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Old Versus New Exhaust Battle: BMW E85 Z4 M vs BMW E89 sDrive35i Z4

 It’s been said so many times that the new turbocharged BMWs sound bad that it’s simply unbearable. Everyone seems to be an aficionado these days and everyone knows exactly where and what the company did wrong along the way. Honestly, I'm getting pretty sick of these know-it-alls.
BMW E89 vs E85 z4 1 photo
Photo: edited by autoevolution
 
Even when presented with undisputable evidence, fanboys will never admit they are wrong and when it comes to exhaust sound it gets even worse. That’s why I decided to show you a little video that is a perfect comparison between old and new exhausts.
What we have here are two Z4s. One of them was properly tuned by the M division while one wasn’t but both have inline 6-cylinder engines under the bonnet.
 
First up is the older car, a BMW E85 Z4 M model that comes as standard with a 3.2-liter naturally aspirated inline 6 also known as S54. Sounds familiar (pun intended)? Well, that’s because it’s the same engine that was used on the E46 M3, the Holy Grail of most fanboys. 
 
That mill used to make 343 HP and 365 Nm (269 lb-ft) of torque back in the day and it really is a pleasure to drive. With it, the Z4 M could do 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5 seconds flat.
 
On the other hand, we have a modern Z4, an E89 sDrive35i model. This one uses the more common N55 plant that makes 306 HP and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque. When hooked up to an automatic 8-speed transmission it will reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.1 seconds which is extremely fast considering it’s just 0.1 seconds behind a true, older M car.
 
Now, the two in the video have stock exhausts and will tell you all you need to know about how the sound changed over the years. You just let us know which one is more to your liking in the comments section below.
 
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