Fishing Monthly Magazine publisher, tournament angler and content creator, Steve Morgan recently conducted a thorough test of Mercury’s latest 25hp tiller FourStroke outboard, comparing it against its predecessor.
Steve wanted to evaluate various aspects of the new outboard, including its top-end speed, acceleration, ergonomics and the advantages offered by its redesigned tiller handle.
Tested on identical Quintrex F390 Explorers, the new 25hp outboard showcased some notable improvements.
Weighing in at 63kg, it was 10kg lighter than the older model, which tipped the scales at 73kg.
Additionally, the new outboard featured a slightly smaller engine capacity of 500cc compared to the older model’s 520cc engine.
“Both were able to reach a max speed of 46km/h, but the new Mercury proved to be slightly quicker out of the hole,” Steve said.
“That’s a great performance for a motor which is over 10kg lighter than its predecessor.
“Mercury has a history of releasing outboards that swiftly overshadow their predecessors and this latest release is no different.”
The new outboard features the advanced Mercury tiller, identical to the one featured on the 15hp and 20hp models. Steve praised its user-friendly design, noting its adaptability to cater to the driver’s preferences and needs.
“The new motor I found a lot easier to tilt up thanks to the tiller, I could lift the tilt arm and use that as a lever so the motor would tilt up, while I found with the older outboard my whole body weight had to be deployed to pull it up,” Steve said.
“One of the main design advantages of this tiller is its adjustability, the fact that I can drive it either left or right-handed and offset it depending on what side I want to drive on the boat.
“The fact that it has a really big gear shift lever, it provides me with a solid grip and makes shifting between them seamless as I can even feel when it’s in between gears, which is incredibly helpful.
“It has the tension knob which is easily adjustable so that I can set it to the tension that is easy for me to drive when I am on the water.”
Steve was particularly impressed by the new mounts for the 25hp, which offered enhanced stability. Additionally, he found the extensive customisation options for the outboard to be a standout feature, coupled with its sleek design.
“The new mounts on this motor reduce the harshness, vibration and improve that overall customer experience,” Steve said.
“Once the motor is customised to your settings you are going to find that it is quite easy and very nice to drive.”
Not only is the 25hp FourStroke turning heads among boaters like Steve, but the new 30hp FourStroke is also making waves, with the outboards emerging as top sellers in their categories.
“Since introduction we have seen steady sales growth of this new platform – in both 25hp and 30hp models,” Mercury Outboard Product Manager Sean Bell said.
“In fact, we have just added some additional variants, due to the increased interest and demand.
“These engines are quickly becoming the best selling models in their category across Australia and New Zealand.”
Learn about the Mercury 25hp FourStroke here and hear about Steve’s experience testing it out here.
