Over the past century, we've seen tons of engine layouts come and go. Some radical ones never saw the light of day, but others made so much sense, they're still being used to this very day. Everyone's familiar with the standard 3-cylinder, 4-cylinder, straight-6, V6, V8, V12 and so on. Even if the engine is small, the car can still pack a serious punch.

One of the most uncommon and underused engine layouts in the industry is the five-cylinder. It was first developed by Ford Motor Company for use in a compact car, and then Lancia developed one for use in military trucks throughout WWII. Since then, the five-cylinder engine has seen applications in some truly great cars.

10 Acura Vigor

The front of the Vigor
supercars.net

Before the flagship Acura Legend, Honda took the already established Accord sedan and gave it some jewelry. In the very few overseas markets where it was sold, it was known as the Honda Vigor, and it was definitely unique.

Rear 3/4 view of the Vigor
supercars.net

RELATED: The True Story Of Ludacris And His Acura Legend

Even though it was an Accord in disguise, Honda made great efforts to distance it from its relatively lowly mid-size sedan relative. Obviously, the most notable thing about the Vigor was under the hood. It was powered by a 2.0 liter or 2.5 liter I5 engine, part of Honda's G-series. Even though declining sales killed off the Vigor in the mid 90s, the G-series lived in on in the Acura 2.5 TL.

9 Fiat Coupe

A Fiat Coupe cornering hard
evo.co.uk

There's an unwritten rule that states that if there is a small Italian coupe with a powerful engine and sharp styling, it's legally entitled to be called a mini-Ferrari. This rule also applies to the Fiat Coupe, sold from 1993 to 2000.

Rear 3/4 view of the Fiat Coupe
autocar.co.uk

Various engines powered this angular sports car, but the ones everyone is after are the 5-cylinder powered 16V and 20V Turbo models. The 2.0 liter unit, designated as the Fiat Family C, could pump out up to 217 hp. It was surprisingly reliable for a 90s Italian engine, the exhaust note was brilliant, and it gave the Coupe plenty of added fizz.

8 Alfa Romeo 159

The pre-facelift 159 in red
netcarshow.com

In 2005, Alfa Romeo, who have made some great cars that every enthusiast should drive, replaced their aging 156 compact luxury sedan with the gorgeous 159. The styling, dynamics and surprisingly, the ergonomics were all praised by critics, and it went on to become a huge success.

The facelift 159 Ti in red
netcarshow.com

A variety of fantastic engines were available for the 159, which was never sold in North America, and the 2.4 JTDm was the most interesting one. As the name implies, it's a 2.4 liter turbocharged five-cylinder diesel, which made a hefty 207 hp after the 2007 model year. It made a great noise, and it gave the 159 a pretty substantial amount of torque and great speed off the line.

7 Ford Focus RS

Front 3/4 view of the Focus RS Mk2
evo.co.uk

When the Mk2 Ford Focus made its debut, Ford decided to split it up between markets. The familiar hatchback would do all the sales lifting in Europe, whereas the US would get a unique compact sedan Focus, which wasn't all that well-received.

Rear 3/4 view of the Focus RS Mk2
evo.co.uk

RELATED: A Eulogy For The Ford Focus RS

During the final few model years of the Mk2 Focus, Ford brought out the brilliant RS. This bright green monster was the second iteration of the RS badge, and it was pretty insane. The rally car styling hid a 2.5-liter turbocharged I5 borrowed from Volvo, which made 300 hp in this application. Quite a bit, considering that this Focus RS was still FWD. Handling was exceptional, and so was the performance and sound.

6 Volvo 850 R

Front 3/4 view of the 850 R
carpixel.net

Volvo as an automaker has always been very rational, with function being prevalent over form. But, just like everybody else, they also have a wild side. One of the best examples of Volvo's engineers having some fun is the 850 R, preceded by the underrated 850 Turbo.

Rear 3/4 view of the 850 R
pics.alphacoders.com

Available in both sedan and wagon forms (the wagon being the preferred one, of course), the 850 R used the legendary B5 engine, rated at around 237 hp with the manual transmission. While it was FWD, it was still great fun to drive, thanks to the viscous coupling LSD and slick 5-speed manual.

5 Mercedes-Benz W123

The W123 in black
autoevolution.com

It didn't take very long for Mercedes-Benz sedans to earn their status as the official cars of world-leaders. One of the favorite luxury sedans among those aforementioned leaders is the W123, marketed from 1976 to 1986.

The side of a white W123
veterokclub.ru

To some people, this is the quintessential Mercedes-Benz. You won't find any automatic massage seats or augmented reality navigation in this old girl. What you will find instead are some very cool 70s/80s luxury features and possibly the most reliable diesel engine ever put in a production car; the OM617 turbodiesel I5. Not only is the engine completely indestructible, but it's capable of producing masses of power.

4 Volkswagen Bora/Jetta V5

The Jetta/Bora in blue
wikipedia.org

Volkswagen was having quite a bit of fun with their VR6 engine during the late 90s and early 2000s. As if sticking it into just about every single one of their and their subsidiaries' cars wasn't enough, they chopped off one of the engine's cylinders, leaving five.

The Jetta/Bora V5 in green
netcarshow.com

This resulted in the V5 and VR5 engines, which found their way into everything from the Mk4 Golf to the Passat, but we're singling out the Jetta here. This 2.3-liter unit made 150 hp, and it was so strangely designed and engineered, mechanics clatter their teeth when they see one. Still, the huge modding potential and incredible exhaust note should more than make up for that.

3 Audi RS3

A red RS3 on the move
autocar.co.uk

Despite emissions regulations getting stricter and stricter globally, Audi is still persistently putting their heroic I5 engine into a few of their RS models. The most notable one of these is the RS3, and to say that it's a pocket rocket would be an understatement.

The Audi RS3 In Gray
Via: Audi.com

The RS3 was forbidden fruit in North America for a while, until the sedan version was officially put on sale in 2018. As mentioned previously, it uses a 2.5 liter turbocharged five-cylinder, which makes a colossal 400 hp. Before the new Mercedes A45 S, this was easily the most powerful hot hatch in history, and Quattro meant that it was one of the best to drive as well.

2 Audi TT RS

A red TT RS on the move
topgear.com

One of Audi's other performance cars to get the I5 TFSI treatment (and one of just three) is the TT RS. The two-seat sports car underdog has been with us for a while now, and with sports car sales declining fast, it's pretty obvious that it'll be killed off soon.

Audi TT RS
Via Audi Media Center

RELATED: 10 Forgotten Facts About The Audi TT RS

The TT RS' engine is identical to that of the RS3, a 2.5-liter TFSI five-cylinder with around 400 hp. Quattro is standard, and so is a 7-speed S-tronic DCT. It's a real shame that Audi will be killing off the TT soon, as most journalists agree that the TT RS' performance begs the question; why would you ever need a supercar?

1 Fiat Stilo Abarth

The front of the Stilo Abarth
not2grand.co.uk

To most people, the Fiat Stilo was a decent, well-rounded family hatchback that was a great success in Europe throughout its 9-year production run. What some may not know is that Fiat put together a hot hatch version of the Stilo, fittingly wearing the Abarth badge.

The rear of the Stilo Abarth
carsot.com

Sadly, the Abarth didn't do much to satisfy the craving for a Golf GTI or Civic Type R, but it was pretty decent. Under the hood was a 2.4-liter 5-cylinder engine, similar to the one found in the Coupe from years prior. In this application, it made 170 hp, which gave the Stilo a surprising amount of speed. Cornering wasn't the greatest, but it was still big fun. Why so high on the list? They're comically cheap on the used market now.

NEXT: 10 Greatest Six-Cylinder Engines Ever Made