Originally Posted by
ar300johnson
I have had both motors. The E-Tec was a new 2011 with a Lightning 2 gearcase. I swapped the Magnum for the Lightning. The motor was very strong out of the hole and had good mid range performance. Motor cranked first time, idled great, very quiet and relatively trouble free.
I bought a new a new 300 XS to replace the 250 HO. The Mercury has been great. It is strong out of the hole and this motor pulls strong all the way to top speed. Starts first time and runs great.
The Mercury is about 4 MPH faster and gets at least 20% better fuel economy.
If I had to buy a new motor, it would be a 300 XS.