I know the new VRS comes with a switchable sound generator. Does anyone have an experience of this? I really like the 'blip' you hear from the outside of the Golf GTI when one drives past and I also wondered if the petrol VRS sounds the same, being the same engine. I watched the Goodwood video of the VRS and was a little disappointed at the sound it seemed to produce.

I don't really know what sort of a sound anyone would expect from a pretty agricultural 4 cylinder engine..... it doesn't even rev particularly highly like a sophisticated engine does - any Honda VTEC for example....

I don't really know what sort of a sound anyone would expect from a pretty agricultural 4 cylinder engine..... it doesn't even rev particularly highly like a sophisticated engine does - any Honda VTEC for example....

But that's not what he asked is it? I got the impression he was asking about what the 'fake' engine noise sounded like.

But that's not what he asked is it? I got the impression he was asking about what the 'fake' engine noise sounded like.

From my experience "fake" engine noise sounds just that - "fake". You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear as the old saying goes.

Edited 19 July, 201312 yr by Timoctav

I was running a 3.5 V6 last year until it started to cost me too much money! I'm not expecting that kind of sound, but I just wondered if anyone has had any experience with the sound generator on a test drive. I think I'm right in thinking that the Leon and Octavia both have one but not the Golf. 4 cylinder engines can sound pretty good (I'm thinking an Alfa Romeo kind of rasp here!)

The Golf GTD has it, the GTI doesn't. I assume from this that the equivalent is true for the vRS (diesel does, petrol doesn't). Reviewers have said that it sounds petrol-ish and comes off completely weird on a diesel car.

I don't really know what sort of a sound anyone would expect from a pretty agricultural 4 cylinder engine..... it doesn't even rev particularly highly like a sophisticated engine does - any Honda VTEC for example....

Theres no need for engines to be reving past 8000rpm, then to use the power you have to be past 6000rpm in every gear. then at a staedy 70mph the revs will be about 3500rpm, so if thats what you get when you have a "sophisticated" engine, think i will stick with the tractor units in the skoda.

I don't really know what sort of a sound anyone would expect from a pretty agricultural 4 cylinder engine..... it doesn't even rev particularly highly like a sophisticated engine does - any Honda VTEC for example....

 

Vtec's have to rev.  It's the only way for non turbo engines to make more power.

With forced induction, screaming becomes pointless.

Vtec's have to rev. It's the only way for non turbo engines to make more power.

With forced induction, screaming becomes pointless.

Totally agree, - I used to own a Honda S2000 - didn't keep it very long as you had to rev the nuts off it to make it feel special, at normal speeds it drove and sounded like a quick Civic - for me a sports car needs to feel special all the time.

But we digress - we are talking about sound here and the VTEC at least had the ability to sound wonderful - above 6500 rpm where it still had 2000 rpm to go to the red line!

VW's agricultural iron block engines just don't sound particularly pleasant, not to my ears anyway. By nature of having a turbocharger the engine sound tends to be muffled anyway - from almost all manufacturers - But referring back to the point you made, lower revving turbo engines at least have more torque lower down the range which is more important for bigger heavier cars such as the Golf / Octavia.

Edited 20 July, 201312 yr by Timoctav

So are we concluding that the petrol VRS doesn't have a sound generator? How does the sound of the petrol VRS compare with the Golf GTI (same engine), does anyone know?

I'm guessing (!) the vRS will be slightly more muted since it's more family oriented. If people that went to Goodwood said that the car was nearly silent from the outside, you can imagine it is even more so on the inside. Let's hope that at least the DSG crackle on up-shifts is still there. Too bad there were no GTIs at Goodwood (that I know of) so that people could have a direct comparison. Were there any GTIs at Goodwood?

One simple question from Matted and not a single useful, factual response!  

 

So let me speak from experience, I test drove a petrol vRS demonstrator a few weeks ago at Progress Skoda in Bedford (I was the first person to drive it, straight after it had been PDI'd, before even the sales staff or the techs) and the sound generator is definitely there to be heard, it becomes much more apparent in sport mode.  I also test drove the diesel vRS before I placed my order last week.  On this occasion, the sound wasn't as apparent to me, although I didn't drive the diesel quite as hard as I had SWMBO on board.  Instead, the main sound I could hear was "Slow down, you're driving too fast" and "concentrate on the road, stop fiddling with those buttons!"

 

The sound generator does sound artificial and will divide opinion, however as a point of fact the sound depends on the driving mode, the speed of the car, the level of acceleration and I believe the trajectory of the car.  In the petrol car it sounded like a close match to the engine note, on the diesel car, less so.  

 

IMHO, I found it quite hard to discern during my test drive of the diesel.  I think that harder driving would produce a more pronounced response from the sound generator.

 

That is all, carry on!

One simple question from Matted and not a single useful, factual response!  

 

So let me speak from experience, I test drove a petrol vRS demonstrator a few weeks ago at Progress Skoda in Bedford (I was the first person to drive it, straight after it had been PDI'd, before even the sales staff or the techs) and the sound generator is definitely there to be heard, it becomes much more apparent in sport mode.  I also test drove the diesel vRS before I placed my order last week.  On this occasion, the sound wasn't as apparent to me, although I didn't drive the diesel quite as hard as I had SWMBO on board.  Instead, the main sound I could hear was "Slow down, you're driving too fast" and "concentrate on the road, stop fiddling with those buttons!"

 

The sound generator does sound artificial and will divide opinion, however as a point of fact the sound depends on the driving mode, the speed of the car, the level of acceleration and I believe the trajectory of the car.  In the petrol car it sounded like a close match to the engine note, on the diesel car, less so.  

 

IMHO, I found it quite hard to discern during my test drive of the diesel.  I think that harder driving would produce a more pronounced response from the sound generator.

 

That is all, carry on!

 

Nice one Damian, was thinking exactly the same thing reading this thread!!

 

What does SWMBO stand for by the way (assuming its the better half!)

Edited 5 August, 201312 yr by paulm_in_bfg

I believe SWMBO stands for She Who Must Be Obeyed (I am one of those haha)

Fair one!!! 

Thanks for a decent response, Damian! Did you notice the 'blip' like the GTI DSG has? Out of interest, what did you end up ordering?

Am I right in thinking this sound generator can be switched off?

Sounds a bit of a Con to me, Why build a car and then sell it for £20K +  and then have to have a sound generator to make it sound nice.

 

It's a bit like making a honda 50 sound like Rossi's Yamaha.

 

 

It's a bit like the Fake exhaust  tips

 

 

Not for me, sorry

Apparently it can't be completely turned off, but the sound level can be modified from the Driving Mode selection. With it in Eco mode is almost off and loudest in Sport, as you'd imagine.

if its the same system as the golf gtd which I drove yesterday then it sounds ok to me

What is the world coming to? Fake engine noise and fake exhausts..... On a 'hot' performance model? Oh dear.

Can't imagine this would give you much in the way of bragging rights down the pub lol "yeah mate, just picked up my new vRS.... What a beast! It's a 4-cyl diesel auto with great big obviously fake exhausts and plays fake engine noise in the cabin". Not cool, not cool at all!

Can't see the likes of Ferrari or Aston ever adopting the sound generator hehe.

Funnily enough, I think the first sound generators were developed by Lotus in the late eighties, early nineties. I believe that BMW use them in their M3 and M5 models.

My TDI vRS is due to arrive later this week. Sorry for the slow response to the questions! I've not had any notifications from the forum, maybe I need to check a few settings!

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I think the key thing with a sound generator is what its purpose is.....is it there to massage an already pleasant noise or hide an undesirable one.

Anyone whose been in/driven/heard an M135i being driven in anger will appreciate when these things work for the better....im not sold on trying to make a 4 cylinder diesel engine sound more like a petrol though...however ive not been in a vRS diesel yet so cant comment.

I think that the sound insulation in the new Octavia does a lot to mask the engine noise in both the petrol and the diesel vRS.

The sound generator is just a legacy part from VW/Audi that is intended to give a sense of sportiness to the drive. As to whether it does that effectively, I'll know better by the end of the week. Interestingly, many on the VW or Audi forums are disconnecting the "Soundaktor" from their cars. I wonder if I'll feel compelled to do the same in a few months?

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i quite like my soundaktor.  Although that does sound like a wardrobe from Ikea or something...