Volkswagen ditches its 5 cylinder engine in the US

Volkswagen has just announced a bunch of changes for the 2014 model year in the US, the biggest of which is that it's finally ditching it’s American 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder. This engine is currently used in entry-level versions of the Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Passat, Beetle and Golf, and with the exception of the Golf, which is in its final model year before a full redesign, the other models will all see a new 1.8-liter turbocharged and direct-injected inline-four under the hood for 2014.

This new engine produces the same power as the 2.5 (170 hp) and seven more pound-feet of torque (184 lb-ft), but its biggest advantage is its fuel economy. According to the EPA's fueleconomy.gov website, the 2014 Jetta's official numbers have climbed to 26 mpg city and 36 mpg highway (with the five-speed manual), up from the 2013 model's 23 mpg city and 33 mpg highway numbers. Likewise, the Passat's 2014 fuel economy numbers with this new base engine have improved from 22 city/32 highway with the manual to 24 city/35 highway; 2014 Jetta SportWagen and 2014 Beetle figures with this new engine have not been posted yet.

I should note that this engine option has been available in Nigeria since 2011 on the redesigned Jetta, Passat and Passat CC though it makes less power “158hp” than the version which would be available in the US.