5L, compare every engine

All 2 variants in this chassis on one screen. Identical body, identical electronics, identical suspension. Everything below is a consequence of which engine is in the bay.

Full comparison

VariantYearsPowerTorqueFuelTransmissionsEconomyRiskIssuesWorst single repairBandGood buyVerdict
1.4 TSI CAXA2009–2017122 PS200 Nmpetrol6-sp manual, 7-sp dry-clutch DSG/S tronic7.5–9R46€2,800€5,000€13,650€6,500Buy with conditions
2.0 TDI CBAB2009–2017140 PS320 Nmdiesel6-sp manual, 6-sp wet-clutch DSG/S tronic6–7.5R36€3,000€5,500€14,700€7,150Buy

Issue overlap by engine. The row that decides it

IssueCostCAXACBAB
Oil-pump balance-shaft drive failurewalk away€700€3,000·
Dry-clutch DSG mechatronic failure€1,200€2,800·
Timing chain tensioner failurewalk away€900€1,800·
DPF clogging and forced regeneration€250€1,800·
Timing chain and tensioner wear (1.4 TSI)walk away€700€1,600·
DQ250 wet-clutch DSG mechatronic and service neglect€700€1,500·
EGR cooler leak€400€1,000·
Carbon buildup on intake valves€400€700·

Only engine-differentiating issues are listed. 2 further issues apply to every engine in this chassis. Cooling, electrics, suspension and the gearbox, and are on the chassis page.

Cross-chassis comparison

To compare against a different chassis: an E92 335i against an E90 330d, say, use the general comparison tool, which takes up to four variants from anywhere in the database and encodes them in the URL so the comparison can be shared.