BMW produces the M57 diesel engine. It is a turbocharged, common-rail, straight-six engine developed by BMW and produced from 1998 to 2013, primarily at BMW’s engine plant in Steyr, Austria.
The M57 evolved from BMW’s M51 diesel and was used in a wide range of models, including the 3 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series, X3 and X5. Depending on version, it displaced about 2.5 or 3.0 liters and used single or twin turbochargers. Later versions adopted revised blocks, higher injection pressures and other updates under BMW’s TÜ and TÜ2 designations.
The engine is sometimes confused with diesel units from Audi, Volkswagen or Mercedes-Benz because all three German manufacturers produced prominent straight-four and straight-six diesels. However, M57 is BMW’s own engine designation. Its successor was the N57, which continued BMW’s inline-six diesel tradition with newer technology and emissions systems.