The 5 cars you hear long before seeing them

To car enthusiasts, the sound that car engines make is heavenly, but to others, it is just an annoyance (especially late at night). Whether it is late at night, early in the morning, or in the afternoon as you are enjoying a tasty plate of chicken rice at the coffeeshop, there'll always be a car that you'll hear long before you even get to see it.

The first thought is likely to be, "wah, what car sia? Aeroplane meh? So noisy!" Well, the mystery has since been unraveled, the next time you hear such an obnoxious car, turn your head around and have a look, we bet it's one of these five.

1. Maserati GranTurismo

With a tagline of 'Rarely seen. Always heard', there's no questioning why the GranTurismo made it to this list. You might be thinking "supercar mah, confirm noisy one what", but hey, maybe they are just more common, but it seems like there are much louder Maseratis than Ferraris or McLarens roaming about.

Equipped with a powerful 4.7-litre V8 engine, it produces a strong, impressive soundtrack. Many would probably agree that these are some of the loudest cars on Singapore's roads. For some reason, it seems as though Maserati forgotten to install resonators and mufflers on the car as every one of these can be heard roughly three blocks away, even when travelling at a slow speed.
 
 
2. Mitsubishi Lancer GLX

With an annual depreciation of less than $5,000 when bought new, the Lancer GLX was an excellent economy sedan. Hence, it isn't surprising that these are some of the most common cars you can see here.

Blessed with the availability of an LTA-approved full-system exhaust that comes with large diameter piping throughout, it quickly became the favourite of budding car enthusiasts. Everyone will likely agree that these cars are quite the noisemaker. The fact that it only comes with 106bhp also means that you'll have to listen to that loud noise for quite a while…
 
 
3. Volkswagen Scirocco

This stylish pocket rocket comes with a forced induction engine and a quick-shifting DSG gearbox. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the reason for its popularity. As with all hot hatches, majority of its drivers are impressionable young enthusiasts.

Many of these are modified in fancy ways, which of course, includes exhaust modifications to enable the waste gases to flow freely, and much more loudly into the atmosphere. Oh, did we mention that these owners are impressionable? Likely influenced by Instagram and Facebook videos, many of these cars are also tuned with 'pop and crackle' maps, which make you wonder if Chinese New Year is just around the corner - no, it's just a Scirocco.
 
 
4. Honda Civic

"VTEC KICKED IN YOOOOOOO!" That's the first thing to come to mind when you mention Honda. VTEC, a technology developed by Honda, stands for Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control. What it does, simply put, is to allow the engine to switch over to a more performance-oriented cam profile, increasing power at high RPMs. This gives the VTEC-equipped cars an iconic changeover in sound profile (louder) as VTEC engages.

While they aren't really that much of a noisemaker right out of the factory, aftermarket intake and exhaust systems really bring out the sound that enthusiasts love and bystanders hate. If you hear a loud intake sound as a car zooms past your neighbourhood late at night, there's a high chance it's a Honda.
 
 
5. Vegetable lorries (from Malaysia)

This is quite the mystery. Wouldn't the driver be annoyed by the loud exhaust over the long distances he travels in this lorry to deliver fresh produce? One would assume that a quieter ride would make his job more enjoyable.

Likely due to lax enforcement and regulations, delivery lorries from Malaysia are often fitted with extremely loud, obnoxious exhausts. The fact that these are usually equipped with large, diesel engines, the soundtrack is understandably agricultural. These are so common here that "your car sounds like a Malaysia vegetable lorry" is a serious insult to car owners. But hey, it ain't our fault if you made your car sound like one right?
 
 
Here are some articles you might be interested in

These 5 car mods will attract LTA officers like bees to a honey pot

5 types of car aesthetic modifications you should do

We found 10 cool-looking Japanese car modifications right here in Singapore!

Want to increase the performance of your car so it doesn't only sound loud? Here are some car power enhancement specialists you can go to!