Audi 100 2.5 TDI 1990
in

Audi 100 2.5 TDI, it was not the first but ...

Diesel technology, now repudiated, has dominated the market for decades and this car, the Audi 100, was one of the main culprits for the change in perception that users had towards these engines. Although it was not the first to implement certain solutions, it was the confirmation of the change that diesel engines were undergoing.

Diesel technology has been dominating the market for many years and unopposed, not even the "downsizing”, The general decrease in displacement carried out in gasoline engines and the use of the turbo, managed to subtract sales from these engines. Moreover, for many years, we have been able to see how diesel engines evolved remarkably, achieving performance, consumption of real laughter and even a refinement of operation very close to a gasoline engine. 

The diesel engine represented both the present and the future of the car, even crazy things were developed such as a V10 5.0 TDI block of 313 hp and 750 Nm of torque, data that in its day, back in 2003, were amazing. Y we cannot forget the V12 TDI that Volkswagen mounted in the Audi Q7 in 2009, a propellant that was unmatched neither then nor now, yielding 500 hp and 1.000 Nm of torque between 1.750 and 3.250 rpm. It was a locomotive whose consumption, taking into account power and displacement (5.934 cubic centimeters), was not exactly high, announcing 11 liters.

 

Said propellants, both from Volkswagen-Audi, fThey were the maximum representation of that technology and never got over it. Peugeot came to develop a similar engine, a V12 diesel, but it was only used in a prototype and the most powerful diesel engine currently mounted in a car, uses it, or used it, the Bentley Bentayga, a V8 biturbo of 435 hp and 900 Nm of torque (also used by the Touareg and Q7). 

But as you well know, this was not always the case, diesel engines were for trucks or vansFew automobiles other than taxis were powered by diesel engines. Nor were there many options in the manufacturers' catalog, until Audi arrived, precisely, with the 100 2.5 TDI, to turn everything upside down. It was not the first turbodiesel, far from it, but the Audi 100 2.5 TDI was one of those that, really, could be compared in performance and refinement to the gasoline engines of its time. 

Audi 100, a story that began in secret

To learn a little more about the Audi 100, the model that laid the foundations for the almost uncontrolled evolution of diesel engines, you have to travel back in time, to the 60s, when Volkswagen took control of Auto Union . The Audi 100 is a very important car for the German firmIn fact, it still exists today although we know it as Audi A6 (it changed its name in the 90s), although its beginnings were not so remarkable. Or maybe yes. 

When Volkswagen took control of Auto Union, it was emphatically ordered not to develop any more models, it was necessary to focus on the existing models and continue betting on them, surely, with the intention of studying and designing a new strategy for the company. It did not take long to implement different changes, such as the disappearance of the name Auto Union, due to its relationship with the Nazis, and the placement in its place of Audi, one of the firms that made up the German conglomerate but that had very little relationship with the Nazi party. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zleI9_fBrg

Meanwhile, Ludwing Kraus, the then technical director of Auto Union GmbH, turned a deaf ear because his intention was to expand the range of models in the catalog of the "new" Audi. Thus, therefore, Like some of the best cars in history, the Audi 100 was developed in secret and it was only made known to the managers, when it was practically finished. This is how other cars like the Volkswagen Golf GTI were born, secretly. 

After seeing the car, Volkswagen's management gave the go-ahead and a new era began for Auto Union, or rather, for Audi. There he started the path that would lead the four rings to the level it currently has. From that first generation of the Audi 100, until the change of name, around 800.000 units were sold. 

The Audi 100 2.5 TDI was not the first diesel with good performance

To understand the importance of the Audi 100 2.5 TDI for the future of diesel engines, we have to know the market at that time. A market where diesels were noisy, dirty and uncomfortable engines due to their enormous vibrations. They also did not have an acceptable power compared to their displacement and not even the different attempts of the manufacturers had managed to change the image of this technology. It is true that they were improving and achieving better performance, smoke reductions from the exhaust and a lot of vibrations had been eliminated, but users still did not see the way to diesel. 

Audi was not the first manufacturer to offer turbodiesel engines in its models, Renault, for example, got ahead of the Audi 100 with the Renault 21 D 2.1, a sedan that adopted a 2.100-cubic-centimeter (2.186-cubic-centimeter more exactly) diesel block with a Garrett T-3 turbo. to deliver 88 hp and 181 Nm of torque. At that time it was already a respectable performance for a diesel engine with that displacement, but it still could not measure up to you with a good gasoline engine. 

Citroën also dared to put a diesel powertrain into circulation long before the Audi 100 2.5 TDI was even imagined. It was the year 1975 and the sensational Citroën CX received a 2.175 cubic centimeter, naturally aspirated (no turbo) engine, which produced 66 hp, although, nevertheless, a little more than 10 years later (the CX was on sale for many, many years ) appeared the Citroën CX 25 TRD Turbo, a version equipped with a 2.482 cubic centimeter four-cylinder supercharged by turbo eiintercooler, which produced 120 hp and reached 195 km / h. It was the fastest diesel in the world at the time

However, It was the Audi 100 2.5 TDI that the diesel revolution is credited withAlthough it came after the CX with a similar engine and performance. The German was unveiled on the occasion of the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show, starting sales in 1990. It was the beginning of the revolution.

Consumption and driving finesse, its main arguments

Those cars mentioned above aren't the only ones that came before the Audi 100 2.5 TDI. For example, as an interesting detail, The FIAT Croma debuted in 1986 the first turbodiesel engine with direct injectionSo the German sedan was not the first to direct injection either. What had this engine to be one of the most important engines for this technology? 

Well, in principle, the Audi 100 2.5 TDI (five cylinders and 2.460 cubic centimeters), with its 120 hp and 265 Nm of torque, had improved in many respects to rival diesels. For example, although today it would be considered an engine worthy of a tractor due to its rattle, the 2.5 TDI was considered a very refined mechanic, with a fairly forceful power delivery and some real laughter consumptions: 5,7 liters approved (which would already be more). It also promised a top speed of 200 km / h, something quite striking for a diesel engine from the early 90s. 

The Audi 100 combined the typical operation of diesel engines, characterized by high torque at low revs and very tight fuel consumption, with the smooth running and performance of a gasoline engine. He achieved, with those attributes, change the image that users had regarding this technology and diesel began its climb. 

After the Audi 100 2.5 TDI came the Audi 80 TDI in 1991, an important car in the history of the brand as it was commissioned to release the more than mythical 1.9 TDI in its version of 90 hp and 182 Nm of torque (later came the variable geometry turbo and 110 hp). Then the 2.5 TDI received modifications with the passage from Audi 100 to Audi A6, reaching 140 hp and 290 Nm of torque ... the revolution "Turbo Direct Injection”Had begun.

What do you think?

17 Points
Upvote Downvote

Written by Javi Martin

If you ask me where my love for motoring comes from, I wouldn't know how to answer. It has always been there, although I am the only one in the family who likes this world. My father worked as a draftsman in a metallurgical company with a lot of auto parts production, but there was never a passion like I can have.

I really like automobile history and I am currently creating a personal library dedicated exclusively to motor history in Spain. I also have a huge collection of scanned material and have written the book "The 600, a dream on wheels" (Larousse publishing house).

Subscribe to the newsletter

Once a month in your mail.

Thanks a lot! Do not forget to confirm your subscription through the email that we have just sent you.

Something has gone wrong. Please try again.

60.2 kHappy fans
2.1 kFollowers
3.4 kFollowers
3.8 kFollowers