Mk5, compare every engine

All 3 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
1.9 TDI BKC2003–2009105 PS250 Nmdiesel5-sp manual, 6-sp manual, 6-sp wet-clutch DSG/S tronic4.5–6R211€2,000€1,400€4,400€2,000Strong buy
1.4 TSI CAXA2007–2009122 PS200 Nmpetrol6-sp manual, 7-sp dry-clutch DSG/S tronic6.5–8.5R413€2,800€2,400€7,000€3,300Caution
2.0 FSI BLR2004–2008150 PS200 Nmpetrol6-sp manual, 6-sp automatic7.5–9.5R311€2,000€1,800€5,200€2,450Buy with conditions

Issue overlap by engine. The row that decides it

IssueCostBKCCAXABLR
Dry-clutch DSG mechatronic failure€1,200€2,800··
Timing chain tensioner failurewalk away€900€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··
Carbon buildup on intake valves€400€700·
Pump-duse injector loom chafing€150€450··
High-pressure fuel pump cam follower wear€150€400··

Only engine-differentiating issues are listed. 9 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.