Which Cars Came With The EA888 Engine Under The Hood & How Much HP Does It Produce?

The name EA888 isn't one that easily trips off the tongue. But if you've ever taken a ride in a modern gasoline-powered VW, there is a good chance that the EA888 is what powered your trip. The Volkswagen EA888 engine is reliable and powerful, and has been used in cars across the Volkswagen Group since the first generation appeared in early 2007. Since then, the engine has marched through five evolutionary generations. 

Early versions like the one powering the 2015 Passat 1.8T mustered a modest 170 horsepower, yet today's Golf R achieves 328 horsepower from essentially the same engine block. That staggering spread in output — coupled with ever-cleaner emissions – is why the EA888 now does duty in everything from value-minded Volkswagens to Porsche's entry-level Macan crossover.

However, on first impressions, this doesn't seem like an engine with much to shout about. Only available in 1.8 or 2.0-liter variants and designed with compactness in mind, this is a little engine that lulls rather than roars. But when required, this turbocharged straight-four can mix it with the big boys. The success of this engine can be attributed to its reliability and versatility. But for the user, it's also highly tunable with a host of aftermarket uprated parts available. So, let's pop the hood and have an in-depth look at the EA888 engine, the cars it powers, and the horsepower it produces. 

Widely regarded as one of Volkswagen's most reliable engines, the EA888 engine was introduced as part of a strategy to "intelligently downsize engines." As an example of this in action, we can look at the third-generation 1.8-liter version of the engine, widely hailed as the best. This was designed to replace Volkswagen's existing 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine. The new engine produced the same horsepower (170 horsepower) as its outgoing sibling, but with better fuel efficiency and more torque at lower revs. It says much about the versatility of the design concept that it delivered on the downsizing without compromising on performance. However, it's the engine's ability to reliably power everything from family saloons to high-performance hatchbacks that's been behind much of the engine's success. 

In essence, the EA888 engine has given Volkswagen an engine template that it can modify to suit a massive range of vehicles. While highly tuned versions like those found in the Volkswagen R are optimized for performance, others can be customized to offer the best MPG at typical cruising speeds. This is why when it comes to describing how much horsepower an EA888 engine produces, the best we can say is that it produces somewhere between 150 horsepower for an early 1.8-liter version to a potent 328 horsepower in the latest and most powerful 2.0-liter version. It's this Jekyll and Hyde nature that has seen the engine power so many Volkswagen Group cars. 

What do a Porsche Macan and a Škoda Octavia have in common? Besides the corporate parentage, both use Volkswagen Group's EA888 turbo-four. These two models represent market segments that are poles apart, but the engine is a common denominator. This breadth of usage demonstrates the challenge of listing every model that has ever used the engine, but the Volkswagen range seems a sensible place to start. EA888-powered models from the parent company includes such vehicles as the VW Polo, Golf, Jetta, Beetle, Passat, Scirocco, Arteon, and Tiguan. Of course, the aforementioned Volkswagen R is a notable entry. 

Moving on, we can look at Škoda models. Three models use the VW EA888 engine. These are the Octavia, Kodiaq, and the Superb. Next, we look at Seat, VW's Spanish subsidiary. From Seat, we can add the León, Cupra León, Alhambra, and the Altea to the list. 

However, the manufacturer that has leaned on this engine the most — aside from VW — is Audi. The roll of honor for Audi starts with the A1, A4, A5, and A6 models. Moving up the alphabet, we can also include the A3, the Q range (Q2, Q3, and Q7), and the TT/TTS.Of course, the Porsche Macan also needs to be mentioned and deservedly made it onto SlashGear's list of the most notable cars powered by the EA888 engine. In short, the EA888 is Volkswagen Group's little engine that could — a versatile, reliable engine that delivers on the brand's "intelligently downsized" ethos.