Sorry, but this is making an awful lot of assumptions about why people buy cars and is totaly unfair. I have a recent build standard Cooper (not S) with the new gearbox, and to be honest it is quite a bit noisier above 4k revs than the early 04 build (which I test drove). I'd really prefer that it was a bit quieter like the earlier Cooper, the new noise dominates at motorway speeds and is not quite as refined as the earlier type. If a car makes too much noise, I wouldn't but it. Does this mean I'm giving mini drivers a bad name too?
I've heard perfomance cars and even F1 doing their stuff at Silverstone, and I think the F1s were one of the worst, most irritating noises I've ever heard. After 10 minutes I was reaching for the complimentary ear plugs. And in the pit lane they sounded even worse, with the speed limiting misfire.
It's just a personal thing, I've never 'got off' on the sound of any engine ever. Give me trees rustling in a forest or waves on a beach anyday.
p.s. I'm not having a go at the Cooper S at all, I didn't test one when I bought mine. I'm still tempted to have a test sometime though
. But it's more about handling and fun for me,
not the image or the sound it makes.