1.6 THP engine (EP6): faults and reliability

• 1.6 VTi 120 / 1.6 16v (EP6/EP6C, N12/N16, naturally aspirated)

  2006–2018 · 120 hp · EP6, EP6C, N12, N16

  With caution

  It does not inherit the chain risk documented on the turbo versions, but it shares with the whole Prince family the fragility of the water pump and heat exchanger described by fiches-auto.fr.^[4]

• 1.6 THP medium output (EP6DT/EP6DTS/EP6CDT, N14/N18; 140-190 hp)

  2006–2018 · 140–190 hp · EP6DT, EP6DTS, EP6CDT, N14, N18

  With caution

  Real risk of stretching of the timing chain and tensioner on pre-2012 units, which can be checked by listening to the engine cold and reviewing the service history; it also shares the oil consumption and the high-pressure pump failures documented across the whole turbo family.^[2][3][7]

• 1.6 THP high performance (EP6CDXD/EP6FDTR/EP6CDTR, John Cooper Works N14/N18; 200-270 hp)

  2007–2018 · 200–270 hp · EP6CDXD, EP6FDTR, EP6CDTR, N14, N18

  With caution

  It shares with the rest of the turbo family the chain risk on pre-2012 units, the oil consumption and the high-pressure pump failures; as the highest-output versions, any cooling or lubrication defect is subjected to greater thermal stress.^[2][3][4]

Buy: No known serious faults, or they have already been corrected, in this version. With caution: Worth buying if something specific is verified: history, a replaced part or a completed campaign. Avoid: High risk of a serious fault that is hard to check for or prevent.

1. 1Critical severityFrequency: CommonTimingTiming chain and tensioner stretch (turbo versions, before 2012)Yes: on the turbo versions of the 1.6 THP, built mostly before 2012, the timing chain and its tensioner wear out prematurely; if the chain jumps teeth, the engine can go out of time or seize. BMW, co-designer of the block, issued a technical bulletin on this fault in 2013.
2. 2High severityFrequency: CommonCoolingFragile water pump and heat exchangerYes: both the naturally aspirated 1.6 VTi and the turbo 1.6 THP share, according to fiches-auto.fr, a water pump and a heat exchanger described as fragile; in the most serious cases, the resulting overheating has gone as far as damaging the cylinder head.
3. 3Medium severityFrequency: CommonInjectionHigh-pressure fuel pump (HPFP) failure on the turbo versionsThe high-pressure pump that feeds the direct injection of the turbo (THP) versions can fail. MINI, which uses the same block in the Cooper S, extended the warranty on this part in 2010 to 10 years or 192,000 km for 2007-2009 models in the US, without the need for a recall.
4. 4Medium severityFrequency: CommonLubricationOil consumption on the turbo versionsYes: oil consumption between changes is one of the defects that the French motoring press repeatedly associates with the turbo versions of the 1.6 THP, used by Peugeot, Citroën and MINI. We have not found that PSA or BMW acknowledged a specific campaign or extended warranty for this reason.
5. 5Medium severityFrequency: OccasionalIgnitionSpark plugs and ignition coils that wear out early on the 1.6 THPOn the 1.6 THP turbo a noticeable minority of owners replace spark plugs and coils earlier than expected: fiches-auto.fr records ignition warnings in 12% of opinions on the 200 hp THP. It causes judder and the engine warning light.

Severity colours: low, medium, high, critical. How we rate them

Manufacturer

PSA (Peugeot Citroën) / BMW

Family

Prince (EP6)

Fuel

Petrol

Displacement

1,598 cm³

Cylinders

4

Fuel system

Turbo

Injection

Direct injection

Timing

Chain

Power

120–270 hp

Peak torque

330 Nm

Production

2006–2018

Makes

Peugeot, Citroën, DS and MINI

Technical data^[1][5][6]

1. 2006–2018

   1.6 VTi 120 / 1.6 16v (EP6/EP6C, N12/N16, naturally aspirated)

   Basic naturally aspirated version, with indirect multipoint injection, variable valve timing and up to 120 hp at the top of its range (sold as "VTi 120"); in lower states of tune, depending on market and model, it was simply sold as "1.6 16v", without the VTi suffix. At MINI it is the Cooper (non-S) block, with the designations N12 and, after the 2010-2011 redesign, N16.^{[5][8][9][10]}

2. 2006–2018

   1.6 THP medium output (EP6DT/EP6DTS/EP6CDT, N14/N18; 140-190 hp)

   Intermediate output step of the turbo versions, with direct injection and a turbocharger: it covers everything from the entry-level THP140/150 to the THP175/190 of the MINI Cooper S variants (N14 block and, after the 2010-2011 redesign, N18). This is the output step where the timing chain problem documented by fiches-auto.fr on units built before 2012 is concentrated.^{[1][2][5][8][9][10][11]}

3. 2007–2018

   1.6 THP high performance (EP6CDXD/EP6FDTR/EP6CDTR, John Cooper Works N14/N18; 200-270 hp)

   Highest output step, reserved for the sportiest versions: the Peugeot RCZ and RCZ R, the 308 GTi (both generations), the 208 GTi, the DS3 Performance/Racing, the DS4 200 and the MINI John Cooper Works (N14 block and, after the redesign, N18).^{[5][6][10][12][13][14]}

• Timing chain kit

  • Buy part at Autodoc (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

• Oil filter

  • Buy part at Autodoc (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

• Air filter

  • Buy part at Autodoc (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

• Spark plugs

  • Buy part at Autodoc (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)