So many new cars do such a good job insulating the cabin from engine and road noise, that the people who like to hear the engine have lost the opportunity to do so. As such, many companies have taken to including engine sound enhancement systems in their vehicles.
That being the case, Cadillac says it used “car guy instinct” to create a powerful yet pleasant exhaust note for the new 2014 CTS and twin-turbocharged CTS Vsport. Engineers of the CTS uniquely tuned the exhaust for each selectable driving mode, Tour, Sport and Track.
In touring mode, the car will purr with refinement, in Sport it will have a spirited growl and in Track mode, only available in the 420 horsepower Vsport, the CTS will roar even more aggressively. The engineering team strategically placed microphones around the cabin of the CTS, the microphones record the sound of the engine and pump the engine note through the cars Bose audio system. But to clarify, no artificial sounds are used. It’s still the exhaust note, just bypassing the silencing sound insulation.
To optimize the sound, engineers used psychoacoustics, the study of the psychological effects of sound, to determine which tones sound the most pleasant to human ears.
Cadillac says that engine sound communicates throttle response to the driver, so this enhanced audio system should allow for the driver to have a better feel for the engine.
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