Volkswagen of America did something slightly unorthodox back in 2005. Finding its way under the hood of more than a few VW vehicles was a naturally aspirated 2.5 liter straight five cylinder which has now become the base engine in the Passat, Jetta, Golf and Beetle. Hardly ever utilized in the automotive world, straight fives have always been a rare bird but VW/Audi have had a somewhat colorful past with ‘five-bangers’. Despite the lineage, the engine’s final chapter is fast approaching as the company has announced its much more conventional replacement: a turbocharged inline four cylinder.
According to Car & Driver Magazine, a new 1.8 liter turbo is being developed to take over base engine duty in every vehicle that currently uses the straight five. The new block is a destroked version of the 2.0 liter turbo EA888 four cylinder that serves as a workhorse in the GTI, GLI and Tiguan. In Europe, the 1.8 is already working, making 158 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque. The U.S. version should produce similar numbers, which are lower than the straight five’s 170 horsepower. Power, apparently, isn’t the sole motivation for the swap: fuel economy is. Official numbers haven’t been released as of yet, but the 1.8 will surely get close to 40 mpg on the highway rather than the five’s EPA average of 33 mpg. And since the new turbo is closely related to the current 2.0 liter, VW will save in manufacturing costs compared to the separate and one-of-a kind 2.5 liter.
Source: Car & Driver
