BMW N57 vs D5 5 cilindros: which engine is more reliable?

According to our risk index, the D5 5 cilindros carries less risk than the BMW N57: 39/100 (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 D5 5 cilindros has 1 documented serious fault, the main one being «Auxiliary belt breakage that takes the timing with it».

Risk index

BMW N57

Very high risk · 3 serious faults

Risk index

D5 5 cilindros

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 5 October 202613 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 D5 5 cilindros reliable?

Volvo's five-cylinder D5 (2.4 D3/D4/D5 and 2.0 D3/D4) has no documented systemic fault, but it does carry one serious risk: several owners report that a snapped auxiliary belt took the timing belt with it. The rest is EGR, DPF and the odd turbo.^[4][5][6]

See the 4 of the D5 5 cilindros faults

Side-by-side comparison

Comparison of BMW N57 and D5 5 cilindros
Item	BMW N57	D5 5 cilindros
Technical data
Type	Engine	Engine
Fuel	Diesel	Diesel
Displacement	2,993 cm³	2,400 cm³
Timing	Chain	Timing belt (dry)
Power	204–381 hp	126–215 hp
Production	2008–2019^[1][7]	2001–2015^{[8][9][10][11]}
Reliability
Risk index (what is it?)	87Very high risk	39Moderate risk
Documented faults	4	4
Of high or critical severity	3	1
Worst severity	Critical severity	Critical 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	Critical severity: Auxiliary belt breakage that takes the timing with it Medium severity: EGR valve and EGR cooler clogged with carbon Medium severity: Clogged diesel particulate filter (DPF)
Most expensive documented repair	No reliable data	up to €1,400Turbocharger failurePublished figure^[6]
Which versions to buy
BuyRecommended versions	None	None
With cautionVersions to be cautious about	N57D30 204-211 hp, single turbo (U0/UL, 2010-2013)^[3][12] N57D30 245-258 hp, single turbo (O0/O1, 2008-2019)^[3][12] N57D30 299-313 hp twin turbo (T0/T1, 2009-2019)^[12][13]	2.4 D and D5 of 130-163 hp (D5244T, 2001-2009)^[4][5] 2.4 D5 of 175-215 hp and D4 of 181 hp (D5244T4/T10/T11/T14/T15, 2005-2015)^[4][5] 2.0 D3/D4 five-cylinder (D5204T, 2011-2016)^[5][11]
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

D5 5 cilindros

See the 10 models with the D5 5 cilindros

Other comparisons

With the BMW N57

With the D5 5 cilindros

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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
Fiabilidad Volvo S60 (2010-2017): averías y testimoniosFiches-auto.fr · Other source · consulted 5 October 2026 · in French
Fiabilidad Volvo XC60 (2008-2017): averías y testimoniosFiches-auto.fr · Other source · consulted 5 October 2026 · in French
Problemas Volvo XC90 D5Total Renting · General press · consulted 5 October 2026 · in Spanish
BMW N57Wikipedia (alemán) · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
Volvo D5 de 185 CV para S60, V70, XC70 y XC90Autopista · Motoring press · published 27 July 2005 · consulted 5 October 2026 · in Spanish
Volvo V70 (motorizaciones por generación)Wikipedia · Other source · consulted 5 October 2026
Volvo S80 (motorizaciones por generación)Wikipedia · Other source · consulted 5 October 2026
Volvo V60 (motorizaciones de la primera generación)Wikipedia · Other source · consulted 5 October 2026
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