Autoblog

strangway @ Jul 4th 2006 5:53AM

So what odd feature do the VW and Honda have in common? Besides manufacturing cars that both delight teenagers, and ultimately result in the revocation of their licenses.

According to Car and Driver, the Civic Si has "a tuned air intake that tunnels out of the engine compartment, into the fender area, and back to the intake manifold." It *amplifies* the sound of the intake.

The GTI also has a pipe that transmits intake sounds right up to the cabin. There is some debate as to whether the tube is connected to the turbocharger or not. And for some reason, Japanese GTI's lack this.

Nevertheless, we seem to have a trend here. Rumor has it, the BMW Z4 has such a system as well. For years, aftermarket shops have made a killing selling loud obnoxious exhausts. Now cars are being built with stock intake amplifiers to delight or annoy their drivers. From what I've read, some GTI owners are swapping their noise-transmitting pipe with an A3 pipe that doesn't, and vice-versa.

If I worked for a major car manufacturer, I'd rig a microphone in the engine bay (cheap lo-fi Radio Shack bit should do it), and link it up to the stereo. If you want to hear the engine, just flip a switch, and the speakers play an aria that only a ricer could love. If you've got a headache, activate the CD player, and it cuts out the engine sound, playing whatever wussy music it is that soothes the pain of your migraine. Aaaahhhh, Cliff Richard!

Just a thought.