Luxury Cars Guide
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BMW N63 vs Range Rover V8 (AJ133): The Battle of the Money Pits

Sun Feb 15 2026
Reliability Score: 35 /100

Common Failure Points & Costs

Component Failure Mileage Symptom Est. Cost (USD) Risk Level
Valve Stem Seals 60k - 80k miles BMW: Massive oil smoke after idling. BMW: $4,000 - $8,000 | Range Rover: N/A Critical
Rod Bearings 60k - 100k miles BMW: Engine knock/seizure. BMW: $20,000 (New Engine) | Range Rover: Rare Critical
Timing Chains 60k - 90k miles Chain stretch/slack. BMW: $5,000 | Range Rover: $6,000 Critical
Injectors 50k - 70k miles Misfire, flooding cylinders. BMW: $2,500 (Index 12) | Range Rover: $2,500 High
Battery/Charging Any BMW: Drains battery if not driven daily. BMW: High annoyance | Range Rover: Moderate Medium

Reliability Verdict

This is a race to the bottom. The original BMW N63 (2009-2012) is arguably the worst modern V8 ever made, suffering from thermal suicide. The Range Rover AJ133 is flawed (timing/cooling) but is conceptually sound. The updated BMW N63TU (2013+) is better, but still consumes oil. The Range Rover AJ133 (2016+) is actually the safer bet against a pre-2018 BMW N63.

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BMW N63 vs Range Rover 5.0 SC (AJ133): Pick Your Poison

The BMW N63 (4.4L Twin-Turbo V8) and the Range Rover AJ133 (5.0L Supercharged V8) are the two most infamous engines of the last decade. They are the reason you can buy a $100,000 car for $15,000 ten years later.

Prospective buyers often ask: “Which one is worse?”

This guide breaks down the misery index of owning these two titans of depreciation.

1. The Design Philosophy: Hot V vs Cold V

  • BMW N63 (Hot V): BMW put the turbos inside the valley of the engine to reduce lag.
    • Result: It cooks everything. The injectors, coil packs, vacuum lines, and valve stem seals are baked at 600°F constantly.
  • Range Rover AJ133 (Cold V): The supercharger is on top, but the exhaust is on the outside.
    • Result: It still gets hot (trapped under the supercharger), but not turbo hot. The plastic cooling pipes die, but the core engine seals usually survive longer than BMW’s.

2. The Nightmare Scenarios

BMW N63: Valve Stem Seals

The hot-V design cooks the rubber valve stem seals hard as rock.

  • Symptom: You sit at a stoplight for 30 seconds. You accelerate. A massive cloud of blue smoke covers the intersection.
  • Fix: Engine-out (or special tool) job to replace $40 seals. $6,000 labor.

Range Rover AJ133: Timing Chains

As discussed in our AJ133 Guide, the tensioners fail.

  • Symptom: Rattle on startup.
  • Fix: Engine-front teardown. $6,000 labor.

Compare: Both cost $6k to fix their main issue. But the BMW will also likely need rod bearings and injectors soon.

3. Injector Failures: A Draw

Both engines use early-generation Piezo Direct Injection.

  • BMW: The original injectors leaked so bad they washed oil off the cylinder walls. BMW recalled them (Index 11/12 updates).
  • Range Rover: The porous nozzles seize in the head.
  • Verdict: Tie. Both will cost you $2,500 for a set of injectors eventually.

4. Driving Dynamics

  • BMW N63: Massive torque down low (1,800 rpm). It pulls like a freight train but runs out of breath at the top end (6,500 rpm).
  • Range Rover AJ133: Linear power. It builds torque as revs rise. It screams to 7,000 rpm.

Winner: Range Rover. The throttle response of a supercharger beats a turbo every time.

5. Evolution: Who Fixed It Better?

Both manufacturers tried to fix their mess.

  • BMW:

    • N63 (2009-2012): Garbage. Avoid at all costs.
    • N63TU (2013-2017): Better reliability, but still smokes.
    • N63TU2/3 (2018+): Actually decent.

  • Range Rover:

    • AJ133 (2010-2014): Garbage tensioners.
    • AJ133 (2015+): Updated tensioners. Solid engine aside from coolant pipes.

The Sweet Spot: A 2016 Range Rover is safer than a 2016 BMW 750i. The Range Rover had solved its biggest internal issue (chains) by then. The BMW was still struggling with oil consumption.

6. Buying Advice

If you have $25,000 and want a V8 luxury barge:

  1. Do NOT buy a 2009-2012 BMW 750i / X5 50i. It is effectively a paperweight.
  2. Do NOT buy a 2010-2012 Range Rover unless the chains are done.
  3. Buy a 2016+ Range Rover/Sport. Budget $2,000 for plastic coolant pipes, and enjoy the ride.
  4. Buy a 2018+ BMW M550i. If you can afford the newer entry price, the N63TU2 is a beast.

Winner: Range Rover AJ133. It fails in predictable ways (plastic). The BMW N63 fails in creative, internal, and catastrophic ways.

Expert Buying Advice

If your budget is $20k, buy a Range Rover (AJ133) over a BMW 750i/550i (N63). The Range Rover's failures are external (plastic pipes). The BMW's failures are internal (seals/bearings). Exception: The 2018+ BMW M550i (N63TU2/3) is far superior to both.