NEW FEATURES
Improvements to the joystick functions include
the addition of a holding station feature on
sterndrive applications (previously only on IPS)
and a driving mode that allows you to steer
the boat at speed using the joystick rather than
the wheel. The throttle controls have also been
upgraded with buttons for the low speed
trolling and joystick driving modes as well as
a new gunmetal fi nish.
ON THE WATER
Volvo laid on a quartet of boats for us to test
the new engines and drives on the water;
a Jeanneau Leader 46 on twin D6-440s with
DPI drives; a Sargo 33 with D4-320s also on
DPI drives, a Galeon 435 with D6-480s on
shafts and a Prestige 460 Fly with IPS650 pods.
By far the most noticeable improvement on
both sterndrive boats was the slicker gear
engagement. Instead of the usual half second
delay followed by a noticeable thunk and
judder from the drivetrain it’s now so subtle
that I had to double check whether it really
was in gear.
As before the six-cylinder D6 is considerably
smoother than the lumpier D4 (in-line sixes are
inherently better balanced than straight fours)
but without a back-to-back comparison of old
and new it’s hard to say whether there is any
overall improvement in noise and vibration.
The handover from supercharger to
turbocharger seems a little smoother
(although the supercharger whine is still quite
apparent under full load) and the extra power
and acceleration from the uprated engines
was enough to make a difference.The Leader 46 reached 35.1 knots with the new
440s compared to 34.0 knots during our
original test of the boat with 435hp IPS600s.
Not surprisingly the joystick manoeuvring
system proved less effective on the Leader 46
than it did on the Sargo 33 due to the sheer
amount of boat it was trying to shift and the
distance from the drives to the bow, especially
in the windy conditions of our sea trial.
The joystick driving mode takes a bit of
getting used to due to its relative sensitivity
compared to a traditional helm wheel. With
both the joystick and throttles set up for right
handed operation it also makes it tricky to
operate them both at the same time. However,
people who have used it regularly say it soon
becomes second nature. It is said to be
particularly effective on longer journeys when
you can twist it to adjust the autopilot heading
in fi ve degree increments or push it sideways
to make a more signifi cant change and then let
it go when you’re happy with the new heading.
The DPS station holding feature is also a
boon for countering wind and tide when
waiting to enter a lock or berth, although as with
the manoeuvring function it can only cope with
so much before physics overwhelm its best
efforts. The IPS650 system fi tted to the Prestige
was noticeably more effective in this regard.
Although the changes are evolutionary rather
than revolutionary, they are enough to retain
Volvo’s dominance of the European market for
diesel solutions in the crucial 35-55ft market
sector, at least until it launches a production
ready hybrid or full electric package (something
they are already working on in the commercial
sector). Those powerful new D6 440 sterndrives
in particular will be a godsend for overtly
sporting craft like the Fairline Targa 43 and
Windy Camira 39 where every extra horsepower
counts. We can’t wait to see how they perform
in one of these hulls.NEW TECHThe new D6-440 sterndrives had
no trouble pushing the Jeanneau
Leader 46 to 35 knots on testThe Galeon 435 was powered by
a pair of new D6-480s on shaftsThe Sargo 33 felt very
lively with the new D4-320sThe latest D4s should
prove cheaper to runin one of these hulls.LEFT New matt fi nish of the throttles
looks fresher and is said to be more
sustainable then the previous chrome