Not VW but makes you wonder about marketing in general

[Sunny43.5]

We all thought Volvo owners were weird well I just read one that makes them look normal . Apparently the latest release of the last Commodores have a plastic pipe from the engine bay into the passengers compartment , this brings the noise of the cold air intake into the cabin so the people can enjoy the sound it makes on acceleration . Please give me a break the driver has one hand on the wheel and the other on his manhood while driving , I knew it I just knew it all HSV owners ARE WANKERS . Please don't tell me VW people would contemplate this .

[MattyT]

Some VW models have a speaker in the cabin that produces a synthesized engine note when you revv it.

[donweather]

Some VW models have a speaker in the cabin that produces a synthesized engine note when you revv it.

Soundaktor

[Hillbilly]

I seem to get a loud screaming noise in mine when I drive forcefully.

Doesnt do it when wife stays home.

[tinto]

Hold on, don't get too high on that horse
VW has been doing this for a while. In the US the MK5 GTI Golfs had a "noise pipe" that was a popular delete mod.
The soundaktor is worth looking up too.

It is an (understandable) response to new cars being so well sound damped that you feel completely detached from the mechanical noises you're used to hearing... so you end up thinking it is gutless. The psychology of it is fascinating, and definitely a powerful marketing tool.

But after driving a MK2 Golf for a while, I'll gladly take a bit of silence. Sweet, silky silence.

[woofy]

The Focus RS/ST? Had it to, I think its probably still better than the weird V8 sounding Soundaktor that my RS has. I just turn it off.

[theresanothersteve]

Lots of cars do it, including some of the 500K supercars...

[Bryn23]

The mustang has this feature as well

[Sunny43.5]

Some car drivers must be shallow , me I have never been a freak needing an injection of engine noise for my manhood . Almost every vehicle I have ever owned has been almost immediately gutted on purchase as the sound proofing in some cars is pretty weak , The 5 VW Transporters we have owned over the last 17 years are pathetically soundproofed . When you pay $40K plus for any vehicle it should at least have some measure of soundproofing done , these van are so LOUD that conversation is done at high volume as you are competing with engine noise and road noise . The last thing I want is for excessive noises coming from the vehicle to ruin a driving experience , each of our vans we have owned and the two current ones could almost pass for a luxury $100000 car on NVH as I have done the utmost to block the noises . When you get in our vans you can hold a civil conversation and be insulated from the engine and road noises . Lets face it we don't need engine noise to be synthesised into the cabin its for wankers surely , personally I would and do like to hear clear and crisp music from our stereos rather then the racket from an air intake . Anyway as most VW;s these days are diesel why would you want to hear the injector rattles ? petrol powered ones maybe , but unless its a V8 then no point .

[tinto]

haha, I guess we all have different goals when it comes to cars and their intended use.
Not sure I'd go so far as to call them shallow wankers though.

Removing as much road noise makes perfect sense for a Transporter.
Anyone who has been on a long road trip in a noisy car knows how exhausting it is.

But for a more performance oriented model it makes sense to put a bit of that noise back into the cabin.
It is part of the overall experience and character for that sort of vehicle.

By doing it artificially a manufacturer can tune it to only sending in the "good" sounds - much like you are with a stereo system and sound dampening.

So the manufacturer is masking the fuel pump whine, injector clicks and road noise (bad sounds), but making the engine sound grunty.
And you're masking the fuel pump whine, injector clicks and road noise (bad sounds), but cranking up the stereo or having a civil conversation.

It is essentially the same destination - both somewhat artificial experiences, but both perfect for the intended audience.