Ford just unveiled a "good neighbor mode" which allows drivers to temporarily quieten the roar of the new Mustang GT's engine.
The motor company claims that the quiet exhaust setting will limit the volume of the 2018 Mustang GT's 5.0-liter V8 engine to "about the level of a household dishwasher."
In a press release Tuesday, Ford said the idea came after police were called by the neighbor of its former head of vehicle engineering as he pulled out of his suburban Detroit driveway.
Steve von Foerster didn't get a ticket but did pursue the problem.
"I love the sound of the V8, but it can be loud, and you can't annoy people like that in your neighborhood," said von Foerster, who now heads Ford's user experience team.
"It sounds so cool, but I thought, 'There has to be a way to give people more control over the engine's sound'," he added.
The result was a "quiet start mode" and a "quiet exhaust mode" both of which Ford said can be pre-programmed to occur at different times of the day.
According to a recent poll by digital media firm Ranker.com, loud engine revving ranks among the most annoying noises neighbors make. Mowing the lawn early in the morning was voted the biggest annoyance.
Matt Flis, Ford exhaust development engineer, said when sounds get to about 70 decibels that is typically the level that starts to bother people.
"With quiet start activated, the decibel level of the new Mustang GT drops by about 10 decibels, to a much more comfortable 72 decibels – about the level of a household dishwasher," he added.
In the release, Ford said the new Mustang GT reaches 60 mph (miles per hour) in under 4 seconds, marking it as the fastest version of the car ever built.