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2019 Audi A7 50 TDI Gets Cool Backfire Thanks to Active Exhaust Sound

The fact that the new Audi A7 doesn't have visible exhaust tips disappointed more than a few people. Engineers probably shaved a couple of grams off their emissions charts by streamlining the back end.
2019 Audi A7 TDI Gets Cool Backfire Thanks to Active Exhaust Sound 1 photo
Photo: YouTube screenshot
If you buy a limo-sized luxury German car with a diesel engine and plenty of soundproofing, the exhaust is probably not on your list of priorities. Still, there are always ways to improve any Audi.

We first caught wind of active sound systems when we saw it fitted to the office's A6 allroad quattro with the 313 horsepower engine. Before we knew it, everybody was playing with the tech, and BMW even sold these "exhaust speakers" through the M Performance catalog so you could fit them to your 320d. The system is also the reason why the SQ7 sounds the way it does.

Of course, not all TDI engines get this configuration. But just because Audi didn't deem your model special enough doesn't mean it can't be retrofitted. Here's a video from a German company called Cete Automotive GmbH.

It's a new package which is even better than what Audi sells. They've programmed it to have a cool backfire/misfire sound as a gasoline engine would. It can also be turned on or off using the drive mode selector.

A system like this probably costs around €3,000, but the A7 is worth it. The 50 TDI is the most powerful diesel you can buy with 286 HP. Prices start at €66,300, but nobody can resist Audi's fancy new and very expensive options.

Within a few months, the S7 Sportback is going to come out and it should sound just fine, thanks to the 2.9-liter twin-turbo from the RS4. But some people want to see the world burn; some people want to burn diesel. And to be honest, averaging 5.5 l/100km in a car will do 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds doesn't sound too bad.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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