TDV6 / SDV6 vs Td5 2.5: which engine is more reliable?

According to our risk index, the Td5 2.5 carries less risk than the TDV6 / SDV6: 29/100 versus 46/100 (both moderate risk). The TDV6 / SDV6 has 2 documented serious faults, the main one being «Crankshaft breakage and spinning main bearing shells»; the Td5 2.5 has 1 documented serious fault, the main one being «Cracked flywheel in the first Td5s (2000 recall)».

Risk index

TDV6 / SDV6

Moderate risk · 2 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 202616 sources How we work

Is the TDV6 / SDV6 reliable?

The Land Rover and Jaguar TDV6/SDV6 diesel V6 engines, shared with Peugeot and Citroën, have a serious documented fault: crankshaft and main bearing shells on the 3.0, and the belt-driven oil pump on the 2.7. Insist on a service history and weigh up the repair cost before buying.^[1][2][3]

See the 3 of the TDV6 / SDV6 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 TDV6 / SDV6 and Td5 2.5
Item	TDV6 / SDV6	Td5 2.5
Technical data
Type	Engine	Engine
Fuel	Diesel	Diesel
Displacement	2,720 cm³	2,495 cm³
Timing	Wet belt (belt-in-oil)	Gears
Power	188–302 hp	122–139 hp
Production	2004–2018^[8]	1998–2007^{[9][10][11][12][13]}
Reliability
Risk index (what is it?)	46Moderate risk	29Moderate risk
Documented faults	3	2
Of high or critical severity	2	1
Worst severity	Critical severity	High severity
Main faults	Critical severity: Crankshaft breakage and spinning main bearing shells Critical severity: Broken oil pump housing and timing belt jumping on the 2.7 Medium severity: Turbo and pneumatic actuator failure on the 3.0 TDV6/SDV6	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	2.7 TDV6 (276DT/DT17, 2004-2010)^[3][14] 3.0 TDV6/SDV6 (306DT, 2009-2018)^[1][2]	Td5 122 hp, 10P engines (Defender, 1998-2002)^[5][6][15] Td5 139 hp (Discovery II, 1998-2004)^[16]
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

TDV6 / SDV6

See the 15 models with the TDV6 / SDV6

Td5 2.5

Other comparisons

With the TDV6 / SDV6

With the Td5 2.5

Compare other engines

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Sources

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

Land Rover Discovery TDV6 engine failures making headlinesLandyOnline · Other source · published October 2015 · consulted 5 October 2026
Land Rover & Jaguar SDV6/TDV6 Crankshaft RepairJLR Engines · Technical documentation · consulted 5 October 2026
Land Rover 2.7 TDV6 Timing Belt Replacement GuideBudget Parts (roverparts.eu) · Technical documentation · consulted 5 October 2026
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
Ford AJD-V6/PSA DT17 engineWikipedia · Other source · consulted 5 October 2026
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
TdV6 Timing BeltLes Richmond Automotive (lrautomotive.com.au) · Technical documentation · consulted 5 October 2026
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