going to focus today on the exhaust and engine sound.

The BMW M4 GTS uses an upgraded version of the 3-liter inline 6-cylinde twin-turbo S55 engine fitted on the normal M4. The most important upgrade given to the engine was the water-injection system which allows engineers to get 500 PS out of the mill instead of the stock 431 PS, while also decreasing knock. That won’t affect the sound of the car though, the GTS still sounds like it has an inline-6 motor under the hood. The one upgrade that increases acoustics is the titanium exhaust.

The E92 M3 GTS on the other hand has a bored and stroked version of the S65 4-liter V8 engine under the hood, taken up to a displacement of 4.4-liters and making 450 PS instead of the stock 420 PS. Like the M4, it’s also using a titanium exhaust and has been stripped of anything that isn’t needed on the track, like the back seats for example. Therefore, what we have here is a comparison between the sound of a V8 and an inline-6 mill, which isn’t exactly a fair trial.

However, you’ll be surprised of how well the M4 performed. Check it out!