New! 450 R MERCURY

07/03/2019

Mercury 450R Outboard: Our First Exclusive Tests!

The only French media present at the event, Moteur Boat was able to attend the launch of the latest flagship of the Mercury range. It took place in Nashville, Tennessee, the favorite city of our national Eddy Mitchell! It is the 450R, as in Racing. Barely veiled as a response to the 425 hp XTO launched last year by Yamaha, Mercury raises the bar by adding 25 extra horsepower.

Let's not be mistaken, these are still two outboards with very distinct profiles. The Japanese one is a 5.6-liter V8, designed for heavy loads.
The Mercury is also a V8 but with 4.6 liters and, to our great surprise, a supercharger like the first generation of Verado. A more competition-oriented engine, as its name suggests. It is therefore the same block as the 250-300 hp launched last year, plus the supercharger. The 450R develops 40% more torque than the 400R and weighs only 10 kg more.

It allowed us to reach 53.8 knots aboard the Sea Ray 350 SLX-R in twin-engine configuration and 102 knots aboard an MTI 340 X catamaran also twin-engined… Not bad at all! The Sea Ray thus improves its performance by 7.8 knots compared to tests we conducted with the 400R. We made one last trip aboard a Yellowfin 36 open with 3 x 450 hp. Verdict: 71.2 knots top speed and a cruising speed of 40 knots. The cruising efficiency is less impressive than one might think: 0.32 miles per liter.

The 450R will be marketed with the pleasure boat lower unit we know, called "5.44 HD". Also available will be the Sport Master competition lower unit piercing the surface and designed for boats exceeding 70 knots. The Sport Master is characterized by lower water intakes and a robust 1.25-inch stainless steel propeller shaft.
The curved skeg neutralizes propeller torque for better single-engine performance. All 450R lower units have a gear ratio of 1.60:1 to favor acceleration and speed.

The 450 R will be mounted on a Sea Ray 350 SLX-R during the Yachting Festival in Cannes from September 10 to 15.