You Can Still Buy An Inline-five Audi After 2027—just Not In Europe

Audi's Straight-Five Legacy

It's safe to say that Audi is one of the pioneers of the inline-five engine. Even though it wasn't the first, five-cylinders have become one of its hallmarks, especially back in the '80s. That said, the first inline-five was from Mercedes-Benz, but its development was led by Ferdinand Piëch of the Porsche dynasty, who later returned to the family business to build one for Audi.

The Audi 100, also known as the 5000 in North America, was Ingolstadt's first model to offer such an engine way back in 1976. More models eventually followed and became a staple in Audi's range until the mid-'90s. It was revived in the first-generation RS 3, and models like the TT RS and RS Q3 could also use it. Unfortunately, the engine isn't long for this world, as 2027 will be its final year... or is it?

Good News, Bad News

It's a distinct and characterful engine, and we'll be sad to see it go. However, Audi has, indeed, confirmed that it will live on after 2027. It's not like the company suddenly had a change of heart, though. Speaking to Motor1, a spokesperson told the publication that the RS 3, the only model that uses the 2.5-liter TFSI engine, will hang around a little longer.

So, that's good news, but only if you live outside of Europe. If you are European and are reading this, you won't like the next part. That straight-five will still be canned by mid-2027, regardless of where you are in the region or in a country that adheres to the stricter Euro 7 standards. There's a whiff of irony here as the German-built engine can't even be offered in its home continent. For the rest of us, though, we can still enjoy this engine while it lasts.

Europe is Losing its Fun Cars and Engines

The whole Euro 7 rules have been slowly but surely erasing fun cars and engines over in the Old Continent. Toyota and Subaru couldn't sell the 86 and BRZ over there anymore due to emissions, and Honda was forced to axe its Civic Type R for the same reason. Most automakers are resorting to hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrains to skirt around the regulations in Europe.

While those rules don't apply to the rest of the world, it'll only be a matter of time before those same regulations will affect the global market. For now, though, let's enjoy these engines while we still can.