Punch Buggy Gelb!
The sound is a big problem for nearly every turbocharged inline four pot, Germans must know if because they play slightly less dreary sounds through the speakers to compensate. And have the engine make the exact same “brrp” noise at every single gearshift.
If you have to fiddle with stuff like this then I prefer the Italian approach of adjusting timing, spraying some extra fuel in the cylinders, and having some straight pipes connected to pressure activated flaps in the exhaust. You get pops, bangs and “brrp” noises but there’s always an element of surprise and sometimes the bangs are loud enough to scare the bejeezus out of unsuspecting bystanders; I can imagine some Italian engineers giggling like idiots while designing and testing that.
The image of a German committee of engineers obsessing over the one perfect “brrp” is much less exciting.

That’s what I’ve always thought of that road. It’s begging for a hillclimb.
I like the TT. Not sure I would ever own one, other than maybe a beat up one to beat up further as a rally car. Though, you hit the nail on the head. They really don’t fit neatly in any one class. They are sort of a class of their own. Maybe that’s why I like them.