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TDV6 / SDV6 vs 1.6 CDTI: which engine is more reliable?

According to our risk index, the 1.6 CDTI carries less risk than the TDV6 / SDV6: 36/100 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 1.6 CDTI has 1 documented serious fault, the main one being «Noise and early wear of the timing chain and its tensioner».

Risk index

TDV6 / SDV6

46

Moderate risk · 2 serious faults

Risk index

1.6 CDTI

36

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

14 sourcesHow 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 1.6 CDTI reliable?

The Opel/Vauxhall 1.6 CDTI (2013-2020, 95-160 hp) has no design fault acknowledged by the manufacturer, but it has built up reports of early wear of the timing chain and its tensioner, two episodes (2016 and 2018) of German investigation into a possible EGR valve shut-off, and AdBlue system faults on its Euro 6 versions.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

See the 3 of the 1.6 CDTI faults

Side-by-side comparison

Comparison of TDV6 / SDV6 and 1.6 CDTI
TDV6 / SDV61.6 CDTI
Technical data
TypeEngineEngine
FuelDieselDiesel
Displacement2,720 cm³1,598 cm³
TimingWet belt (belt-in-oil)Chain
Power188–302 hp95–160 hp
Production2004–2018[11]2013–2020[4][12]
Reliability
Risk index (what is it?)46Moderate risk36Moderate risk
Documented faults33
Of high or critical severity21
Worst severityCritical severityHigh severity
Main faults
  1. Critical severity: Crankshaft breakage and spinning main bearing shells
  2. Critical severity: Broken oil pump housing and timing belt jumping on the 2.7
  3. Medium severity: Turbo and pneumatic actuator failure on the 3.0 TDV6/SDV6
  1. High severity: Noise and early wear of the timing chain and its tensioner
  2. Medium severity: Suspected software shut-off of the EGR valve (emissions investigation)
  3. Medium severity: AdBlue (SCR) system failure on Euro 6 versions
Most expensive documented repairNo reliable dataup to €2,000AdBlue (SCR) system failure on Euro 6 versionsPublished figure[10][13]
Which versions to buy
BuyRecommended versionsNoneNone
With cautionVersions to be cautious about
  • 2.7 TDV6 (276DT/DT17, 2004-2010)[3][14]
  • 3.0 TDV6/SDV6 (306DT, 2009-2018)[1][2]
  • 1.6 CDTI 95 hp (B16DTE/B16DTU, 2014-2018)[8][9]
  • 1.6 CDTI 108-110 hp (B16DTL/B16DTN/B16DTU/D16DTI, 2014-2019)[9]
  • 1.6 CDTI 120-122 hp (B16DTJ/B16DTC, 2014-2018)[5][6][7]
  • 1.6 CDTI Turbo ecoFLEX 134-136 hp (B16DTH, 2013-2020)[5][9]
  • 1.6 BiTurbo CDTI ecoFLEX 150-160 hp (B16DTR/D16DTR, 2015-2019)[8][12]
AvoidVersions to avoidNoneNone

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 14 models with the TDV6 / SDV6

1.6 CDTI

See the 7 models with the 1.6 CDTI

Other comparisons

With the TDV6 / SDV6

With the 1.6 CDTI

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.

  1. Land Rover Discovery TDV6 engine failures making headlinesLandyOnline · Other source · published October 2015 · consulted 5 October 2026
  2. Land Rover & Jaguar SDV6/TDV6 Crankshaft RepairJLR Engines · Technical documentation · consulted 5 October 2026
  3. Land Rover 2.7 TDV6 Timing Belt Replacement GuideBudget Parts (roverparts.eu) · Technical documentation · consulted 5 October 2026
  4. GM Medium Diesel engineWikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026
  5. Opel, acusada de desconectar la válvula EGR de su modelo Zafira ¿aumentando las emisiones de NOx?Motorpasión · Motoring press · published 19 May 2016 · consulted 27 September 2026 · in Spanish
  6. Opel está de nuevo en el punto de mira por las emisiones con 60.000 coches afectadosMotorpasión · Motoring press · published 16 July 2018 · consulted 27 September 2026 · in Spanish
  7. La Fiscalía alemana registra las instalaciones de Opel en el marco de una investigación sobre emisionesMotorpasión · Motoring press · published 15 October 2018 · consulted 27 September 2026 · in Spanish
  8. Fiabilité Opel Astra 5 (K) - avis et pannes des propriétairesFiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French
  9. Fiabilité Opel Mokka X - avis et pannes des propriétairesFiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French
  10. El aditivo de AdBlue que debes usar para evitar una reparación de 2.000 euros en tu coche diéselAutopista.es · Motoring press · published 1 April 2026 · consulted 27 September 2026 · in Spanish
  11. Ford AJD-V6/PSA DT17 engineWikipedia · Other source · consulted 5 October 2026
  12. Opel Astra KWikipedia (alemán) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
  13. Twin dosing en diésel: el fallo que dispara una avería de más de 1.000 euros en el tallerMotor16 · Motoring press · published 22 September 2026 · consulted 27 September 2026 · in Spanish
  14. TdV6 Timing BeltLes Richmond Automotive (lrautomotive.com.au) · Technical documentation · consulted 5 October 2026