Audi' s Five-Cylinder Engine Boasts A Legendary Heritage CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News Audi' s Five-Cylinder Engine Boasts A Legendary Heritage

Audi' s Five-Cylinder Engine Boasts A Legendary Heritage

Jun. 19, 2022 2:03 PM ET by Jared Rosenholtz Engine / Comments Born from winning race cars. Name a new car with a five-cylinder engine. If you live in the United States, there's only one: the 2022 Audi RS3. The other two sold in Europe, the Audi RS Q3 and Cupra Formentor VZ5, have the same 2.5-liter turbocharged mill. Not only does this engine boast a unique configuration, but it also comes from legendary origins. Audi created the original five-cylinder engine in the 1970s after being tasked with creating more power than a four-cylinder while retaining minimal size and maximum efficiency. The 2.1-liter engine debuted in the 1976 Audi 100 boasting 136 horsepower, and the legend grew from there. Most car enthusiasts know Audi's five-pot from its 1980s race cars, specifically Group B Rallying. From 1982 to 1986 World Rally Championship cars were allowed unlimited boost with no weight restrictions, meaning the Audi Sport quattro could deliver a whopping 450 hp from its five-cylinder turbo unit. The Sport quattro went on to win four WRC titles. Audi Audi Audi Audi After dominating WRC, Audi went on to win the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in 1987 with a 598 hp Sport quattro S1 (E2) driven by Walter Rohr. Towards the end of the '80s, Audi then dominated North American sports car racing in the IMSA GTO and SCCA Trans Am series. The Audi 200 quattro Trans-Am produced 510 hp from a tiny 2.1-liter five-cylinder while the Audi 90 quattro IMSA GTO obliterated that figure with a staggering 720 hp. These cars were so successful in these series, Audi took home eight wins out of 13 events. The series later banned quattro all-wheel-drive because it was seen as an unfair advantage. "My mind races thinking about the countless victories and successes Audi has had with the legendary five-cylinder engine," says racing driver Hans Stuck. "The combination of the five-cylinder paired with quattro was not only unique, but it was unstoppable." Audi Audi Audi Audi In 1994, the Porsche-developed Audi RS2 debuted with a 2.2-liter five-cylinder producing 315 hp, an unheard of number for a wagon. Audi's next five-cylinder RS car didn't appear until 2012 with the TT RS, developing 360 hp. Though the TT RS will be discontinued in the US after 2022, the model will live on in other markets. That engine has been improved since then, now pushing out 401 hp in the 2022 RS3, the highest output of any production five-cylinder Audi model. Audi Audi Audi Audi

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Audi RS3 Jared Rosenholtz Editor-at-Large After graduating with an MBA, Jared pursued his love of cars by becoming an automotive journalist. An internship with CarBuzz grew into his current position as Editor At Large. Jared now spends most of his time evaluating new vehicles and chasing the latest news stories in the automotive industry. When he’s not attending Cars & Coffee events on the weekend, Jared loves to watch NFL football and cruise around with the top down in his German convertible. Contact Jared @Carsnbites @jar_rosenholtz LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top