History of the Volvo 5 Cylinder

Volvo’s history is intertwined with the Volvo 5 cylinder engine. Volvo’s name became synonymous with this idiosyncratic engine in the 1990s. At the time, it was a perfect compromise between the 6-cylinder’s power and the 4-cylinders size and efficiency.

To our everlasting and crushing dismay, Volvo announced in 2012 they would cease producing the 5-cylinder, opting instead for the smaller 4.

Time soldiers on and today we’ve got 4-cylinder engines that put out 6-cylinder power with great efficiency, leaving the 5-cylinder to the history books.

This is a look back at the history of Volvo’s 5-cylinder engine, where it came from, and we’ll snoop a little more into why this peculiar engine dominated Volvo’s engine lineup for so long.

Where Did the 5-Cylinder Engine Come From?

Henry Ford first tinkered with them in the late 1930s, but the engine type only went big when in 1974 Mercedes put a 5-cylinder diesel in their 300D. In 1976 Audi introduced the first gasoline-powered inline 5 in the Audi 100, the beginnings of the man-car relationship that lasts to this day (though with some bumps and gaps along the way). Along with Volvo, the 5-cylinder is forever linked with Audi.

Since Audi’s initial success with the gasoline 5-cylinder, seemingly every manufacturer has introduced their own version at some point: Volvo in 1991, Volkswagen across many of their offerings, Ford (Volvo-sourced 2.5L), Acura, Fiat, Lancia, GM (including even the Hummer H3 when it was first introduced), and others.

5-cyl Cutaway Animation

Brief History of Volvo’s Inline 5

Volvo’s love affair with the inline 5-cylinder began in 1991 with the introduction of the 850. The offering was part of the Volvo Modular Engine, a family of inline-4, inline-5, and inline-6 engines that used aluminum blocks and heads, as well as aluminum pistons and double overhead cams.

What’s a Modular Engine? Basically, the above 3 engines share many identical parts and components, making the manufacturing process easier and more cost-effective

Volvo began researching and developing the Modular Engine (“whiteblock”) project in the late 1970s, with their first offering coming in 1990 with the new 960 that featured Volvo’s first Modular Engine, an inline 6-cylinder.

In 1991, they released the 850, the first of many vehicles sporting the inline 5-cylinder Modular Engine. The 850 sported the 5-cylinder until its demise in 1997.

Benefits of the Volvo 5-Cylinder

The 5-cylinder is unique and dwindling in popularity, but it does have some legitimate perks:

• Space. The 5-cylinder fits much better in the compact transverse engine compartments of modern cars than an inline-6, but provides more power than an inline-4.
• Cost. Costs less to build than inline 6-cylinder engines.
• Smooth Power Delivery. Because of the overlapping piston timing inherent within inline 5-cylinder engines, they produce a smoother power delivery than similar inline 4 engines, in which the pistons’ movement does not overlap. Because of this, 5-cylinders enjoy less noise and shaking in the engine. If you’re interested in learning more, take a look at this wonderful Engineering Explained video on YouTube on 5-cylinders:

What’s Going On with the 5-Cylinder Today?

As more and more automakers turn towards turbos and tweaking to make inline-4s more powerful and efficient, the inline 5 is become more and more redundant.

The last Volvo model equipped with a 5-cylinder gasoline engine in the North American market was the 2016 V60 Cross Country, featuring a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-5 (T5) that produced 250 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque.

Even up until just 20 years ago, 5-cylinders were used by the likes of Volkswagen, Audi, Land Rover, Ford (with Volvo’s engine), and Chevy. Today, you’re hard-pressed to find any, although Audi has announced a new 5-cylinder for 2017 that produces almost 400 bhp.

Will Volvo Ever Reintroduce the 5-Cylinder?

In two words. Probably not. Like we said, the 5-cylinder is a thing of the past. During its heyday, it was the perfect meeting point between 4- and 6-cylinder engines: almost as efficient as 4-cylinders, almost as powerful as 6-cylinders.

With today’s modern engine technology, we can squeeze more performance out of inline 4s and many auto manufacturers are even jumping onto 3-cylinder engines coupled with turbos to pack even more power. Just like the other manufacturers, Volvo is moving forward to an era of smaller-but-powerful engines.

Major Whiteblock Variants

N Series Inline 5-Cylinder 1991-1998
The weak link in these engines tends to be the connecting rods, opinions vary as to what actually will cause rod failure but for the most part it’s agreed that a 300bhp engine is going to perform well day to day without any real concern for reduced longevity or engine damage. This all assumes a properly maintained engine that is in good operational condition before upgrades were installed. Stock pistons are good to approx. 390bhp which is also getting close to the limit of what the stock heads will flow.

RN Series Inline 5-Cylinder 1999-2001
The early version of the RN block have lighter valve train components that is primarily a function of thinner valve stems and a solid valve train vs. the earlier hydraulic system in 1998 and earlier models. Be advised some early 1999 models still had hydraulic lifters so check your engine serial number to be sure. These early RN motors were also better able to handle higher RPM limits and better cylinder head flow from both the CVVT and the thinner valve stems taking up less room in the head intake runners. Rods were still a bit on the weak side which keeps this engine rated to approx. 315bhp in stock form.

RN Series Inline 5-Cylinder 2002-2003
The later RN block from 2002 and later received a longer rod that was also stronger. From 139.5mm in early block, to the 147mm rod in later blocks. This design change not only strengthened the rods by virtue of design improvement but also by the nature of the rod duration. Longer rods stay at TDC for longer periods which extracts more power from a given air/fuel charge. This added benefit, along with the lighter valve train and better flowing heads, allowed these engines to safely make upwards of 340bhp reliably.

RN Series Inline 5-Cylinder 2004-2007
With the addition of the P2R series in 2004 the RN engine was yet again redesigned to increase cooling efficiency and head flow. Dual CVVT along with a number of other changes allows this engine to reach power output up to 400bhp quite easily with supporting components.

Typical power upgrades that increase engine power to 350+bhp are quite common and provide excellent longevity and performance gains. Past 400bhp these engines can be prone to cylinder liner cracking in some scenarios. In this case some folks have opted to use a 2.4L block mated to the R cylinder head to take advantage of the thicker liners the 2.4L engine is equipped with, which is simply a function of reduced bore diameter vs. the 2.5L block that R models were originally equipped with.

Example: 2004 Volvo V70 R and S60 R

• Engine code: B5254T4
• Engine management: Bosch ME 7.01
• Torque: 295 ft-lbs (manual transmission), 258 ft-lbs (auto)
• Power: 300 hp

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Manufacturers started whipping up first iterations of this quirky engine as early as the 1930s?

While in the US we gave up on the 5 cylinder, the story’s a bit different in Europe, where it flourished. Over the last 90 years, the I5’s been used in everything from WW2 military vehicles, sedans, and sports cars, to our modern SUVs and trucks.

Let’s look at the early history of this iconic engine and exactly how – and when – Volvo joined the party.

The Earliest 5 Cylinders: Ford and Lancia

The earliest known 5-cylinder comes from Henry Ford himself (p.64). Ford was famous for near-constant experimenting when he was leader of the Ford Motor Company and many of his ideas, including the 5-cylinder, never left the design table. He experimented with V10s, X-8s (yes, an 8-cylinder engine shaped like an X, with 2 cylinders on each end), opposed cylinder engines, and of course, the 5 cylinder.

The larger designs were meant to compete with the new 6-cylinder engines from competing companies like Chevy, but that wasn’t the vision for the 5 cylinder.

Ford developed the I5 in the late 1930s and early 1940s and, like Volvo some 50 years later, Ford saw the 5 cylinder as an option for a smaller economy car. Indeed, the engine they produced clocked in at just under 2.5 liters and produced a meager 50 to 60 HP.

In the end, Ford simply couldn’t shave enough cost off manufacturing to make a smaller economy car an affordable option and the 5-cylinder was scrapped.

The first production 5 cylinder, on the other hand, came from Italian manufacturer Lancia. In the late 1930s, Italy (and the rest of Europe) were embroiled in WW2 and Lancia was manufacturing a line of transport trucks for the Italian Army.

The manufacturer equipped the first model, known as the Ro, with a petite 2 cylinder diesel engine. After a few years, they tacked on an additional cylinder (lovingly known as the Ro-Ro), until finally bringing it up to the 5 cylinder (the 3Ro) – the first production 5 cylinder (though it was diesel).

Mercedes Steps Up to the Plate

The first true step towards a 5 cylinder passenger vehicle came 35 years after Lancia’s 3Ro.

In 1974, Mercedes introduced their new 3 liter 5-cylinder diesel (known as the OM617), which first saw action with the 240D and now-famous 300D. While not sporty by any means – accelerating from 0 to 60 in 17 seconds – the OM617 is downright reliable, with many 300Ds clocking in over 500,000 miles. Some enthusiasts have even claimed the OM617 as the most reliable engine ever – period!

However, before the 300D became so famous in the 1980s, Mercedes wasn’t alone with a production 5 cylinder.

The First Gas-Powered 5 Cylinder

We’re all likely aware of Audi’s connection to the 5-cylinder and motorsports, most notably as a rally car in the early ’80s, but also through successes in hill climbing Pikes Peak and other US-based racing.

In 1976, Audi introduced the first gas-powered production 5 cylinder for the Audi 100. With the larger engine, the car was considered a step up from Audi’s previous models, though with the 2.1 liter engine producing 136HP it wasn’t up to racing-status quite yet.

Fast forward to 1980 and Audi has introduced the Quattro, featuring a turbocharged 5 cylinder engine and permanent 4-wheel drive. Clocking in at 200HP, Audi soon entered the Quattro in rally races. Throughout the early ’80s, Like Volvo, Audi will always be permanently connected to the 5 cylinder, thanks to their huge showing in motorsports, especially Group B rallying in the early 1980s. Throughout the 80s, Audi continually updated the Quattro and eventually took home 23 world championships.

Volvo Joins the Party

While Volvo only introduced its first 5 cylinder, the Volvo 850, in 1991 – much later than Audi – the actual development of the 5 cylinder started way back in 1978, just two years after their rival introduced the 5 cylinder Audi 100.

In the late ’70s, Volvo wanted to jumpstart their move towards a more modern automobile. They created a new special project dubbed the Galaxy Project, as they were – in their own words – ‘aiming for the stars’ by creating something completely new. Indeed, the project encompassed new ideas everywhere: new body styles, new materials, new safety components and, of course, new engines. It was a long-term investment, with an economic, future-forward car as the ultimate goal.

Over the next 10 years or so, Volvo poured huge amounts of money into Project Galaxy and it eventually ended up becoming the most expensive project Volvo had ever taken on at the time. However, their push into the future eventually birthed two new cars, the Volvo 480 and the 850, the latter of which would go on to define Volvo for a decade or more.

The 480 was built in Volvo’s Dutch manufacturing plant from 1986 to 1995. It was the first front-wheel drive vehicle Volvo had ever produced – one of the major goals of Project Galaxy – but the differences didn’t stop there. The 3-door hatchback was a stark right turn to Volvo’s traditional vehicles, with the FWD, low ground clearance, and sleek design (pop up headlights!) aimed at a younger audience. The 480 also enjoyed design elements that we’d later see in the Volvo C30 – most notably the full-glass back hatch.

Unlike the 480, Volvo built the 850 in Sweden. Introduced in 1991, a full 13 years after Project Galaxy first started, the 850 sported many of the ideas Volvo envisioned for the project. First off, the drivetrain was completely front-wheel drive with the engine transversely mounted in the engine bay, a major change for Volvo, but necessary to keep up with other manufacturers that had already switched over.

To keep everything as light as possible, the entire engine block was composed of aluminum, as opposed to heavier cast iron. The 850 also included Volvo’s new SIPS (Side Impact Protection System).

And of course, the 850 also included Volvo’s very first 5 cylinder engine. Why did they choose a 5-cylinder instead of a 4 or even 6?

First off, we can only imagine that, with Audi seeing huge successes with their own I5, Volvo – as well as other manufacturers – were already somewhat open to the idea of a new 5 cylinder engine.

From the very beginning, one of Project Galaxy’s goals was the Modular Engine – an engine design that could easily be converted to a 4, 5, or 6 cylinder with little extra design and production changes, allowing Volvo to produce a variety of engines for less time and money.

During the early years of Project Galaxy, the development group initially developed their transverse engine as a 4 cylinder, with 5 and 6 cylinder models as secondary options. When it came time to test the engines though, Volvo’s engineers loved the 5 cylinder’s performance so much they decided to focus in on this oddball engine, with the 4 and 6 cylinders eventually falling to the wayside.

Keep in mind that the Volvo 850 wasn’t actually the first to feature their modular engine. That honor goes to the Volvo 960 and its I4 engine [In dispute. See this.]. However, the 850 was the first to feature the 5 cylinder version. The modular engine eventually became a mainstay of Volvo automobiles, with the manufacturer using the design all the way up to 2016 in the Volvo XC60, XC70, S60, and V60.

The 850 and Beyond

After the 850 proved such a huge success, thanks to their raucous showing in motorsports and the public’s fascination with the boxy underdog, Volvo kept introducing the 5 cylinder in more and more models, with the engine becoming increasingly intertwined with Volvo’s image over the next decade.

Below is a list of each vehicle that Volvo added the 5 cylinder engine to, along with the year they added the 5 cylinder as an option.

1990s

After the 850 in 1991, Volvo introduced 3 more models featuring the 5 cylinder engine:

• S70/V70– Volvo introduced the S70/V70 in 1996 (’98 in the US) to replace the 850. In essence a facelifted 850, the S70 exclusively featured the 5 cylinder engine, both gas and diesel variants, naturally-aspirated and turbo, from a low of 2 liters in size to 2.5 liters.
• C70 – In 1998, Volvo also introduced the convertible C70 to US markets, also featuring Volvo’s 5 cylinder modular engine along with a turbocharger to add some extra boost. Volvo continued to produce the C70, with the 5 cylinder engine, all the way up to 2013.
• S80 – Volvo introduced the S80 with both a 5 and 6 cylinder engine in 1998, with 4 cylinder and 8 cylinder options in later years.

2000s

Over the next decade, the 5 cylinder became increasingly prevalent, with Volvo throwing the inline 5 in pretty much every car they manufactured:

• S40 (2^nd gen) – With the 2^nd generation of the S40 in 2004, Volvo added on a 5 cylinder option to go with the standard inline 4.
• S60 – Volvo’s replacement for the S70, Volvo only offered the S60 with the inline 5 (either NA or turbo) when first introduced in 2000. For the 2^nd generation S60 in 2010, they also offered a turbo and/or supercharged 4 and 6 cylinder options.
• XC90 – Volvo’s first foray into SUVs back in 2002 also featured a turbo inline 5 as well as an inline 6 and V8. In 2014, Volvo introduced the 2^nd generation XC90 that only came with 4 cylinders.
• C30 – From 2006 to 2013, Volvo manufactured the C30 hatchback, featuring either an I4 or I5 engine.

2010s

As engine technology continued to rapidly progress, manufacturers were able to coax major power out of smaller engines, with little effect on efficiency. The popularity of 5 cylinders began to wane and even Volvo moved on to smaller, more efficient inline 4s. Since 2010, Volvo has introduced the 5 cylinder briefly to a couple models, but nothing long-lasting:

• XC60 – Introduced in 2008, Volvo’s 2^nd dip into SUVs also briefly featured a gas-powered turbocharged inline 5 from 2015 to 2016, though Volvo replaced the entire lineup with their new 4 cylinder in 2017.
• V40 – While the V40 was equipped with a 5 cylinder engine for a short time, the 2017 V40 only comes equipped with a 4 cylinder.

The Future Is Small

The inline 5’s pleasing sound and better NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) generally leads to a more pleasant experience than an I4 engine. Audi continues to use a turbocharged 5 cylinder engine in the 2018 Audi TT, but we can’t say the same for Volvo. The last two cars they’ve introduced, 2016’s S90 sedan and 2017’s XC40 SUV, wowed critics but both only feature a 4 cylinder engine.

As far back as 2009 Volvo announced they were ditching all engines bigger than 4 cylinders, including the I5 that they – and we – are so fond of. When Ford sold Volvo to Chinese automaker Geely the following year, Volvo took the time to rethink their designs and customer needs and decided that both they, and their customers, would benefit from smaller, more efficient turbocharged engines, like the current widespread trend in the automotive world. The 5 cylinder was toast.

If you’re now pouring out lamentations for Volvo’s 5 cylinder, consider this: the 2017 XC90’s dainty (albeit twin-charged) 4 cylinder engine produces a whopping 316 HP and 295 ft-lbs of torque. That’s a lot more power and better fuel consumption than the V70R.

When Volvo first introduced the 5 cylinder engine way back in 1991, it filled an important niche. It was a midway point, providing greater power than a 4 cylinder, but greater efficiency than an I6 or V8. However, times change. Volvo is moving into the future, and the 5 cylinder engine simply isn’t a part of that future.

Image Credits: Courtesy Volvo Press Materials – 1, 4, 6, Public Domain via Wikimedia – 2, CC via Flickr 3, 5

Last Updated on January 20, 2026