Recently read another article on exhaust tuning. This one however was more-so based on the opinion that having a car sound like a straight piped beater seems to be the norm coming from manufacturers now.
Another opinion was that the F-Type Jaguar doesn't sound like a $100,000 car and more so like something cheap because of the obnoxious tone and the raspiness and crackles and pops.
We've all heard the Focus RS and popping is definitely what it does best. I'm personally a fan of it to be completely honest, I enjoy being able to hear my car going through the gears, having a few pops going off for the attention, etc.
This is an actual interesting read and it all really comes down to personal preference. I think the loud and obnoxious noises belong to the cars in the higher end. They have intense powerhouses and deserve to have those demonic raspy tones.
I much prefer a quiet car, that way when I'm (ahem) "using the performance potential to the full" I don't attract any unwanted attention (especially that of the law enforcement type). I like to keep a low profile as much as possible.
I am with you, nice quiet car and that way the law is not drawn to the noise and do not take to much notice. The odd pop and bang in sport mode is quite enough on a sunny day.
I got popped by the 5-0 as soon as I came out of the shop sporting a new Greddy exhaust in my Civic. I asked why when it was a legally certified part. He said, because it's shiny. So he pops my hood and sees the Legal intake. He still sent me to court where the judge just threw out the case after paying a $10 admin fee but I had to take the day off.