Is the S68 reliable?
We rate the S68 66 of 100 for reliability: moderate. The rating is one of the inputs to every Guide Score below, and it is argued for on the method page with the others.
Why that rating
The lit mark is the S68; each grey mark is another engine on the engines page.
The S68 replaced the N63 in the X7 M60i for 2023 and the X5 and X6 M60i for 2024, and the S63 in the X5 M and X6 M for 2024: the same 4.4-liter hot-vee layout, with a cross-bank exhaust manifold, external oil cooling, a reinforced crankshaft drive and a 48-volt mild-hybrid motor in the gearbox.
It is too new to have a record, and no pattern failures had surfaced by 2026, but none of these cars is old enough to show how the heat, the hybrid parts and the electronics age. In August 2026 BMW published a walnut-blasting procedure for carbon on its intake valves (SIB 11 03 26).
Scored just under the S63 until it has a history.
Cars in this guide with the S68
| Car | Years with this engine | Reliability | Guide Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| M5 G90 / G99 | 2025 to 2027 | 72 | 71 (2026) |
| X6 M F96 | 2024 to 2027 | 68 to 70 | 60 (2026) |
| X5 M F95 | 2024 to 2026 | 68 to 70 | 59 (2026) |
| XM G09 | 2023 to 2026 | 66 to 69 | 57 (2026) |
| X5 M50i and M60i G05 | 2024 to 2026 | 63 to 64 | 51 (2026) |
| X7 M50i and M60i G07 | 2023 to 2027 | 62 to 64 | 50 (2026) |
| X6 M50i and M60i G06 | 2024 to 2027 | 63 to 64 | 50 (2026) |
Reliability is each car's score out of 100 for the years it had this engine: the engine rating plus that car's own known problems, service costs and age. The Guide Score is for the car's best year to buy.
Known problems on the S68
| Problem | Named in the guides for | Typical bill |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon buildup on the intake valves | X6 M50i and M60i G06, XM G09, X5 M50i and M60i G05, X7 M50i and M60i G07, M5 G90 / G99 | $1,000 |
Bills are the guides' estimates, not quotes; each car's guide says which model years a problem hits and how to check for it. The bars share one scale, up to the costliest bill here.
Other engines
Every engine we rate, from the most reliable down, is on the engines page.