M50 and M52 vs 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT: which engine is more reliable?
According to our risk index, the 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT carries less risk than the M50 and M52: 23/100 (low risk) versus 52/100 (high risk). The M50 and M52 has 2 documented serious faults, the main one being «Cooling system failure (expansion tank, thermostat, pump and radiator)»; the 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT has no documented serious faults.
The index (0–100) weights the severity and frequency of the three most serious documented faults. How it is calculated
Is the M50 and M52 reliable?
The M52 and its predecessor the M50 are six-cylinder petrol engines that the sources describe as durable: Enginescope considers 300,000 km routine with the cooling circuit looked after. Watch the plastic cooling parts, VANOS, crankcase ventilation and oil leaks and, in the aluminium-block M52s built from 1995 to March 1998, cylinder wear caused by sulphur (Nikasil).[1][2][3]
See the 5 of the M50 and M52 faultsIs the 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT reliable?
The Suzuki 1.2 VVT and 1.2 Dualjet (K12B/K12C/K12M) is a naturally aspirated petrol engine with a timing chain and indirect injection, fitted since 2008 to the Splash, Swift, Ignis and Baleno, with an SHVS mild-hybrid variant since 2016. It is reliable: there is no serious documented fault with the engine block itself; the main points are a clutch that wears out sooner than expected on some cars and two SHVS recalls that have already been resolved.[4][5][6][7][8]
See the 5 of the 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT faultsSide-by-side comparison
| Item | M50 and M52 | 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT |
|---|---|---|
| Technical data | ||
| Type | Engine | Engine |
| Fuel | Petrol | Petrol |
| Displacement | — | — |
| Timing | Chain | Chain |
| Power | 150–193 hp | 82–92 hp |
| Production | 1990–2001[9][10][11][12] | since 2008[4][5] |
| Reliability | ||
| Risk index (what is it?) | 52High risk | 23Low risk |
| Documented faults | 5 | 5 |
| Of high or critical severity | 2 | 0 |
| Worst severity | Critical severity | Medium severity |
| Main faults |
|
|
| Most expensive documented repair | No reliable data | No reliable data |
| Which versions to buy | ||
| BuyRecommended versions | None | |
| With cautionVersions to be cautious about |
| None |
| AvoidVersions to avoid | None | None |
Severity of each fault: green, low; amber, medium; red, high; dark red, critical. How we rate them
Cars that each one is fitted to
Other comparisons
With the M50 and M52
- M50 and M52 vs 1.2 PureTech
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0 PureTech
- M50 and M52 vs 1.2 and 1.4 TSI
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0 TSI / 1.5 TSI
- M50 and M52 vs 1.2 TCe
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0 EcoBoost
- M50 and M52 vs 1.3 TCe
- M50 and M52 vs 1.6 EcoBoost
- M50 and M52 vs 2.0 TSI / TFSI
- M50 and M52 vs Audi 3.0 TFSI V6
- M50 and M52 vs 2.4, 2.8 and 3.0 V6 30v
- M50 and M52 vs BMW B38 / B37
- M50 and M52 vs BMW B48 / B38
- M50 and M52 vs BMW B58
- M50 and M52 vs M43 1.6, 1.8 and 1.9
- M50 and M52 vs BMW M54
- M50 and M52 vs M60 and M62
- M50 and M52 vs BMW N13
- M50 and M52 vs BMW N20
- M50 and M52 vs N42 and N45 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0
- M50 and M52 vs BMW N43/N46
- M50 and M52 vs BMW N52 / N53
- M50 and M52 vs BMW N54/N55
- M50 and M52 vs BMW N62 / N63
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4 Fire
- M50 and M52 vs 1.4 T-Jet
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0 T3 and 1.3 T4 FireFly Turbo
- M50 and M52 vs 0.9 TwinAir and 1.0/1.3 FireFly
- M50 and M52 vs 1.5 EcoBoost
- M50 and M52 vs 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT
- M50 and M52 vs 2.0 EcoBoost
- M50 and M52 vs 2.3 EcoBoost
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0-1.6 8v Endura-E, Duratec 8v and RoCam
- M50 and M52 vs 1.8 and 2.0 Zetec-E
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0 and 1.2 de 3 cilindros (Onix and Tracker)
- M50 and M52 vs 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II
- M50 and M52 vs 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC
- M50 and M52 vs 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 8V (Family 1)
- M50 and M52 vs Family II 2.0 and 2.4 gasolina
- M50 and M52 vs 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.8 i-VTEC
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0 / 1.5 VTEC Turbo
- M50 and M52 vs 2.0 / 2.4 i-VTEC
- M50 and M52 vs Honda e:HEV / i-MMD
- M50 and M52 vs Honda IMA híbrido
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0 T-GDI
- M50 and M52 vs 1.6 GDI / T-GDI
- M50 and M52 vs 1.6 GDi híbrido (Kappa)
- M50 and M52 vs 1.3, 1.4 and 1.6 Alpha
- M50 and M52 vs 1.8 / 2.0 Beta II
- M50 and M52 vs V6 Delta 2.5 and 2.7 (Hyundai-Kia)
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0 and 1.1 Epsilon
- M50 and M52 vs 1.4 / 1.6 MPI Gamma
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0 / 1.25 MPi
- M50 and M52 vs 1.8 / 2.0 Nu
- M50 and M52 vs Smartstream 1.6 T-GDi
- M50 and M52 vs 2.0 / 2.4 GDI and T-GDI (Theta II)
- M50 and M52 vs 2.0 and 3.0 Ingenium gasolina
- M50 and M52 vs 2.3 MZR DISI Turbo
- M50 and M52 vs MZR gasolina
- M50 and M52 vs Skyactiv-G
- M50 and M52 vs M111
- M50 and M52 vs M112 / M113
- M50 and M52 vs M264/M254
- M50 and M52 vs M266 (1.5, 1.7, 2.0 and 2.0 Turbo)
- M50 and M52 vs M260
- M50 and M52 vs M271
- M50 and M52 vs M272/M273
- M50 and M52 vs M270/M274
- M50 and M52 vs M276
- M50 and M52 vs 1.5 VTi-TECH / T-GDI
- M50 and M52 vs MIVEC gasolina
- M50 and M52 vs Mitsubishi PHEV
- M50 and M52 vs 1.6 DIG-T
- M50 and M52 vs 1.5 VC-Turbo e-Power
- M50 and M52 vs 1.2 HR12DE and 1.2 DIG-S (HR12DDR)
- M50 and M52 vs 2.0 MR20DE / 2.5 QR25DE
- M50 and M52 vs 1.5/1.6/1.8 QG
- M50 and M52 vs 1.6 16v HR16DE / H4M
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec
- M50 and M52 vs 1.4 Turbo
- M50 and M52 vs 1.6 and 1.8 Ecotec 16v
- M50 and M52 vs 2.2 Ecotec gasolina
- M50 and M52 vs 1.4/1.6/1.8 Ecotec 16V (primera generación)
- M50 and M52 vs Porsche MA1 / 9A1
- M50 and M52 vs Porsche M96/M97
- M50 and M52 vs Porsche V8 and V6 (Cayenne and Panamera)
- M50 and M52 vs 1.4 and 1.6 TU3/TU5
- M50 and M52 vs 1.4/1.6 VTi
- M50 and M52 vs 1.6 THP
- M50 and M52 vs 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW7/EW10/EW12
- M50 and M52 vs 1.8 and 2.0 XU
- M50 and M52 vs 0.9 TCe
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0 SCe (B4D)
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0 TCe / SCe
- M50 and M52 vs 1.4 and 1.6 8v
- M50 and M52 vs 1.8 TCe
- M50 and M52 vs 1.2 16v
- M50 and M52 vs 1.2 8v
- M50 and M52 vs E-Tech Híbrido
- M50 and M52 vs 2.0 16v F4R and F4RT
- M50 and M52 vs 1.4 and 1.6 16v
- M50 and M52 vs Rover K-Series
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0 and 1.4 Boosterjet
- M50 and M52 vs 1.5 K15B (Jimny)
- M50 and M52 vs 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6 gasolina (serie M)
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0 VVT-i
- M50 and M52 vs 1.2 Turbo
- M50 and M52 vs 1.33 Dual VVT-i
- M50 and M52 vs 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 VVT-i
- M50 and M52 vs 1.5 Hybrid
- M50 and M52 vs 1.6 Dual VVT-i
- M50 and M52 vs 1.8 Hybrid
- M50 and M52 vs 2.7 and 4.0 gasolina (2TR-FE and 1GR-FE)
- M50 and M52 vs 2.0 and 2.4 VVT-i
- M50 and M52 vs 2.0 and 2.5 Hybrid
- M50 and M52 vs Volvo 5 cilindros gasolina
- M50 and M52 vs Drive-E gasolina
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0 MPI
- M50 and M52 vs 1.2 12V
- M50 and M52 vs 1.4 16v and 1.6 FSI
- M50 and M52 vs 1.8 T 20v
- M50 and M52 vs 2.0 FSI
- M50 and M52 vs VW 2.0 TFSI EA113
- M50 and M52 vs 2.3 VR5 (V5)
- M50 and M52 vs 1.0, 1.4 and 1.6 8v EA111
- M50 and M52 vs 1.6 and 2.0 8v EA827
- M50 and M52 vs VR6
With the 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.2 PureTech
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0 PureTech
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.2 and 1.4 TSI
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0 TSI / 1.5 TSI
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.2 TCe
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0 EcoBoost
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.3 TCe
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.6 EcoBoost
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 2.0 TSI / TFSI
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs Audi 3.0 TFSI V6
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 2.4, 2.8 and 3.0 V6 30v
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs BMW B38 / B37
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs BMW B48 / B38
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs BMW B58
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs M43 1.6, 1.8 and 1.9
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs BMW M54
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs M60 and M62
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs BMW N13
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs BMW N20
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs N42 and N45 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs BMW N43/N46
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs BMW N52 / N53
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs BMW N54/N55
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs BMW N62 / N63
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4 Fire
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.4 T-Jet
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0 T3 and 1.3 T4 FireFly Turbo
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 0.9 TwinAir and 1.0/1.3 FireFly
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.5 EcoBoost
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 2.0 EcoBoost
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 2.3 EcoBoost
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0-1.6 8v Endura-E, Duratec 8v and RoCam
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.8 and 2.0 Zetec-E
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0 and 1.2 de 3 cilindros (Onix and Tracker)
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 8V (Family 1)
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs Family II 2.0 and 2.4 gasolina
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.8 i-VTEC
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0 / 1.5 VTEC Turbo
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 2.0 / 2.4 i-VTEC
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs Honda e:HEV / i-MMD
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs Honda IMA híbrido
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0 T-GDI
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.6 GDI / T-GDI
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.6 GDi híbrido (Kappa)
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.3, 1.4 and 1.6 Alpha
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.8 / 2.0 Beta II
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs V6 Delta 2.5 and 2.7 (Hyundai-Kia)
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0 and 1.1 Epsilon
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.4 / 1.6 MPI Gamma
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0 / 1.25 MPi
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.8 / 2.0 Nu
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs Smartstream 1.6 T-GDi
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 2.0 / 2.4 GDI and T-GDI (Theta II)
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 2.0 and 3.0 Ingenium gasolina
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 2.3 MZR DISI Turbo
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs MZR gasolina
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs Skyactiv-G
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs M111
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs M112 / M113
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs M264/M254
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs M266 (1.5, 1.7, 2.0 and 2.0 Turbo)
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs M260
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs M271
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs M272/M273
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs M270/M274
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs M276
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.5 VTi-TECH / T-GDI
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs MIVEC gasolina
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs Mitsubishi PHEV
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.6 DIG-T
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.5 VC-Turbo e-Power
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.2 HR12DE and 1.2 DIG-S (HR12DDR)
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 2.0 MR20DE / 2.5 QR25DE
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.5/1.6/1.8 QG
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.6 16v HR16DE / H4M
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.4 Turbo
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.6 and 1.8 Ecotec 16v
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 2.2 Ecotec gasolina
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.4/1.6/1.8 Ecotec 16V (primera generación)
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs Porsche MA1 / 9A1
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs Porsche M96/M97
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs Porsche V8 and V6 (Cayenne and Panamera)
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.4 and 1.6 TU3/TU5
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.4/1.6 VTi
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.6 THP
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW7/EW10/EW12
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.8 and 2.0 XU
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 0.9 TCe
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0 SCe (B4D)
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0 TCe / SCe
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.4 and 1.6 8v
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.8 TCe
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.2 16v
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.2 8v
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs E-Tech Híbrido
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 2.0 16v F4R and F4RT
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.4 and 1.6 16v
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs Rover K-Series
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0 and 1.4 Boosterjet
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.5 K15B (Jimny)
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6 gasolina (serie M)
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0 VVT-i
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.2 Turbo
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.33 Dual VVT-i
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 VVT-i
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.5 Hybrid
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.6 Dual VVT-i
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.8 Hybrid
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 2.7 and 4.0 gasolina (2TR-FE and 1GR-FE)
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 2.0 and 2.4 VVT-i
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 2.0 and 2.5 Hybrid
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs Volvo 5 cilindros gasolina
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs Drive-E gasolina
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0 MPI
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.2 12V
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.4 16v and 1.6 FSI
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.8 T 20v
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 2.0 FSI
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs VW 2.0 TFSI EA113
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 2.3 VR5 (V5)
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.0, 1.4 and 1.6 8v EA111
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs 1.6 and 2.0 8v EA827
- 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT vs VR6
Compare other engines
Sources
Every fact on this page links to its source. If you find an error, let us know.
- BMW 3 Series E36 320i (M52B20): reliabilityEnginescope · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026
- BMW M52 reliabilityAutoscore · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026
- BMW M52 Engine: Performance, Reliability, and TuningBMWBlog · Motoring press · consulted 2 November 2026
- Suzuki motor KWikipedia · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026 · in Spanish
- Suzuki K engineWikipedia · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026
- Suzuki Swift (NZ) – Typische Probleme & SchwachstellenGebrauchtwagenberater.de · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
- Suzuki Splash (2008–2014) – Bekannte Probleme & KrankheitenGebrauchtwagenberater.de · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
- Suzuki Ignis (MF, ab 2016) – Bekannte Probleme & SchwachstellenGebrauchtwagenberater.de · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
- BMW M52Wikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026
- BMW M52Wikipedia (alemán) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- BMW M50Wikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026
- BMW M50Wikipedia (alemán) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- Suzuki Ignis : avis, qualités et défauts des propriétairesFiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French
- Suzuki Swift 2 : avis, qualités et défauts des propriétairesFiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French
- BMW M50 / M52: problemas conocidosEnginescope · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026
- Der BMW M50 Motor: Technische Daten, Probleme, Haltbarkeit & FahrzeuglisteCarWiki.de · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- BMW Z3 Reliability Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before BuyingEuro Premium Parts · Technical documentation · consulted 2 November 2026