Mercury releases new lightweight 3.4L V6

[Brad Zastrow]

Interesting that Mercury released a new V6 475 pound four-stroke 3.4L engine line up. With horsepower of 175, 200 and 225. Lighter than the 3L two stroke and the 4-cylinder Verado. I do not see a version with a Sportmaster as it seems to be for the fishing/pontoon boat crowd. Maybe with time Mercury Racing might get in the mix with a Sportmaster lower unit and maybe a little more power. Another home run for Mercury. I am sure the haters will jump on this.

[Greg G]

NEW MERCURY V6 FOUR-STROKE OUTBOARD MOTORS INTRODUCED

The big news from the Miami International Boat Show is the introduction of 175 horsepower, 200 horsepower, and 225 horsepower versions of a new V6 Mercury Four Stroke outboard engine, complementing its line of Mercury Verado outboard engines. While the supercharged Verado line has grown ever larger, with versions now hitting the 350 horsepower mark and even 400 horses in a Mercury Racing version, the Four Stroke line has moved in to cover lower power ranges including 75 to 150 hp. Pro Four Stroke models in the 200 to 300 horsepower range are, like the Verado, supercharged. But this new 3.4L platform features a naturally-aspirated powerhead.

The 200 horsepower dual overhead cam four-valve design weighs in at a surprisingly svelte 475 pounds, (for a point of comparison the next lightest 200 hp powerplant is the 2.8L in-line-4 Yamaha F200, at 487 pounds,) and Mercury claims best-in-class acceleration, 20-percent more torque, and five to 15-percent fuel economy advantages at cruise over the nearest competitors. While we haven’t yet had the opportunity to put these claims to the test on the water, if true they certainly are eye-opening.

To date in all the recent outboard testing we’ve done the fuel economy winner had been the Evinrude G2 line, which tends to turn in efficiency figures 10 to 15 percent better than most similarly sized four-strokes. However, we note Mercury’s specific use of the term “cruise” when applied to fuel economy; reasonable arguments can be made that cruising rpm could be anywhere from 3000 to 4500 rpm, and obviously, different engines will offer peak economy at different points through that range. We’ll be looking forward to running some on-the-water comparisons and will report back, once we’ve been able to gather figures for the different outboards on equal platforms. These new Mercs also offer a wide range of options including mechanical or digital controls, hydraulic or power steering, and multiple colors and accent panels. They feature a port on top for easy oil checks without having to remove the cowl, which is an excellent idea and should encourage regular checks by users. An idle charge battery management system keeps you from sucking out all the juice out of the batteries while idling with major electronics up and running (net charging output 20 amps at 650 rpm), and “Advanced Speed Control” maintains RPM through varying loads and conditions.

Mercury is putting the MSRP at $17,425, although this will obviously vary with differing options. Still, this is an attractive starting point and will make the new 3.4L V6 an interesting option for a wide range of fishing boat owners.

[Chaz]

, I'm pretty sure they already had a 175 HP / V-6 / four stroke.

They weigh them with no / oil in the crankcase / no oil in the lower unit / no cowl in place / no adapter harness installed. So it may be a bit pre-mature to say they are lighter than a 3.0L two-stroke ... in real life.

However, I have no doubt the nut-swangers will jump all over this ..

Chaz = wunderin, how many from this site have put their orders in ..

[XstreamVking]

Order now and get it when hell freezes over, just like the new bronco's.... All the big co's are a mess.

[Brad Zastrow]

Merc makes an inline 4 cyl and inline 6 four strokes in that category. Now they make a V6. Lightest in its class. By the way the two strokes racing engines are also weighed w/o oil including the tank of oil in the boat you need and the trim pump. But go ahead and get personal ie: calling me Bradley. I go by the name Brad. I knew this post would get the nay-sayers going. LOL. The technology is just getting better and better. All good for the sport we love.

[Speed Jr.]

Its a great mid sized platform. They managed to get a 3.4L 4 stroke to weigh less than the 3.4L 2 strokes (Etec G1's) I've been running the past 10 years. Kudos to Mercury. Let's hope they get them supply chain issues under control so we can get more of them on the water.

Jr.

[XstreamVking]

I think it's great they are making a lighter wt v-6. It's a step in the right direction. Getting one on the other hand?

[aj06bolt12r]

If they make them available with a sporty and good warranty I'm sure they will sell. Especially if they can be "tuned" like the SHO Yamaha offering if your not worried about warranty.

[kct11]

2018 they released a 3.4 v6
https://youtu.be/jERgxYDvvfk

[Brad Zastrow]

Interesting. So, they have been out for a while. The first I heard of them was as a new release at the Miami Boat show last week.

[Dave S]

I hate these new newfangleed 4 stroke motors.......Where did I put my Mark 20..... I will show Em'..... if some one will pull start it fo Me..... my bones are not up to it..................Hater

[Ziemer]

Interesting. So, they have been out for a while. The first I heard of them was as a new release at the Miami Boat show last week.

Yeah, I think that's an old article you found.

However, been saying it for a little while... The mids (CMS Style) are identical between the 3.4 and 4.6 V8's, therefore a sporty from a 300R will bolt right up to the V6. I think JPEROG was doing one on his son's STV.

[22R]

I still prefer the ease and sound of my old 2 stroke but since they are not making them anymore, I am glad that the newer motors are finally getting to a weight that may work on our 20 foot Ally's so we may have an option if we chose to go that route. I hope they sell alot to the repower market when things get back to normal.

22R

[mr fun]

Kinda like Vladamer Pooten is running Mercury

[Greg G]

What we do know is that there is a "small light" at the end of the tunnel. The 200 APX which is based on the 3.4 V6 has been running stronger times then the Gen II ROS 200XS. That means the 3.4 is making about 245 hp because that is what the Gen II 200XS 2.5 made on the dyno.

If Mercury can/would take that and bolt on a Sporty and offer maybe two or three years of warranty it would certainly be interesting as a 225 R motor.
I would think that a true scale weight with cowl and all the rest should be slightly below 500lbs, maybe even 460 pounds if they offered a lightweight cowl. The cowl on the 300R weighs 33 pounds and the V8 motor in 3 ram Sporty config weighs a total of 561 lbs with cowl and oil.

I think it boils down to "it's all we got" to look forward to