BMW N57 vs Td5 2.5: which engine is more reliable?

According to our risk index, the Td5 2.5 carries less risk than the BMW N57: 29/100 (moderate risk) versus 87/100 (very high risk). The BMW N57 has 3 documented serious faults, the main one being «EGR cooler leaks with risk of engine fire»; the Td5 2.5 has 1 documented serious fault, the main one being «Cracked flywheel in the first Td5s (2000 recall)».

Risk index

BMW N57

Very high risk · 3 serious faults

Risk index

Td5 2.5

Moderate risk · 1 serious fault

Lower risk

The index (0–100) weights the severity and frequency of the three most serious documented faults. How it is calculated

Reviewed on 2 November 202617 sources How we work

Is the BMW N57 reliable?

The BMW N57 (2008-2019, successor to the M57) is a six-cylinder diesel that is mechanically robust in the basics, but it shares with the N47 and B47 the EGR cooler covered by BMW's service campaign for engine fire risk, and it inherits from the N47 the timing chain at the rear of the block, with wear cases documented mainly from 200,000 km. Without a clear history of these checks, it is worth buying with some caution.^[1][2][3]

See the 4 of the BMW N57 faults

Is the Td5 2.5 reliable?

The Td5 is the 2.5-litre, five-cylinder diesel fitted to the Defender from 1998 to 2007 (and to the Discovery II). Land Rover Hub considers it the best diesel the Defender ever had and as reliable as the Tdi; the documented issues are the flywheel recall on the first Td5s and contamination of the injector wiring.^[4][5][6][7]

See the 2 of the Td5 2.5 faults

Side-by-side comparison

Comparison of BMW N57 and Td5 2.5
Item	BMW N57	Td5 2.5
Technical data
Type	Engine	Engine
Fuel	Diesel	Diesel
Displacement	2,993 cm³	2,495 cm³
Timing	Chain	Gears
Power	204–381 hp	122–139 hp
Production	2008–2019^[1][8]	1998–2007^{[9][10][11][12][13]}
Reliability
Risk index (what is it?)	87Very high risk	29Moderate risk
Documented faults	4	2
Of high or critical severity	3	1
Worst severity	Critical severity	High severity
Main faults	Critical severity: EGR cooler leaks with risk of engine fire Critical severity: Rear timing chain wear High severity: Loss of thrust on twin-turbo versions due to the vacuum circuit or the actuator	High severity: Cracked flywheel in the first Td5s (2000 recall) Medium severity: Injector wiring contamination and Td5 control unit failure
Most expensive documented repair	No reliable data	No reliable data
Which versions to buy
BuyRecommended versions	None	Td5 122 hp, 15P engines (Defender, 2002-2007)^[4][6][7]
With cautionVersions to be cautious about	N57D30 204-211 hp, single turbo (U0/UL, 2010-2013)^[3][14] N57D30 245-258 hp, single turbo (O0/O1, 2008-2019)^[3][14] N57D30 299-313 hp twin turbo (T0/T1, 2009-2019)^[14][15]	Td5 122 hp, 10P engines (Defender, 1998-2002)^[5][6][16] Td5 139 hp (Discovery II, 1998-2004)^[17]
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

BMW N57

See the 10 models with the BMW N57

Td5 2.5

Other comparisons

With the BMW N57

With the Td5 2.5

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Sources

Every fact on this page links to its source. If you find an error, let us know.

BMW N57Wikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026
Motor BMW B47 - Reparación EspecializadaDasercars · Technical documentation · consulted 27 September 2026 · in Spanish
324.000 diésel de BMW tendrán que pasar por el taller en Europa, por un posible riesgo de incendio en la EGRDiariomotor · Motoring press · published 8 August 2018 · consulted 27 September 2026 · in Spanish
Defender Engines ratedLand Rover Hub (Land Rover Monthly) · Motoring press · published 1 January 2018 · consulted 2 November 2026
Land Rover Defender: Engine Flywheel May Fragment (R/2000/038)Car-Recalls.co.uk (reproduce DVSA) · Other source · published 5 June 2000 · consulted 2 November 2026
How to buy a Land Rover 90, 110 & Defender (1983-2016)Haynes Manuals UK · Technical documentation · published January 2017 · consulted 2 November 2026
Land Rover Defender review: common repair issues (AA Mechanic)The AA · Motoring press · consulted 2 November 2026
BMW N57Wikipedia (alemán) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
Land Rover DefenderWikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026
Land Rover DefenderWikipedia (alemán) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
Land Rover DiscoveryWikipedia (alemán) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
Land Rover DiscoveryWikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026
Land Rover DefenderWikipedia (francés) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in French
Motor BMW N57 - Reparación EspecializadaDasercars · Technical documentation · consulted 27 September 2026 · in Spanish
Motor BMW N57: problemas, modelos y qué revisarCarexam · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in Spanish
Land Rover Defender Buying GuideHeritage Parts Centre · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026
Land Rover Discovery: Engine Flywheel May Fragment (R/2000/038)Car-Recalls.co.uk (reproduce DVSA) · Other source · published 5 June 2000 · consulted 2 November 2026