I concur with many on here... the thought of piping in engine noise is fodder for laughs; I think it's ridiculous and stupid. But it wouldn't stop me from driving the car, and enjoying it!
One has to remember that we are the minority; we are the 1 percenters who know our car's owner's manual front to back, and my wife says I look at other peoples' cars the way I look at other peoples' wimmen
The average BMW owner is not an enthusiast. I see them every day with their dust-packed wheels and untinted windows. It's just a car. They see 'active sound' on the window sticker and say to themselves, "Well, at least I know the stereo'll sound good!" and then when they feed the pedal they hear the 'engine' and like the car.
So for me, it's like Comfort Access or Memory Seats - I just don't care.