Mercury goes beyond and introduces the ultimate outboard: Mercury Verado V12 600 features 12 cylinders, 7.6-liter displacement, 600 hp, two-speed transmission, fixed block with rotating stern, double props. Is it an outboard or an alien machine?
This time Mercury has really gone all-in. The new Mercury Verado V12 600 is by far the most innovative outboard motor ever launched, and it’s not some easy enthusiasm. It’s a matter of fact. Ok, we haven’t tested it yet as it’s expected to be introduced to media and public in Summer. But some facts and figures can’t be denied.
First, a quick foreword: nowadays more and more owners of large and heavy boats prefer outboard applications, so Mercury Marine has decided to follow the trend by radically changing the parameters which the segment has maintained so far in the design of outboard engines.
And he did it by creating something truly exceptional, where the powerful cavalry almost comes behind the many innovations that this engine brings. Let’s go through the most important ones, and discover this Verado V12 600.
V12,
7.6-liter block, 600 horsepower
The engine block is naturally aspirated, and this is new as Verados normally have a forced-induction supercharger. The engine sports double camshaft and a segment-first V12-cylinder architecture, which a narrow V angle to reduce external dimensions still with a huge 7.6-liter displacement.
The first outboard ever with two-speed automatic transmission
A two-speed automatic transmission, the first on an outboard, is designed to be smooth and quiet, as by tests where the manufacturer compared the Mercury Verado V12 600 to the 425-hp main competitor (both Suzuki and Yamaha offer such powerstep, but the one used for the comparison is the latter).
Only the lower part of the engine moves. The big, heavy block stays stuck to the transom, while the gearcase steers.
The first gear is 20% lower than the second, which helps delivering all the torque to the propeller and get to plane. Then, thrilling acceleration and a constant delivery of power at all revs optimize top speed and efficiency.
An engine which splits like a dancer: Verado V12 600 has an independent, steerable gearcase
In this case, the idea is to have only the lower part of the engine moving. The big, heavy block stays stuck to the transom, while the gearcase steers. So, when a traditional outboard motor manages to have a maximum steering angle of 30°, the Mercury Verado V12 600 takes this figure up to 45°.
Verado V12 600 steering gearcase Verado V12 600 two-speed Transmission
More, the solution allows to mount the engines on the bow closer together, taking up less space and giving the chance of mounting multiple engines even on boats whose transom has not been designed for such big units.
Contra-rotating propellers
The Mercury Verado V12 600 is equipped with counter-rotating propellers: this means a larger surface to push the water and enough thrust to guarantee fast acceleration to large and heavy boats.
In addition, their grip on the water makes mooring and maneuvering in confined spaces become much easier.
Maintenance intervals
If you think that such load of technology needs extra care, think…twice: Mercury Marine is so confident in the reliability of the Verado 600 that they have doubled the scheduled maintenance intervals. This means a standard service every 200 hours, ans with no need to remove cowling or dry dock the boat. The major maintenance service, on the contrary, happens every 1000 hours.
And for those who don’t need such an engine to impress friends and beholders, but for work purposes, there’s a SeaPro version with the same 7.6 V12 block, detuned to 500 hp to privilege torque and low-rev efficiency.
Watch the full length video by Mercury Marine with all the amazing features of the Verado V12 600
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Discover the Verado V12 600 on Mercury Marine website
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