Audi is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the creation of its five-cylinder engine. It’s an unusual configuration, to be sure, the majority of combustion engines produced by the industry featuring an even number of cylinders - four, six, eight and so on.
But on occasion, and usually compelled by specific engineering challenges, some carmakers have developed less “traditional” powertrains featuring an odd number of cylinders. Audi was one of them, developing a 5-cylinder engine. In 2026, the manufacturer will be marking the 50th anniversary of its introduction.
Audi's first 5-cylinder engine in 1976
The German luxury brand first introduced a five-cylinder engine in the Audi 100 in 1976.
Engineers originally worked on a 6-cylinder unit, but space constraints and problems to do with distribution of mass meant an alternative had to be found. The displacement of the 1976 Audi 100’s 5-cylinder mill was 2,144 cc, and it developed 134 hp.
In 1978, Audi debuted a first diesel-powered iteration of the 5-cylinder engine. Displacement was 2,000 cc, and power amounted to 68 hp.
The following year came a first version of the 5-cylinder with turbocharging, under the hood of the Audi 200 5T. That engine produced a power of 168 hp.
The atypical Audi powertrain achieved some success in subsequent years, notably in rallying and under the hood of the TT. It is renowned for its unique sound in addition to its firing order, which follows the sequence 1-2-4-5-3.
In 2025, what remains of the 5-cylinder engine?
50 years later, the 5-cylinder engine is still alive and current at Audi. Indeed, it resides under the hood of the sporty sedan that is the RS 3. The model’s 2.5L engine generates an impressive output of 395 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and with the Quattro all-wheel-drive system in action as well.