Electric vehicles have proven that they can be incredibly capable performance machines, but they all miss the signature sound of, well, basically any ICE performance car. Borla, the world-famous exhaust manufacturer, wants to bring that experience to the EV market so it’s designed a product called the “Active Performance Sound system” or APSS for short. It’s getting very mixed reviews and we want to know your thoughts on it.
To put it simply, the APSS pipes fake exhaust sound out of external speakers mounted at the back of an electric vehicle. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find that Borla goes to the trouble of mapping the sounds to driver input including throttle position, RPM, brake engagement, and more. The speakers themselves are 6×9 drivers boosted by a 300-watt amplifier.
The Borla EV exhaust system appears to offer a fairly convincing simulation of an engine sound, especially considering there’s no actual engine present. Users of the system, such as Nemshick_s on Macheforum, have started sharing videos showcasing their experiences with the Borla system, as reported by The Drive.
Video Macheforum
“The interesting thing is the car feels different,” Nemshick_s wrote on a forum post. “Maybe it kinda reminds me of my Saleen Mustang I used to own. At the moment it comes with 4 sound selections. Ford Mustang 5.0L GT, Ford Mustang GT500, Chevrolet C8 and Dodge SRT 392. I have attached all 4 sound selections. After the new year, Borla will release an App which will allow you to change the selected sounds. I have been getting varying responses from my friend. Some get it some don’t. I like it because the low speed sound tends to get ignored by pedestrians. They can ignore may car now…” he added.
Borla has collaborated with some of the folks from Hoonigan, and in one video featuring the Ford Mustang Mach-E, it showcases what the technology sounds like as the vehicle passes by bystanders.
What really is the point of this feature though? It appears that those who prefer it simply want others to hear them because if this was only about using sound to bolster driver performance that could be accomplished with interior speakers. In addition, it creates needless noise pollution and almost draws attention to the idea that one might be compensating.
Read: Milltek’s C8 Corvette Exhaust Unleashes Intoxicating V8 Growl
@collectorcarnetwork Botla Exhaust on a Mach E sound #ford #mustang #mache #evsound #sema #carvideos #borla #ev ♬ original sound – Collector Car Network
It’s important to note that it’s not just Borla with this sort of approach. Dodge is looking to add some sort of exhaust sound to its upcoming electric Charger. Many brands like BMW, Toyota, and Subaru already pipe fake exhaust sound into the cabin. Mercedes-Benz is even using external speakers, just like Borla, to “enhance” the sound of its new four-cylinder AMG C63. Of course, in all of those cases aside from the Charger, there are real engines at work under the hood.
All of that said, how do you feel about EVs that use external speakers to make noise that people outside of the car will hear? Does it matter that these speakers transmit some sort of audible information to the driver or that they create vibrations that mimic the rumble of a combustion engine? Should the whole thing be axed altogether? Let us know your thoughts below.