Mercury V6 Four Stroke: you have performance, but keep an eye on fuel consumption

The new Mercury V6 Four Stroke replaces Verado and Optimax models in the 175 to 225 HP range. With many news in technology, performance and look.

At the Brunswick Marine headquarters after the Miami Boat Show there’s innovation in the air: the new Mercury V6 Four Stroke will be available this summer in the 175, 200 and 225 HP powersteps. The engine replaces the two-stroke Optimax and the 4-cylinder Verado supercharged engines in the same power range, despite being naturally aspirated: the supercharger remains only on the 6-cylinder Verados, a choice made to optimize consumption. We tested the new Mercury V6 Four Stroke after the preview in Miami, in the 200 HP version, mounted on a Quicksilver 675 Sundeck.

Mercury V6 Four Stroke: the test

We are in Fiumicino on the coast outside Rome, and the see has suffered a perturbation several days long. Sunny, but with a big swell that forces us to a continuous work on the throttle: good in order to appreciate the reactivity of the engine to the stresses. The Mercury V6 Four Stroke is coupled to a 13.5× 17″ 3-blade Enertia steel propeller, while the reduction ratio is 1.85:1 (13:24).

You need to be really distracted not to appreciate the great response of the engine. A pressure on the single lever is enough to get a gritty reaction, at any rpm, with the feeling of being in command of a much sportier boat than the one we aew actually on. Mercury says that, compared to competitors, acceleration is 18% faster, while the torque is 20% higher: according to our feelings (we can’t make a comparison) it is not hard to believe.

While in navigation, we also appreciate the very quiet ride, despite the power: it will be perfect for long cruising. Adaptive Speed Control has its beneficial effects because we never have to intervene to keep the desired laps. Unfortunately we can’t take the engine to the maximum of its possibilities (5,800 rpm for this powerstep), and we have to trust the results provided by Mercury. Our top with the swell is 5,500 rpm and almost 36 knots.

Mercury V6 Four Stroke: the engine

Having a lighter engine means a better power to weight ratio, better performance and more efficiency, all to the advantage of fuel consumption. There’s four-valve distribution with overhead camshaft, while the shaft is designed to reduce water grip thanks to an accurate hydrodynamic research.

Comfortwise, American engineers invested many hours to reduce noise and vibration of the Mercury V6 3.4L, optimizing the configuration of the assembly system to create a perfect balance. The V-6 geometry is also fundamental in this respect, while the optimization of the ball bearings and of the oil flow reduces friction and the temperature of the oil for an even more efficient operation.

Last but not least, a rather different look, and the chance to choose among different colors: four main colors (Phantom Black, Pearl Fusion White, Warm Fusion White, Cold Fusion White, with the white options only available on the 200 and 225 models) and on top of that the possibility to customize the central part of the grille in four other colors (Pacific Blue, Graphite Gray, Redline Red and Mercury Silver).