Mustang GT Coupe
- Make
- Ford
- Segment
- Coupe
We love cars for more than just how they look and how fast they go. One of the core elements of our emotional attachment to them is the way they sound. Whether it's the gleam of sheet metal shining in the sun or the smell of warm leather baking in the heat on a summer's day, driving is a multisensory experience - and sound is just as important as the look and feel. Some of the best cars of all time earned their place in automotive history thanks to their spine-tingling engine note. If you're keen to drive the best-sounding car possible, read on for a few top picks that will sound like music to your ears, and let us know your favorites, too.
1. Ford Mustang GT
The 2024 Ford Mustang GT comes with the new version of the 5.0-liter Coyote V8, paired with a six-speed manual transmission or a ten-speed automatic. The accompanying soundtrack is a joy to hear, and the optional Active Valve Performance Exhaust turns up the enjoyment factor to 11, especially if you have made the wise choice to buy the convertible version and make the most of the intoxicating V8 noise. But it's not just about keeping your ears happy; the active exhaust also provides a small boost in power, bumping the Mustang GT up from 480 horsepower to 486. Cross-plane V8s aren't often considered the most musical, but we love the Coyote.
2. Audi R8 GT
The R8 GT is Audi's final goodbye to the era of V10 supercars, and as goodbyes go, it's a pretty amazing one. The GT takes the emotion and adrenaline factors to new heights, with exhaust sounds as shiver-inducing as you would expect from a car powered by a 5.2-liter, naturally aspirated V10. And for US drivers, that gorgeous soundtrack is even louder than in Europe, thanks to emissions regulations (or lack thereof) uncorking the engine's full potential. Producing 602 hp, the R8 GT is the most powerful RWD Audi ever made, and it certainly sounds like it. When we drove it around a track at the global launch, the noise reminded us why we love the V10 so much. It's simply incomparable.
3. Chevrolet Corvette Z06
The Corvette Z06's advanced exhaust technology (and its 650-hp, 5.5-liter V8 engine, the largest flat-plane crankshaft V8 on the market) result in a soundtrack that is quite unlike any other. With four exhaust modes (Weather, Tour, Sport, and Track) and two sets of valves controlling the exhaust note, the Z06 allows its driver to control the car's sound with incredible precision. And it's not just passers-by who get to hear it: the car is designed to reflect the sound coming from the exhaust back into the co*ckpit, so you can enjoy every bit of it sounding like a classic Ferrari at full song.
4. Lexus LC500
The Lexus LC500 has been carefully engineered to provide the perfect balance of peace and enjoyment, with a quiet cabin that insulates the driver from road noise and a spine-tingling soundtrack, courtesy of the 5.0-liter, 471-hp, naturally-aspirated V8 engine, which has been acoustically tuned by the masters at Yamaha. The exhaust noise is a main feature rather than an afterthought on the LC500, with Lexus engineers designing a system that enhances the car's soundtrack without resorting to synthetic additions. An "Inspiration Series" version of the LC500 is also available for those who want a road car that looks (and sounds) like a race car.
5. Gordon Murray Automotive T.50
The next car on the list is, well, not like the others. A modern-day incarnation of the legendary McLaren F1, the T.50 is Gordon Murray Automotive's first supercar, making its appearance in the automotive world in a very exclusive, limited run (only 100 examples were manufactured, with a $3 million price tag). The auditory experience of driving a T.50 is nothing short of unbelievable, with a system GMA has dubbed the "Direct Path Induction Sound" funneling the howl produced by the naturally aspirated V12 directly into the cabin. The V12 in question is a masterpiece, a 656-hp, 3.9-liter Cosworth-engineered specimen with one of the highest rev ceilings of any roadgoing car.
6. Jaguar F-Type
Jaguar is preparing to say goodbye to internal combustion as its electrification plans become a reality: the legendary carmaker is planning to become an all-electric brand in 2025. But how does an automaker known for some of the most sonorous engines, including a remarkable supercharged V6, say goodbye?
Well, it doesn't do anything with said V6, but instead, its bigger brother, the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 found in the F-Type sports car, and it immortalizes the V8's soundtrack in the British Library for decades to come. The F-type's supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine produces up to 567 hp in the high-performance F-Type R, numbers that belie its ability to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.
7. Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
With its Ferrari-derived engine, the Giulia Quadrifoglio produces one of the best-sounding V6 engine notes in the automotive world. The twin-turbo V6 produces 505 hp at its peak, singing and shrieking its way along the road through a quad-pipe exhaust system that we'd wager is a match for the character of any true blue Ferrari model.
And in post-2019 Giulias, the full might of the engine soundtrack can be admired in all its glory in all driving modes, not just Race mode as, after strong demand from prospective buyers, Alfa announced new Giulias would be able to switch on the dual-mode exhaust even in Dynamic mode.
8. Chevrolet Camaro
It may have officially been declared out of production this month, but the Chevrolet Camaro is still one of our favorite muscle cars, thanks in no small part to its455-hp 6.2-liter LT1 V8, paired with a six-speed manual transmission or ten-speed automatic. If engine note is high on your list of priorities, the V8 is the one to go for: with a deep rumble that makes the Camaro exactly like an all-American, V8-powered muscle car should sound like, it's the best way to say goodbye to an iconic nameplate.
And you can turn it up even further with the Camaro ZL1, which adds a supercharger and bumps outputs to 650 hp and as may lb-ft of torque.
9. Dodge Challenger/Charger
2023 has brought the era of the ICE Challenger and Charger to a close, with a series of "Last Call" models produced before Dodge officially launches its electrification program. In a very on-brand move for muscle car stablemates defined by brutal, straight-line power, both the Challenger and the Charger are going out with a bang rather than a whimper: the Last Call editions get increasingly bonkers, each one of them providing an appropriately ear-splitting soundtrack, all the way up to the barely-road-legal 1025-hp Challenger SRT Demon 170.
The Hemi V8 is unique in a world of cookie-cutter engine configurations, with a unique rumble and deep, throaty bellow that instantly captures the imagination. It may lack the finesse of European V8s, but it's unashamedly American, and for that, we love it, in all its incarnations.
10. Audi RS3
It's not just V8s, 10s, and 12s that make up this list, but a rather unique configuration that only Audi still builds: the inline-five. In the RS3, it's a 2.5-liter five-pot with a turbocharger strapped on, but the tubo doesn't diminish the noise it makes, and the RS3 sings with such vigor that one could easily mistake it for the V10 in the R8 above if you weren't listening carefully.
Power is rated at 402 hp, and torque at 369 lb-ft, all routed to quattro all-wheel drive through a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic with a rear diff that enables a drift mode. 0-60 mph takes 3.6 seconds and the RS3 is limited to 155 mph at its top end.
11. Porsche 911 GT3
This list would not be complete without the 911 GT3's 4.0-liter flat-six, with its majestic high-revving wail really opening up from the 5,000 rpm mark and onwards, reaching a crescendo at a screaming 9,000 rpm. The 911 GT3 comes with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic or a six-speed manual, both of which are sublime partners to the GT3's flat-six. And if you're after something more track-oriented, the GT3 RS comes with a bit more power (518 hp, compared to the standard GT3's 502 hp) and additional aero elements to keep it firmly on the black stuff.
12. Aston Martin Vantage
The Vantage's 4.0-liter, AMG-sourced twin-turbo V8 produces a deep, satisfying rumble that's sure to turn heads, if the car's stunning looks hadn't accomplished that already. Not much is known about the upcoming revamped Vantage which is set to arrive in a matter of months, but early signs are promising, with chief creative officer Mark Reichmann promising the new car will be a "complete hooligan" characterized by a sportier look and F1-inspired styling cues.
Meanwhile, the final edition of the V12 Vantage was released last year with its own distinct - albeit slightly subdued for a V12 due to the presence of the turbochargers - engine note.
Regardless of which engine you pick, the Vantage makes a wonderful noise.
