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Here's How the BMW i8 Sounds Like With the ASD System Turned Off

I still remember the day I’ve first seen the i8 in the flesh, admiring the outlandish design and swing-up doors. The attention this car generates has also fascinated me, but the sound left me with, well, mixed feelings.
I Disabled Active Sound On My BMW i8 And The Sound Of The Stock Exhaust Might Surprise You 11 photos
Photo: Janky Whips on YouTube
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From the moment BMW took the veils off the i8, everyone knew that three cylinders and a turbocharger can’t possibly match the aural qualities of a straight-six engine, a free-breathing V8, or the fabulous V12 from the old 850i. The Bavarian manufacturer knew it too, and this gets us to the ASD.

Active Sound Design is the BMW way of virtualizing induction and exhaust sounds into the cabin and outside of the plug-in hybrid sports car. Indeed, the ASD is responsible for the imposing howl of the i8 under acceleration.

Mike Kopstain, better known as Janky Whips on YouTube, is much obliged to present us the mid-engine PHEV without any virtualization whatsoever. Our protagonist coded out the interior active sound and completely removed the exterior speaker of the i8, leaving the three-pot blunderbuss all on its own.

From the driver’s seat, what you can hear on the freeway at a steady speed is nothing more than wind and tire noises. Mash your foot on the throttle, and you'll be surprised how meaty the B38 sounds without any aural assistance.

The teeny-weeny engine with 1.5 liters of displacement makes itself heard as the revs climb, and it’s not as raspy as one may think it would be. The MINI One and BMW 118i are equipped with lesser versions of this powerplant, and obviously enough, the induction and exhaust sounds are pretty disappointing when compared to the i8.

It would be an exaggeration to expect supercar-like noises from this powerplant, but as opposed to other three-pots like the 1.5 in the Ford Fiesta ST, the plug-in hybrid sports car doesn't disappoint.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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