The best sounding engines you can buy today

It’s an often-overlooked fact of the performance car arms race that outright power isn’t really what makes an engine special.

Sure, making 700kW with internal combustion alone is impressive but, to really be something people adore, there needs to be an extra something – a sound to stir the soul.

Despite what the comment section will have you believe, there are still some great sounding engines that you can buy in Australia.

While yes, a decent chunk comes from the top end of town, we’ve included a few examples that prove you don’t always need mega bucks to get a great sounding engine in your garage.

So, in no particular order, we present the best sounding engines you can buy today in Australia.

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Toyota 2UR-GSE

• Engine capacity: 4696cc
• Induction: naturally aspirated
• Cylinders: 8
• Power: 351kW
• Torque: 540Nm
• Found in: Lexus RC F, Lexus LC 500

It wouldn’t be a ‘best sounding’ list without a Yamaha fettled engine, and the Toyota 2UR-GSE 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 is one of the brand’s best.

The entire team at MOTOR are enamoured with the charismatic 5.0-litre V8 fitted to the Lexus LC and RC F coupes.

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Free breathing bent-eight engines are few and far between nowadays, so it's a treat for the ears every time we are exposed to the Japanese unit.

The 2UR-GSE engine has been around for some time, first debuting in the Lexus IS-F in 2007, but it is in the current LC 500 that it reaches its zenith, with a chassis to compliment the engine's talents.

A 2UR-GSE on song is the sound that manufacturers of naturally aspirated V8s should strive to achieve.

Ferrari F140 GA

• Engine capacity: 6496cc
• Induction: naturally aspirated
• Cylinders: 12
• Power: 588kW
• Torque: 718Nm
• Found in: Ferrari 812 Superfast, Ferrari 812 GTS

This is the big daddy – 6.5-litres of naturally aspirated V12 goodness direct from Maranello.

The F140 engine family that features in the nose of the Ferrari 812 Superfast and GTS has been around since the early 21st century, but that doesn’t dampen its impact every time we hear it.

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Despite being the most powerful engine on this list, there is still more headroom left in the twelve-cylinder unit. Not yet available in Australia, the Ferrari 812 Competizione will be fitted with a 610kW/692Nm version of the F140. It may well be the last time we see a free-breathing V12 fitted to a Ferrari without the aid of turbocharging or electrification.

But even without all that grunt, the F140 GA is a hall of famer when it comes to the sound emitted from its exhaust. It’s the kind of scream that summons ghosts of F1 past, and is sure to send shivers down your spine.

Toyota 2GR-FE

• Engine capacity: 3456
• Induction: supercharged
• Cylinders: 6
• Power: 257-321kW
• Torque: 400-441Nm
• Found in: Lotus Exige, Lotus Evora, Lotus Emira

There’s something incredible that happens when you are driving a Lotus Exige or Evora. Press into the throttle, build revs toward redline, and just after 4500rpm a valve snaps open in the exhaust system, unleashing a sound that will haunt your dreams.

It is beyond that threshold that the supercharged 3.5-litre V6 that sits in the engine bay of Lotus’ sports cars is at its best, emitting the kind of sound that feels like it should be illegal.

And yet, it isn’t. It’s entirely addictive as well, encouraging you to always live in the upper echelons of the rev range.

Frankly, it’s incredible that what is essentially a Toyota Camry engine can sound this extreme with some small tweaks. Don’t underestimate the 2GR-FE.

While the Exige and Evora have reached the end of their lives, the 2GR-FE will live on in the interim with the Emira.

Volkswagen Group 5.2 V10 40v FSI

• Engine capacity: 5204cc
• Induction: naturally aspirated
• Cylinders: 10
• Power: 397-470kW
• Torque: 540-600Nm
• Found in: Lamborghini Huracan, Audi R8 V10

Pity the V10. It is neither as exotic as the V12, nor as accessible as the V8. Putting it in a difficult middle ground.

It’s also almost entirely extinct.

Thankfully though, Volkswagen Group has built one of, if not the, best V10 engines ever put into production. And you can buy it today.

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Shared between the Lamborghini Huracan and Audi R8 supercars, the Volkswagen Group’s 5.2-litre V10 is excellent.

Well suited to both the Italian and German executions, it sounds brilliant all the way through the rev range, harking back to the extreme V10 engines that once dominated Formula 1.

Enjoy it while you still can.

Volkswagen Group EA855 evo

• Engine capacity: 2480cc
• Induction: turbocharged
• Cylinders: 5
• Power: 294
• Torque: 480
• Found in: Audi TT RS, Audi RS3, Audi RS Q3

Inline five-cylinder are few and far between, and while a handful of manufacturers have put the layout into production, it remains largely synonymous with just one – Audi.

At the height of the WRC’s Group B era, those camping out in the Finnish woods would be able to pick the Audi from the rest of the field thanks to its distinct engine note.

Thankfully, Aussie motoring enthusiasts are able to recreate a small slice of that iconic noise with the EA855 evo engine.

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The 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder is fitted to just three models in Audi’s range, and while petrol particulate filters have dampened the acoustics slightly, the sound it emits is too charismatic to ignore.

The five-cylinder rumble is unique, and we are transported back to those rally cars of old every time we hear it.

There is something a little bit special when that distinct engine note is paired with the spattering of gravel being displaced by spinning tyres.

Jaguar AJ-V8 Gen III

• Engine capacity: 5000cc
• Induction: Supercharged
• Cylinders: 8
• Power: 386-423kW
• Torque: 625-700Nm
• Found in: Jaguar F-Type R, Jaguar F-Pace SVR, Range Rover Sport SVR

If volume is what your after, look no further than the third-generation AJ-V8 fitted to a handful of JLR products.

The sound it emits is loud, brash, and thrilling. Despite the huge supercharger that sits atop its cylinder banks, the industrial roar from the AJ-V8 is such that induction whine is a merely an afterthought.

Set to its most aggressive settings, the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 is one of the most anti-social engines currently on sale, but we can’t help but love it.

A special mention needs to be given to the AJ126 supercharged V6, which uses the same engine block as the V8, but with the rearmost cylinders blanked and the bore reduced. It too is an acoustic delight that will have you winding down your windows every time you head into a tunnel.

Porsche MA1.76/MDG.G

• Engine capacity: 3996
• Induction: naturally aspirated
• Cylinders: 6
• Power: 375kW
• Torque: 470Nm
• Found in: Porsche 911 GT3

Nine thousand. In the infinite spectrum of numerals it’s not actually that big a number, but in automotive terms, it’s the very pinnacle.

You can reach 9000rpm in a single road car in Australia, the Porsche 911 GT3, and it’s there, right at the very top of the rev range, that your ears will be closest to hearing literal angel song.

At full noise, the 4.0-litre naturally aspirated flat-six finds a way to burrow into your skull and rattle the contents.

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Part race car engine, part banshee, the MA1.76/MDG.G was always guaranteed a place on this list, having first appeared with the 991.2 generation 911.

An evolution of the engine used in the 991.2 GT3 and GT3 RS will appear on Australian roads shortly, placed behind the rear axle of the 992 GT3.

When things are this good, there is no need to mess with the formula.

Mercedes-AMG M177/178

• Engine capacity: 3982cc
• Induction: twin-turbocharged
• Cylinders: 8
• Power: 340-478kW
• Torque: 600-800Nm
• Found in: Mercedes-AMG C63, Mercedes-AMG E63, Mercedes-AMG GT, Mercedes-AMG GT 63 4-Door, Mercedes-AMG GLC 63, Mercedes-AMG GLE 63, Mercedes-AMG GLS 63, Mercedes-AMG G63, Aston Martin DB11 V8, Aston Martin DB11 Volante, Aston Martin Vantage, Aston Martin DBX

If there was a workhorse on this list, it’d be Mercedes-AMG’s M177/178 V8. Fitted to 11 different models, with additional variants on top of that, the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 has proven to be a malleable and dynamic engine.

There was plenty of consternation when AMG announced its 6.2-litre atmo V8 would be replaced by something with forced induction, but the engineers at Affalterbach were never to be doubted.

The smaller engine has a liquid burble to its note, retaining all of the character of its predecessor, and more.

A flat-plane crank version of the engine is currently arriving on Australian shores in the form of the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series.

Hyundai 2.0 Theta II T-GDi

• Engine capacity: 1998
• Induction: turbocharged
• Cylinders: 4
• Power: 206kW
• Torque: 392Nm
• Found in: Hyundai i30 N

You can get your preconceived judgement out now, because Hyundai’s 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder fitted to the i30 N is top notch.

We should be specific here. While there are a handful of SUVs that use the same engine within the Hyundai and Kia family, that is a lower compression version to that used by the high-performance N models.

What the 2.0-litre unit lacks for outright grunt, it more than makes up for with acoustic antics.

The sound produced by the i30 N as a result puts it at the top of the musical class for hot hatches. Upshifts, downshifts, on throttle, off throttle – it doesn’t matter, the Korean pocket rocket sounds fantastic for all of them.

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In concrete carparks the overrun is accentuated even further, to the point that anyone nearby would be forgiven for thinking a gunfight had broken out.

Hyundai’s four-pot encourages you to release your inner teenage hooligan, and for that it earns a spot on this list convincingly.

The i30 N will soon be joined by the Kona N, which will utilise the same powertrain. Four-cylinder fans, rejoice!

Ferrari F136 Y V8

• Engine capacity: 4691cc
• Induction: naturally aspirated
• Cylinders: 8
• Power: 338kW
• Torque: 520Nm
• Found in: Maserati GranTurismo, Maserati GranCabrio

Ferrari’s last naturally aspirated V8 was something special. Dubbed F136, it will forever be remembered as the centrepiece behind the F430 and 458 supercars.

However, while the team at Maranello have replaced the free-breathing V8 with the twin-turbo F154, a 4.7-litre version of F136 is used to this day by sister company Maserati.

When utilised by Ferrari, the F136 V8 uses a flat-plane crank, while the Maserati version is fitted with a more traditional cross-plane design.

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That change doesn’t prevent the Maserati from emitting a rich and colourful sound from its exhaust.

The sound is everything you wish for from an Italian V8. There’s cracks and burbles on overrun that feel natural instead of contrived, and the engine sounds operatic in its delivery under load.

The number of models available with the F136 continues to dwindle, with only the Maserati GranTurismo and GranCabrio available to Australian customers.

There may be more refined driving experiences on offer, but few of the Maserati’s rivals can match this pair for sound!