This Engine Powered Some Of Audi’s Best Cars For Over Two Decades
There aren’t many automakers that have carved themselves as much of a distinctive path as Audi has. This legendary brand has been around in some form or another for decades now, and been the source of many fantastic cars. The cars themselves, though, don’t tell the full story about why Audi has been a world-leading automaker for some time. To really understand how great Audi’s become, you have to look under the hood. Specifically, you have to look at one engine in particular. It’s in a layout you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a traditional German automaker, it stuck around for over 20 years, and it was a key part of some of the brand’s best cars.
Audi Has Produced Some Absolutely Brilliant Engines Over The Years
One thing Audi‘s become known for over the decades is building amazing engines. Whatever layout they end up being, Audi’s engineers seem to have a real knack for producing internal combustion brilliance. That’s especially been shown in the inline-5 engines it’s produced, some of which have found their way into non-Audi vehicles as well. It’s also proven to be adept at creating forced induction engines of all types, whether they use turbocharging or supercharging. Audi’s coolest engine legacy of all, though, has to be for a type that isn’t typically associated with the major automakers of Europe.
Audi Is (Surprisingly) Known For Building Great V8s
You wouldn’t expect a German automaker like Audi to be great at building V8s. But that’s something it’s become known for over the years. Its V8 heritage stretches all the way back to 1988, when the Audi V8 (not to be confused with the later A8) was launched. This little-known executive car initially had a 3.6-liter V8, producing 247 horsepower and 251 lb-ft of torque. From that point on, Audi gained more and more experience at making great V8s, and put a serious amount of investment into putting them into cars across its model range. You can even still find V8s in some form or another in Audi’s model lineup today.
While that 3.6-liter V8 served the Audi V8 well for its initial couple of years of production, Audi felt like it could do better. So, its engineers knuckled down, and came up with a new version of that engine. What they came up with not only significantly improved on the original engine, but was also so good that Audi kept it going for almost two and a half decades.
Audi’s Naturally-Aspirated 4.2-Liter V8 Is One Of The German Brand’s Best Engines Ever
The 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 first appeared under the hood of the aforementioned Audi V8 in August 1991. It shares a lot of components with that older 3.6-liter engine, as well as its 90-degree V angle and four valves per cylinder. Thanks to its bigger size, it’s significantly more powerful. The first version of the 4.2-liter engine was rated at 276 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, an increase of 29 horsepower and 44 lb-ft of torque. That doesn’t sound impressive by today’s standards, but it absolutely was back in the early ’90s.
It Powered Some Of Audi’s Greatest-Ever Performance Cars
While the 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 made its debut in an unassuming executive sedan, it wasn’t too long before it found its way into some cars that have become enthusiast favorites. The first iteration of the Audi S4 got the same version that was put into the original Audi V8 sedan, and it was rated as having the same output. It then returned for the B6 and B7 generations, two iterations that were beloved immediately and have only become more loved in the years since. It also powered the B7 RS4 and the R8, Audi’s first supercar. While the screaming 5.2-liter V10 was definitely the more prestigious engine, the V8 had its own character that some enthusiasts actually ended up preferring.
It Evolved A Lot Over Its 24-Year Run
With an engine design that stuck around for as long as this one, you’d expect it to have gone through a lot of evolution. That’s exactly what happened, and with each evolution it kept on getting better. It gained 5 valves per cylinder and drive-by-wire with fully digital engine management in 1999, making it smoother and pushing the output to over 300 horsepower for the first time. By the mid-2000s, it got Audi’s FSI direct injection system. While this meant that the valve count dropped back down to four valves per cylinder, the engine still ended up being even more powerful and efficient. This allowed the engine to produce anywhere from 350 to 450 horsepower, with those higher figures coming in the aforementioned R8 supercar and the 2010–2015 RS5, the final Audi to use this engine.
Audi Still Produces V8s To This Day, But They’re Not The Same
As emissions regulations have gotten tighter and the inevitable march of electrification has gotten closer, a lot of automakers have started to ditch V8s entirely. Audi is one of the ones that refuses to. Several of its top performance cars still feature a V8. The forthcoming Nuvolari will also bring the V8 back to a supercar with the Audi badge. But these V8s aren’t anything like the old naturally aspirated 4.2-liter unit. They tend to be turbocharged, and in several examples (including in the Nuvolari) they’re the ICE part of a hybrid system. Along with that, models like the S4 that used to feature the V8 now use smaller twin-turbocharged V6s instead.
For many gearheads, and especially those who love old-school naturally aspirated V8s, that’s a real gut punch. Many love the character of the 4.2-liter V8. Understandably, they’d be unhappy with Audi replacing it with twin-turbocharged V6s in some models, and giving others new turbocharged V8s. But the fact that any V8s remain in Audi’s performance cars at all is a sign that it still cares about that layout. Even as cars become more electrified, we can be assured that at least parts of the old 4.2-liter V8’s character won’t be going away any time soon.
Sources: Audi
Related posts
Latest Post
No Comments