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| The 300 DF - 4.0 liters of solid power. |
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True Grit: Suzuki 300
You know the old saying: There’s no substitute for displacement. Suzuki agrees, with a line-up that generally depends on displacement – not bolt-ons or computer chips – to maximize the OOMPH factor. They were also the first to bring a 300-hp four-stroke onto the market, and they didn’t skimp on size: the 300 boasts a 245.6 cid, 4.0-liter, 55-degree V-6 under the cowl, and the use of reduction gears at both the crankshaft (1.25:1) and the gearcase (1.66:1) means you can swing big 16” diameter props that are perfect for large, heavy boats. You want more bigger better? Us, too, so we’re happy to report that the alternator also puts out big-league power, at 54 amps. Just one catch. More bigger better costs more bigger, too, and the 300 lists at a hair over 28K.
Do you have to pay for all this power with excessive weight? Heck no—604 to 615 pounds, depending on shaft length (25” and 30” are both available,) may sound like a lot at first, but it’s actually less than some competing 250-hp and 275-hp models.
Big doesn’t have to mean clunky, and with the 300, Suzuki transitioned to a drive-by-wire, friction-free, ECU-controlled system. Power steering, digital instruments, push-button starting, and multiple engine synchronization are all perks. Just how good are these perks? Let me put it this way: The first time I mashed down the throttles on the Pro-Line 29 Grand Sport test boat powered by a new 300, I fell head over heels in love with the effort-free electronics. Shifting is buttery-smooth, they eliminate accidentally shifting through neutral, or feeling endlessly for the detent, and eliminate the need for cable adjustments.
A word to the wise: when you try mashing those throttles, hold on tight. The 300 has neck-snapping acceleration, which is quite surprising for a four-stroke. Is it as fast off the block as a big two would be? Nah, get real. But it is close, and the main mission of this powerplant is propelling jumbo center consoles and expresses, anyway—not sportboats.
Just for the record, the Pro-Line reached a top-end of 60-mph. Suzuki says their newly-designed lower unit gear case boosts speeds because it reduces drag by 18-percent. Another way it delivers more punch is by sucking down the mass-quantities of oxygen needed for 300 horses via a huge 81mm throttle body. All that air is needed because, just as it is with displacement, more air means more power—and more is what the 300 is all about.
Check it out and get more info at www.suzukimarine.com.
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