If you’re like every other car enthusiast, chances are you love hearing your engine note. Unfortunately, we’re of the rare few that finds pleasure in hearing the rumble of our motors emit from our tailpipes – the burbles, crackles and pops upsetting neighbours faster than a yappy dog. Thankfully, Ford just announced a solution which debuts on its 2018 Mustang GT. The Quiet Exhaust mode, appropriately codenamed “Good Neighbour Mode”, uses an active valve to control the amount of noise that comes out the rear of the car.

Cold starts are a thing of beauty, but your neighbours probably despise your mouthy V8 at 6a.m. in the morning. With Quiet Exhaust mode, drivers can program quiet start-up times in advance to limit the engine sound at those early, or late, hours of the day. The ability to program “quiet times” is the first of its kind, with more traditional valved-exhaust systems allowing only an “on or off” function.

This mode will fall alongside the other sound options available with the active valve performance exhaust system and can be activated in a similar way. Activation comes via steering wheel mounted controls that allow drivers to toggle through a menu and select their desired mode, with further ability to set “quiet times”.

It’s great to see Ford doing its part to keep the peace. This feature will be one of the many new technologies available on properly equipped Mustang GT’s.