I really think the sound generators should only be on the petrol cars. Diesels should just be about sensation I think. Surge. Leave the audio drama to the petrol engines.

 

I sure would love a M135i by the way!

Could it just be that a lot of the dramatic noises of the past are being diluted due to legislation (and fuel prices) forcing the ever more efficient design of engines and exhaust systems.

Any car manufacturer will know all to well that part of what attracts a person to a car (enthusiast or not) is how it sounds,  in order to give the owner that auditory caress sound generators are used.

 

I'm not really arsed about the sound generator myself, I'm generally too busy giving my own rendition of whatever song is playing at the time to listen to the engine note, fake or otherwise.

I'm not really arsed about the sound generator myself, I'm generally too busy giving my own rendition of whatever song is playing at the time to listen to the engine note, fake or otherwise.

 

Agreed.  I'll be looking for a way to turn it off when my car arrives.

Agreed.  I'll be looking for a way to turn it off when my car arrives.

I'll second that.

I really hope it has that little pop/fart on the up change like the golf

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I'm not really sure of it's point - I assume the sound is only broadcast inside the car?  In that case, isn't it a bit like my 7 year old son sitting next to me going "brrrrrrrrrrrrrmmm, brrrrm, brrrrrm, brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrm!!"?

I had the worst of expectations after reading alll the comments on here.

Honestly, and almost embaressed to admit, but I've had my new vRS Tdi for 2 weeks now, and I actually quite like it!

You can hardly hear it in eco & normal, and in sport it blends in totally fine with everything...love the car!

It sounds like a very corny idea, but on my TSI test drive I thought it adds a bit of excitement when you want it. The sound was pretty good and I wouldn't have really known it was artificial without this forum!

I took a petrol vrs for a test drive last week for a couple of hours,pressed the mode button,but didnt feel any difference in the car with any of the buttons,but wasnt really knowing what to expect,the salesman said you feel the steering get firmer on the elegance,maybe because the vrs is a firm ride to begin with,maybe mine will be different being a tdi?

What's artificial about the sound? It's my understanding it is a vibration sent through the windscreen and dashboard using a plenum, it's not as if it's playing the engine noise through the speakers etc. I like the note from sport mode in my Vrs tsi and I also really like the option to turn it off when the mrs and kids are in the car. All adds to the experience of driving...

Does it mean that you cannot drive in sport mode without sound generator? That wouldn't be nice as there is more behind the sport mode than just a different sound coming from the engine.

Also I would like to ask how is noisy the engine is inside the car when sport mode if off. Is it like driving a "standard" Octy?

What's artificial about the sound? It's my understanding it is a vibration sent through the windscreen and dashboard using a plenum, it's not as if it's playing the engine noise through the speakers etc. I like the note from sport mode in my Vrs tsi and I also really like the option to turn it off when the mrs and kids are in the car. All adds to the experience of driving...

 

It's artificial because the sound/vibrations aren't created by the engine. They're created instead by an over-sized vibrating "thingy" just like you get in mobile phones and other "consumer products"... I'd call that artificial.

To me really artificial is in case of electric cars where indeed the sound is fully artificially generated. 

A lot of Golf GTI owners unplug them, it's just under windscreen wiper linkage in the centre.

I think it sounds alright, just a louder throaty noise, not a diesel tractor sound at all, it's not a different sound either, it's the same sound as the car produces in Eco or normal mode just louder

I couldn't notice any difference on the TDI I test drove. Both on & off sounded very diesel like, albeit with more whistle from the turbo. Same goes for the TSI which sounds okay, but not as sporty as the Focus ST growl or anywhere near the gorgeous melodies a Subaru boxer engine makes.

 

I guess the sound generator is there because the engine note sounds pretty flat otherwise.

Edited 14 October, 201312 yr by Orville

I test drove a vRS TSI DSG estate yesterday and I thought the sound generator was a complete waste of time as the noise produced was not in any way pleasurable or sporting. I can understand why GTi owners have been disconnecting them.

 

Given the location of the unit, I wonder if that was the cause of what I perceived to be quite a bit of wind noise coming from the centre of the windscreen even with the car in normal mode? If it was, I'd have to say that that might have put me off another vRS.

 

I drove the vRS straight after driving a Leon FR 184 diesel and I have to say the Leon was a pleasant surprise. It's streets ahead of the old Leon (which was cheap and pretty ghastly inside and had no suspension to speak of) with a well judged ride (on the optional 18" wheels), much improved interior and a bargain price.

 

Although the vRS seats are an improvement, I didn't feel that the mk3 was significantly better than my mk2. Obviously the standard kit is better and you now get m/f steering wheel on the manual gearbox, etc., but I was left a little underwhelmed. There's still too much noise from the rear of the car and now a completely unnecessary noise being generated at the front. If the money spent on the noise generator at the front had been spent on noise insulation at the back, it would be a better car imho.

 

Up until this point I'd been pretty keen on an A3 Sportback (184 Sport) but the Leon has made me have a rethink. It's nearly £7K cheaper (as per my spec for each car), has cheaper finance and a shorter delivery. Or I might just keep mine a little while longer - damn these car decisions!!

The generator can be unplugged very easily with no errors from the ecu. Just like on the GTI. Don't let that put you off the entire car. Not that there's anything necessarily wrong with the Seat or Audi.

The generator can be unplugged very easily with no errors from the ecu. Just like on the GTI. Don't let that put you off the entire car. Not that there's anything necessarily wrong with the Seat or Audi.

Any pictures on how to do this would be very helpful

Thanks

I test drove a vRS TSI DSG estate yesterday and I thought the sound generator was a complete waste of time as the noise produced was not in any way pleasurable or sporting. I can understand why GTi owners have been disconnecting them.

 

Given the location of the unit, I wonder if that was the cause of what I perceived to be quite a bit of wind noise coming from the centre of the windscreen even with the car in normal mode? If it was, I'd have to say that that might have put me off another vRS.

 

I drove the vRS straight after driving a Leon FR 184 diesel and I have to say the Leon was a pleasant surprise. It's streets ahead of the old Leon (which was cheap and pretty ghastly inside and had no suspension to speak of) with a well judged ride (on the optional 18" wheels), much improved interior and a bargain price.

 

Although the vRS seats are an improvement, I didn't feel that the mk3 was significantly better than my mk2. Obviously the standard kit is better and you now get m/f steering wheel on the manual gearbox, etc., but I was left a little underwhelmed. There's still too much noise from the rear of the car and now a completely unnecessary noise being generated at the front. If the money spent on the noise generator at the front had been spent on noise insulation at the back, it would be a better car imho.

 

Up until this point I'd been pretty keen on an A3 Sportback (184 Sport) but the Leon has made me have a rethink. It's nearly £7K cheaper (as per my spec for each car), has cheaper finance and a shorter delivery. Or I might just keep mine a little while longer - damn these car decisions!!

 

I would echo those comments on the Leon - a colleague took delivery of a Leon FR 184 , and that too has a sound actuator. Although when I took it out I couldn't really tell whether it was on or not!

 

When you compare how far both the Leon and Octavia have come since they previous marks, it is clear that the Leon has made the biggest advancement.

When you compare how far both the Leon and Octavia have come since they previous marks, it is clear that the Leon has made the biggest advancement.

That's true, but partly because the Leon was so far behind.

 

I like the new vRS, but agree with some of the previous threads that it hasn't advanced as much as expected. 

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

But you ended up getting one

When I collected my VRS even my wife commented on the weird noise the car was making on the 4 mile journey home, so as soon as we got back I looked up the "how to" on here and promptly disconnected it!

That's true, but partly because the Leon was so far behind.

I like the new vRS, but agree with some of the previous threads that it hasn't advanced as much as expected.

Exactly. If Seat didn't step it up with the new Leon it was going to be au revoir Seat!

My dealer turned mine down to "30%" for all modes after it developed a rattle when within Sport. I was tempted to have them disconnect it altogether, but it sounds much better now that I can barely here it. The stock sound of the VRS/GTI (TSI)  engines is pretty dull compared high-revving VTEC's or Subaru Boxer engines of similar size/cylinders. The sound generator attempts to correct this (from the inside) but IMO fails.