# Iconic Audi Engines & Drivetrains | Otto Explains | AutoTronix **Section:** Otto Explains **Canonical:** https://autotronix.om/otto/audi-engines-drivetrains **Language:** English **Arabic version:** https://autotronix.om/ar/otto/audi-engines-drivetrains --- ## Short Answer Audi is best known for four things: its five-cylinder turbo engine, the TDI diesel, FSI and TFSI petrol direct injection, and quattro all-wheel drive. The five-cylinder was first built in 1976 and is still assembled by hand for the RS 3, the TDI arrived in 1989, FSI first raced at Le Mans in 2001, and permanent all-wheel drive came with the quattro of 1980. Around them Audi has used S tronic dual-clutch gearboxes, V8 and V10 engines in its RS and R8 models, mild and performance hybrids and, since the e-tron of 2018, electric drive, now with an 800-volt platform. --- ## What is Audi’s five-cylinder engine? An inline five-cylinder that Audi first used in 1976, in the second-generation Audi 100 (C2, internally Type 43). Derived from the EA 827 four-cylinder, it had 2,144 cc and 100 kW (136 PS), and its firing order of 1-2-4-5-3 gives it its signature sound. Audi’s first five-cylinder diesel followed in 1978, and in 1979 the Audi 200 5T brought the first turbocharged five-cylinder petrol engine, with 125 kW (170 PS). The turbocharged, intercooled version in the 1980 quattro produced 147 kW (200 PS), and the four-valve light-alloy engine of the 1983 Sport quattro had 225 kW (306 PS). --- ## Is the five-cylinder still built? Yes, after a break. With the A4 (B5) of 1994 the five-cylinder left the mid-size range in favour of V6 engines, and the last ones, the 2.5 TDI in the A6 and the 2.2-litre 20V turbo in the S6, were phased out in 1997. It returned in 2009 in the TT RS, now mounted transversely with turbocharging and direct injection, and 250 kW (340 PS). The current 2.5 TFSI, introduced in 2016 and known in the RS 3 as the EA855 Evo Sport, produces 294 kW (400 PS) and 500 Nm, weighs about 160 kg and is less than 50 cm long. It is assembled by hand in Győr in Hungary, works with a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox in the RS 3, and was named International Engine of the Year nine times in succession. --- ## What does TDI mean, and why does it matter to Audi? TDI stands for turbo diesel with direct injection. Audi presented the Audi 100 TDI at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1989 and describes it as the first diesel passenger car with direct fuel injection; its 2.5-litre five-cylinder produced 88 kW (120 PS). In 1997 Audi brought TDI to the A8, a technology not previously offered in the luxury class, and in 2006 the R10 TDI became the first diesel-powered car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with TDI winning there eight times in all. Current examples are the 2.0 TDI of the EA288 evo generation in the A5, with 150 kW, and the 3.0-litre V6 diesel of the 2026 Q7. --- ## What do FSI and TFSI mean? FSI is Audi’s petrol direct injection: instead of air and fuel mixing before they reach the cylinder, the fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber, at around 100 bar in the first racing engine. Audi introduced it at Le Mans in 2001 on the R8’s V8 twin-turbo, announced two FSI engine types for standard production the following year and put the consumption advantage on the road at up to 15 percent. TFSI combines turbocharging with direct petrol injection: in the A5 of 2024, for example, the 2.0 TFSI has a turbocharger with variable turbine geometry (VTG) and comes with 110 or 150 kW. Otto explains [how a turbocharger compares with a supercharger](https://autotronix.om/otto/turbocharger-vs-supercharger). --- ## Which V6, V8 and V10 engines stand out? Audi’s first large luxury model, the Audi V8 of 1988, had a 3.6-litre V8 with four valves per cylinder. The RS models then used a series of turbocharged engines: the RS 4 Avant of 1999 had a 2.7-litre biturbo V6 with 280 kW (380 hp), the RS 6 of 2002 a 450 hp V8 biturbo, its 2008 successor a V10 biturbo with 426 kW (580 hp), and the RS 6 of 2019 a 4.0-litre V8 biturbo with 441 kW (600 hp). The first R8 used a 4.2-litre V8 FSI with dry-sump lubrication and 420 PS, while its V10 version had the 5.2-litre naturally aspirated engine of the Lamborghini Gallardo. --- ## How does quattro all-wheel drive work? quattro sends the engine’s power to all four wheels, and Audi has changed how it does so several times. The original quattro of 1980 had permanent all-wheel drive with manually lockable differentials, including the centre differential, which balances speed and power between the front and rear axles. In 1986 the Audi 80 quattro brought the first self-locking Torsen centre differential; in 1999 a version with an electro-hydraulically controlled multi-plate clutch arrived for cars with transversely mounted engines; and in 2005 a centre differential split the power asymmetrically, 40 to 60 between front and rear. The R8 added a viscous coupling on the front axle in 2007, the sport differential on the rear axle followed in 2008, the efficiency-optimised quattro with ultra technology came in 2016, and the e-tron brought electric all-wheel drive in 2019. The 2026 Q7 has a limited-slip centre differential with preload. --- ## Which gearboxes does Audi use? Several types, depending on the car. Audi first used its S tronic dual-clutch gearbox in a production model in the first-generation TT, and today the RS 3’s five-cylinder works with a seven-speed S tronic; Otto explains [how a dual-clutch gearbox works](https://autotronix.om/otto/dsg-transmission-explained). The first R8 offered a manual gearbox with an open gate, the R tronic automated gearbox and, from 2012, S tronic, with its quattro drive sending at most 30 percent of the power to the front axle. The 2026 Q7 has an eight-speed tiptronic. --- ## Which earlier engines and layouts belong to Audi’s heritage? Audi’s predecessor companies tried several. DKW built two-stroke engines, and its F 1 of 1931 combined a transversely mounted two-cylinder two-stroke with front-wheel drive; the two-stroke stayed at Auto Union until the Volkswagen takeover. Auto Union’s Grand Prix car of 1934 had a supercharged V16 behind the driver. NSU, which merged with Auto Union in 1969, built the world’s first production car with a Wankel rotary engine in 1963, and its Ro 80 (1967–1977) used a two-disc rotary engine with 2 x 497 cm³ and 85 kW (115 PS). --- ## How is Audi electrifying its combustion engines? With mild hybrids and, more recently, performance hybrids. The A5 of 2024 introduced MHEV plus, a 48-volt system with a powertrain generator that allows partially electric driving, and the 2026 Q7 combines it with an electric-powered compressor and a generator that adds up to 18 kW. In 2026 the new RS 5 became the first RS model with a hybrid drive. Racing led the way: the R18 e-tron quattro gave Audi the first Le Mans win for a hybrid race car and won in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and the RS Q e-tron that won the 2024 Dakar Rally used a TFSI engine with a generator to recharge its battery. --- ## How do Audi’s electric models drive? Audi’s electric era began with the e-tron of 2018, which brought electric all-wheel drive to quattro in 2019; as the Q8 e-tron, its 50 and 55 versions had two electric motors with 250 and 300 kW, and the SQ8 e-tron had three. The Premium Platform Electric (PPE), developed with Porsche and in production since March 2024 with the Q6 e-tron, uses an 800-volt architecture. Never touch or work on the high-voltage system or its orange cables yourself: that is work for trained technicians. Otto compares the drive types in [hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric cars explained](https://autotronix.om/otto/hybrid-vs-plug-in-hybrid-vs-electric). --- ## What should Audi owners keep in mind? Check the figures for your own car, because Audi’s data change with the generation, the model and the market, and Audi Oman states that features and equipment can vary depending on the country where a car is sold. A five-cylinder turbo, a TDI, an S tronic dual-clutch gearbox and an 800-volt electric drive each have their own maintenance needs, set by Audi for the specific car, and a fault in any of them is found by diagnosis, not assumed from what a model is known for. AutoTronix Garage handles mechanical diagnosis of engines, gearboxes and drivetrains, AutoTronix Lab handles electronic diagnostics, and AutoTronix PERFORMANCE looks after performance vehicles such as Audi RS models. --- ## Common Questions **What is the Audi five-cylinder’s firing order?** 1-2-4-5-3. Audi says this firing order gives the engine its signature sound. **What does TFSI stand for?** Turbocharging and direct petrol injection, as in the 2.5 TFSI five-cylinder of the RS 3. **Was the Audi 100 TDI the first direct-injection diesel car?** Audi describes the Audi 100 TDI of 1989 as the first diesel passenger car with direct fuel injection. **What is quattro with ultra technology?** An efficiency-optimised version of quattro all-wheel drive that Audi added in 2016. --- ## Related Otto Explanations - Different Engine Designs Explained: Inline, V, Boxer and More: https://autotronix.om/otto/engine-designs-explained --- ## Related Services - AutoTronix Garage: https://autotronix.om/garage - AutoTronix Lab: https://autotronix.om/lab - AutoTronix PERFORMANCE: https://autotronix.om/performance --- ## Book a Service WhatsApp: +968 9966 8600 https://api.whatsapp.com/send/?phone=96899668600&type=phone_number&app_absent=0 Location: Mabellah Industrial, Street 7, Muscat — Saturday to Thursday, 9 AM to 9 PM