Bang & Olufsen is a Danish premium audio brand with a home hi-fi pedigree going back to 1925, and it's one of the more recognisable names car manufacturers put on a factory speaker badge. In the automotive world, B&O-branded systems sit toward the top of the range, usually reserved for higher trims and used as a genuine selling point rather than a base-model afterthought. Since 2015, Bang & Olufsen's automotive audio has been engineered in partnership with Harman International — a common arrangement in this industry, where one engineering group handles the acoustic tuning for several OEM brands across different manufacturers.
Cars with a factory Bang & Olufsen sound system
Bang & Olufsen turns up across a genuinely wide spread of vehicles, from dual-cab utes to European luxury cars:
- Ford Ranger (Next-Gen) — Wildtrak and Platinum trims come standard with a 10-speaker factory B&O Premium Audio system.
- Ford Everest — the Platinum trim steps up to a 12-speaker B&O system.
- Aston Martin — B&O is a long-standing audio partner across the current model range.
- Mercedes-Benz — has featured B&O systems in various S-Class and E-Class models over the years.
- Audi — earlier A3/S3 generations ran a factory B&O system (current A3/S3s have since moved to Sonos).
- BMW — has fitted B&O audio in select models historically.
- Genesis — B&O systems feature in models like the GV60, GV80 and G90.
Ford in particular has leaned into the badge, describing itself as the exclusive provider of Bang & Olufsen in-car audio in select models locally. If you're not sure whether your own car has the factory B&O system or a different OEM setup, it's usually listed on the build sticker or spec sheet, or visible on the infotainment screen's audio settings.
Strengths of the factory Bang & Olufsen system
- A genuine step up over base audio — more speakers, a dedicated subwoofer in most applications, and noticeably better clarity than the entry-level stereo in the same vehicle.
- Strong brand pedigree — B&O's decades of home audio design experience generally carries through to a well-balanced, detailed sound signature at moderate volumes.
- Considered speaker placement — factory-fit systems benefit from being designed alongside the vehicle itself, so speaker locations and cabin treatment are usually well thought out from the factory.
Where the factory system falls short
These are typical limitations of OEM audio systems generally — including branded ones — rather than a knock on Bang & Olufsen's engineering specifically:
- Amplifier headroom — the factory amp is built to a cost and space budget, which caps how loud the system can go before it starts to compress or distort.
- Bass output — subwoofer output is often conservative, particularly in utes and SUVs, to avoid rattles and vibration through trim and body panels rather than to chase maximum output.
- One tune for a whole model range — the same broad EQ and crossover settings are applied across every example of a given trim, rather than optimised for your specific cabin, seating position and listening habits.
- Real-world feedback is mixed — owner reviews of factory B&O systems (the Ranger's included) range from genuinely impressed to underwhelmed, largely depending on expectations set by the badge.
Upgrading a Bang & Olufsen-equipped car
Our approach isn't to rip out what B&O built — it's to give it more clean power. Every Integrated Audio package is built around a genuine plug-and-play HELIX or MATCH DSP amplifier that wires straight into the factory harness, with no cutting and no soldering. The factory speakers (or an upgraded set, in higher stages) get significantly more headroom from the upgrade.
Because the install is plug-and-play, 100% of your factory functionality stays exactly as it was: steering wheel audio controls, DAB, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, the factory microphone, and the Bang & Olufsen branding and functionality on your infotainment screen. Nothing is lost, and the whole install is reversible if you ever want to return to standard.
Integrated Audio already has a live, ready-to-order upgrade package for the Bang & Olufsen-equipped Ford Ranger — see our Ford Ranger B&O upgrade packages. Drive something else with a factory Bang & Olufsen system — Everest, Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW or Genesis — and don't see it listed yet? Request your vehicle upgrade and we'll let you know what's possible for your car. Or browse everything currently available across all the models and OEM systems we support.