Audi R8 with rumoured 5-cylinder turbo
A five-cylinder turbo engine could find its way into the Audi R8 according to sources at Ingolstadt. This news follows the announcement that the smaller V8 will no longer be offered but Audi is understandably keen to provide a price-leading point to its super car to see off the likes of Porsche’s Cayman GTS and Jaguar’s F-Type.
The 5-cylinder turbo charged mill has strong ties to the engine fitted in the Audi RS3 but will likely be retuned beyond its current output of 270kW. As to how Audi plans to achieve this is not yet known but hybrid power is a possibility, much like the arrangement used in the new Honda NSX. If that does happen, we wouldn’t be surprised if it upstages the bigger V10 engine, especially up at altitude, and better it for fuel consumption – if that’s what you’re interested in.
Pricing is a long way from being discussed but very premature estimations suggest that it could fall below 1.1 million Rand. Other Audi R8 musing include a new soft top version which has been caught testing and could arrive in South Africa mid 2016.
