Exhaust Note Battle – Porsche’s 718 Cayman S Takes On Audi’s TT RS
Based solely on sound, which of these German sports coupes would you rather?
It is not entirely fair to pass judgment on a car solely based on its exhaust note. We have had an opportunity to get behind the wheel of Porsche's mid-engine turbocharged flat-four 718 Cayman S, but Audi's TT RS we'll still have to wait until later this year to get our hands on one stateside. When we do get the opportunity to drive Audi's mega sport compact, you can bet that its sights will be expertly trained on Stuttgart's answer to the sports car problem. Both of these German coupes have small displacement engines with a turbocharger aiding the power, both seat two, and both are similarly sized and priced. The Audi, however, adds all-wheel drive, a fifth cylinder, and an extra 50 horsepower. Until we get the chance to pit these two cars against each other, we'll have to settle for a superficial comparison like this exhaust battle from Motorsport Magazine on YouTube.
The test itself has a major scientific flaw, in that it is not noted whether either car is making use of a "sport exhaust" option. The Cayman certainly is equipped with such, but it's difficult to tell if it has been turned on. It seems as if the Audi is depicted with a couple revs of a sport exhaust on and a couple revs of the standard "quiet" mode, but that isn't expressly clear. In either case, which of these two cars sounds preferable to your finely tuned enthusiast ears?
