PERFECT 10

We preview the new Mercury V-10 Verado outboard.

- Charles Plueddeman

The first question we asked about Mercury's V-10 Verado outboards is why a V-10? The answer proved straightforward. By maintaining the 64-degree cylinder angle of the V-8 Verado 250/300 hp motors, Mercury can offer a 350/400 hp V-10 that maintains standard 26-inch multi-engine transom spacing. This eases rigging new boats and repowers. A V-8 with the same 5.7-liter displacement would need to be wider; for example, the 60-degree, 5.6-liter V-8 Yamaha XTO 425 requires 28.5-inch spacing.

Merc's V-10 models herald the retirement of the 19-year-old supercharged 2.6-liter Verado inline-six platform. Mercury now believes that displacement, not supercharging, proves superior for making effective outboard power. The performance we experienced aboard a variety of boats during a press preview verified that axiom. The torque curve feels fat and flat; these motors pull hard through the entire rpm range. This athletic feeling stands in contrast to that of the 2.6-liter 400 hp models, which require 400 more rpm to make peak power as torque tails off in the upper rpm range.

With a 25-inch shaft, the V-10 Verado weighs 709 pounds dry. That's 27 pounds more than the 2.6-liter Verado, but 18 pounds less than a Suzuki DF350, and 243 pounds lighter than Yamaha's 425 XTO.