AMERICAN marine giant Mercury has continued the trend towards smaller, lighter and more responsive four-stroke outboards with the release in Australia of a range of engines based on a 2.1 litre four cylinder block.
The new engines – which comprise 75, 80, 90, 100 and 115hp classes – are “little brothers” to the popular three-litre 150 FourStroke released by Mercury in 2012.
Mercury said its technicians had produced a compact, low weight package which produced “outstanding” torque.
The engines use a 2.1l four cylinder single overhead cam design to produce up to 23 per cent more power than previous models.
Following the trend towards increased fuel efficiency, Mercury released data showing the new engines achieve up to 14 per cent better fuel use at cruise speeds.
The all new 80hp model is likely to be a popular choice with owners of small to mid size boats.
On water tests conducted by Fishing World in one of the 90hp models fitted to a standard alloy runabout revealed the following data:
RPM LPH
700 1.31
2000 5.5
3000 8
5000 23.8
WOT 32
The 90 and 115hp engines are available with an option “Command Thrust” gearbox, which replaces the previous Big Foot offering. The Command Thrust features a 4.9″ torpedo with a 2.38:1 gear ratio. This allows the engines to be used for larger and heavier boats.
The standard gear box features a 4.2″ diameter and a 2.07:1 ratio plus a hydrodynamic design to increase performance and efficiency.
Cowling of the 115hp model.
On water testing on a range of boats revealed the engines are super quiet with minimal vibration. Performance was solid with the 2.1l block providing plenty of grunt to get the test boats on the plane quickly.
Mercury spokesmen said the engines would be immediately available via the Mercury dealer network. It was expected that pricing would be comparable to previous models in Mercury’s mid-range four-stroke range.
More details available at www.mercurymarine.com.au.
