A 2.5-litre, five-cylinder engine could be fitted to the Audi R8

The age of downsizing has arrived, and sports cars that are benchmarks for their powerful engines could become the first species in danger of extinction. Powerful V engines with large displacements and naturally aspirated layouts have their days numbered, especially if they are to comply with emissions regulations and the strict fuel consumption limits imposed by consumers.

The first to jump on the downsizing bandwagon could be the Audi R8. Ingolstadt’s flagship could adopt the 2.5-litre, five-cylinder engine from the RS3 Sportback as the entry-level block in the range, a less powerful but more affordable R8. This assumption stems from reports that the second generation would feature the naturally aspirated 4.2-litre FSI V8, which would leave the first rung of the range without an engine.

A previously published report suggested this block would be replaced by the 3.0-litre turbo V6 already found in the Audi S4 2016. Now, however, rumours seem to indicate that the entry-level role will be taken by the 2.5-litre TFSI five-cylinder engine, capable of producing 367 hp, or perhaps slightly more thanks to the fitting of an electrically driven turbo.

The idea of the 3.0-litre turbo V6 block has not lost its appeal, however. In the new S4, this powerplant produces 354 hp and 500 Nm of torque, which already shows its development potential for the Audi R8. A block of these characteristics could push the power figure above 400 hp, or even higher if a twin-turbo system were chosen, but above all, implementing an electric turbo would represent a real advance, as it would eliminate the usual turbo lag of supercharged engines while keeping fuel consumption moderate.

Jurgen Konigstedt, the executive in charge of developing the V6, V8 and V10 engines, announced some time ago that the turbocharged Audi R8 would not arrive in the near future, which means we won’t see it before 2017 at the earliest. In the meantime, Audi will launch the R8 Spyder next year, which, like the coupé, will feature a naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 producing 540 hp in standard configuration and 610 hp in the Plus variant.

Via | Auto Express