Own an E90 3 Series Diesel? This Active Exhaust System Will Fix the Sound

Although the trick suspension is missing and the automatic gearbox has only six speeds instead of the eight you now get, the engines are also quite decent. The 2-liter turbodiesels in the 318i and 320d offer an acceptable blend of fuel economy and autobahn overtaking punch.

Of course, the F30 also has a drive mode selector to change how the throttle, the steering or the brakes respond. But that doesn't mean anything if you have horrible tractor noises coming out the back.

There's pretty much nothing you can do. Or is there? We found a German company called InsidePerformance that sells a remarkably sweet sounding exhaust for the E90 diesel models. When you listen to it on video, it's almost like hearing an entirely different engine, and that's because it's not the engine doing the "speaking."

The active exhaust system is sort of like a speaker connected right before the final muffler spills fumes into the atmosphere. When turned on, it produces a growl as satisfying as a V8. So what if it's fake? Show me a car with fake exhaust and I'll show you a hundred girls with push-up bras.

The SQ5 is kind of famous for having this type of exhaust, but many other vehicles use it too, including the BMW i8, which isn't a diesel. BMW has one that you can order from the M Performance catalog for just about every 18d or 20d, including the 2 Series Coupe.

But the one sold by this tuner is a lot cheaper at just €1,350. You can buy it for the E90 sedan, the E91 wagon, the E60 5 Series and even the current F12/F13 6 Series. I know something like a 2010 3 Series costs about €10,000 second-hand, so an expensive tuning part still makes sense. But why would you ever do this to an E39 version of the 5er? Probably because you love "her."