A refined dynamic positioning system and bird’s-eye view cameras look to take Volvo Penta’s assisted docking system to full automation in the near future.
more robust materials. New fuel injection and fuel management
systems equals better efficiency, with an updated air cooler and
a redesigned supercharger giving the engines a better power-to-
weight ratio. For an easy repower, both the D4 and D6 blocks
maintain the near-exact footprint and weight of the ones they
will replace.
Following 40,000 hours of testing, the engines have shown to
be more reliable and fuel efficient, with better performance. They
will be more powerful as well, with the 3.7-liter D4 now topping
out at 320 hp and a high rating of 480 hp for the 5.5-liter D6.
Also, expect less maintenance on those engines, with longer pe-
riods between service intervals. For example, the crankcase gas
separator was once a service point with a filter that had to be
changed out; it’s been replaced with a system that lasts the en-
gine’s lifetime. And don’t go looking for that oil dipstick—levels
will now be checked on your MFD. Again, easier boating. Anoth-
er interesting note: Both the D4 and D6 are built at the company’s
Vara engine plant, a carbon-neutral facility.
After multiple land-based presentations, it was time to take on
choppy seas and 30-knot gusts to sea trial the new powerplants
on a variety of vessels: a 33-foot Sargo with twin sterndrives
matched to the largest D4s and a pair of 46-footers from Jean-
neau and Prestige with straight shafts and IPS drives, respectively,
and 480-hp engines. The vessels were a joy to pilot, with pinpoint
control, a fine turn of speed and the ability to get out of the holeand onto plane fast. The Garmin Glass Cockpit helm station dis-
plays were easy to read—all the vital info was there in a sensible
layout. With new, matte gray binnacles and joystick control—the
chrome touches have been updated for a more environmentally
friendly material—and joystick docking and driving, dynamic
positioning and autopilot integration, it certainly should make
boating more accessible and less daunting to someone with less
experience, or for a helmsman in unfamiliar waters.
We also got a glimpse of the future aboard a 68-foot Azimut
equipped with assisted docking, the company’s self-docking sys-
tem. Then a sneak peek—no cameras, please—at an all-electric IPS
drivetrain that will soon undergo extensive testing. The drives are
coupled to a reduction gear, each then connected to two electric
motors, battery banks and a heat exchanger for cooling.
Speaking of testing, an all-electric ferry will be on the water all
summer, serving Gothenburg commuters. It will utilize proven
components from the company’s on-road division, marinized for
the marine segment. With a known route, overnight fast charging
is easier to manage. The company believes that fast charging will
be the last piece of the electrified puzzle, preceded by advances
that they’ve already achieved in hybrid and full-electric power.
The Volvo Penta team assured us that a complete integrated hy-
brid IPS package is coming. They just didn’t tell us when. Backed
by the massive R&D that is the Volvo Group, you can be sure it’s
going to be sooner than later. U33