With such a large arsenal of turbocharged gasoline engines in all sorts of sizes and states of tune, one could only wonder why Volkswagen is still holding on to the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-five in the States – especially since even GM and Ford have gone ahead and introduced smaller displacement force-fed fours.
It appears that VW also believes it’s time to replace the old-school five-pot with a more modern turbocharged four. Citing two sources from within the German company, Car&Driver reports that the 2.5L unit will soon be dropped from Volkswagen’s U.S. range with a new 1.8-liter TSI four-cylinder engine taking its place.
Not to be confused with the older 1.8T offered in various Audi and VW models in the previous decades, the new 1.8-liter TSI is available in Europe in different states of tunes, depending on the model and the brand.
It is believed that the U.S. version will deliver more or less the same 160PS (158bhp) and 250Nm (184.4 lb-ft) it does on the European Passat. For the record, VW’s European division also offers a 1.4-liter TSI turbocharged four with the same output at 160PS (158bhp) but slightly less peak torque at 240Nm (177 lb-ft).
The 2.5-liter inline-five initially made 150-horses but was subsequently upgraded and is now rated at 170HP. It is currently used on the new Beetle, Golf, Jetta and Passat models.
Car&Driver says that among the many reasons VW is contemplating the change is that the 1.8-liter TSI is more fuel efficient, delivers lower CO2 emissions and can simplify the manufacturing process as it is related to the firm’s 2.0-liter unit.
Story References: Car&Driver
