It is before particulate filters were fitted to the GTIs which reduced the emissions. Some say made them sound less well. Yours, I think is in around that time. The exhaust tips on the pre OPF tend to get a bit sooty quickly. Someone more knowledgable than me can probably tell you by the date when the changes occurred. If it was a DSG you would know by the sound changing gear but I don’t know how manuals sound, I haven’t had a manual GTI, sadly.