The five-cylinder engine is uncommon relative to the ubiquitous four-cylinder, six-cylinder, or eight-cylinder variants. As an odd-number engine, it certainly is in a class of just three such engines. This exclusive club includes the single-cylinder, the three-cylinder, and, of course, the five-cylinder. No seven-cylinder or nine-cylinder inline engines were commercially released since they don’t make engineering sense thanks to the uneven firing order, imbalance, and packaging.
That didn’t stop the five-cylinder from becoming a successful engine and also an automotive hero – particularly in the enthusiast world, where its sound, heritage in racing, and association with fast Audis have made it an icon. Let’s take a quick look at this odd engine – with an odd cylinder count.
How A Five-Cylinder Audi Gave Sports Cars A Run For Their Money In The ’80s
This inline-five-powered Audi coupe was a real pain for some of the fastest sports cars in the 1980s, here is how it shook the sports car segment.
The Rise Of The Five-Cylinder Engine In Audi And Beyond
Audi wasn’t the first manufacturer to experiment with five-cylinder engines, and Mercedes-Benz had already produced a 3.0-liter inline-five diesel by 1974. The first gasoline-powered five-pot appeared in the Audi 100 in 1977. Audi had discussed using a six-cylinder engine in some applications, but it was ruled out thanks to the installation space required and unfavorable weight distribution, so the five-cylinder was born, with 136 horsepower.
Later, a turbocharged version was produced in 1979, with power now up to 170 horses and 195 pound-feet of torque. It was around this time that the 1980 Audi Quattro was released – an all-wheel drive, turbocharged coupe based on the B2 coupe version of the Audi 80. The 2.1-liter engine made 197 horsepower and 210 pound-feet.
How The Audi Quattro Helped Cement The I5’s Reputation
The following versions of the Audi Quattro nameplate were released:
- 1980-1991 Audi Quattro – this model was a standalone variant with a turbocharged engine and all-wheel drive as standard
- 1980-1988 Audi Coupe Quattro – based on the Audi coupe with the option of all-wheel drive but without the turbocharged engine
- 1984-1986 Audi Sport Quattro – the valuable homologation special that was required for Audi’s entry into Group B with its Audi Quattro S1 rally car – it was shortened and featured many upgrades, including to the inline-five powertrain
It was the Audi Sport Quattro that really pushed performance further, and the homologation car made up to 302 horsepower, down from the 450+ horsepower rating for the competition cars. Audi’s racing models began with the Quattro A1 and A2, followed by the Group B-homologated Sport Quattro S1 and S1 E2. Overall, the racing Quattro was highly competitive thanks to its all-wheel drive setup and overall design, earning a slew of victories in a range of competitions. These included a range of WRC victories from 1981-1985, as well as victory at the 1985 Pike’s Peak Hill Climb.
Iconic Audi Models That Featured The Five-Cylinder Engine
Audi fitted the S2 model, produced from 1991-1995, with the inline-five engine. The iconic RS 2 Avant also utilized an inline-five setup, also turbocharged. Other notable models to use this engine design were the RS3, which began production in 2011, as well as the Audi TT RS, first revealed in 2009.
What Was Audi’s VR5 Engine And How Was It Different?
Another variant produced exclusively by Audi was the V5. It was technically called the VR5, following the Volkswagen tradition of applying this name to ‘V’ engine designs where the bank angle is very small so that the cylinder heads can share a common camshaft setup, which is better for packaging and uses few parts.
The VR5 was a great choice for fitting in the smaller engine bays of models like the Golf or Passat in a transverse mounting, but the design necessitates a balance shaft to provide smoother operation and reduce the unequal opposing forces, since one bank featured one less cylinder than the other. It produced around 150–170 horsepower for the Golf.
The Last Surviving Car With A Five-Cylinder Engine In 2024
With a boisterous in-line five and Quattro AWD, Audi’s smallest sedan proves to the world that big things come in small packages
How The Five-Cylinder Engine Offers Something Unique
An inline-four engine was usually used to compromise between a four-cylinder and a six-cylinder. When a more powerful engine was needed but the dimensions and weight needed to be kept low, the five-cylinder worked well, thanks to its shorter block relative to an inline-six, as well as the fact that it weighed less. The payoff was the increased power over a four-cylinder, but this wasn’t all.
The five-cylinder is also more refined thanks to the inherent balance of the engine. When cylinders fire, the movement must be balanced by the movement of other cylinders to counteract the force to reduce vibration and wear. Six-cylinder engines are even smoother than five-cylinder engines, but the longer block, larger size, and additional weight led to the design of the inline-five.
Smoother Operation Than Inline-Fours
- Inline-fives are inherently smoother than inline-fours because of better primary balance. A four-cylinder has uneven firing impulses.
- A five-cylinder has overlapping power strokes, leading to refined operation since.
More Power And Torque Than A Four-Cylinder Engine
- There is more potential for producing power from the addition of an extra cylinder while keeping the overall engine block length smaller than a six-cylinder.
Compact Dimensions For Tight Engine Bays
- Thanks to its relatively short block compared to larger six-cylinder engines, the five-cylinder can be fitted transversely when packing is tight or to fit transverse-style drivetrains, such as front-wheel drive or some all-wheel drive applications.
Distinctive Sound Loved By Enthusiasts
- Enthusiasts often cite the sound and charisma of the five-cylinder, which is a burbly or raspy sound distinct from many four-cylinder engines.
10 Most Important Cars With Five-Cylinder Engines
While most performance cars run an even number of cylinders, there are some icons throughout history that went against the grain
Modern Cars Still Using The Five-Cylinder Engine Today
|
Engine |
Power |
Torque |
Drivetrain |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2.5-liter, turbocharged I5 |
401 hp |
369 lb-ft |
Front-engine, all-wheel drive |
2025 Audi RS3 Basic Specs
Today, the five-cylinder is all but gone, since other manufacturers that used this engine format have switched to alternative designs. Brands who have previously used the five-cylinder engine include Volvo, Honda, Fiat, and General Motors for their Vortec line – another common five-pot engine was the 3.2-liter Ford diesel called the Duratorq, as well as the Land Rover TD5. Today, it remains in one model now that the Audi TT RS has been discontinued, fittingly, in another Audi model – the Audi RS3.
This model is the last chance to buy a new car that offers the characteristic warble of a five-cylinder engine. The 2025 Audi RS3 is potent and fast, with 400 horsepower and the ability to hit 60 mph in 3.6 seconds.It’s accompanied by Audi’s signature Quattro all-wheel-drive systemand will likely be the last time this engine is used, with the 2025 RS3 confirmed by Audi as the last model to use this engine. It is the end of the line for this design and, thanks to the trend for downsizing, the need for five cylinders is unlikely in the future.
Below are the average values at the time of writing for the 80 Audi Quattro models. As we can see, the Audi Coupe Quattro is worth far less than the core turbocharged Quattro cars, but these are both dwarfed in comparison with the average price of a Sport Quattro. Like other engine types such as the V10 or V12, the I5 has seen a good run but is now ducking out of the industry as it undergoes a renaissance. Thanks to the changing times, its smaller sibling, the inline-three, is becoming the standard odd-numbered engine on the block.
Audi Quattro Auction Values And Market Trends
|
Model |
Average Auction Value |
|---|---|
|
Audi Coupe Quattro (80-88) |
$13,000 |
|
Audi Quattro base model (80-91) |
$54,000 |
|
Audi Sport Quattro (84-86) |
$712,000 |