Much has been claimed recently about BRP’s E-TEC technology with dazzling claims of alleged product superiority.  Yamaha decided it was time to put the record straight so conducted testing on four 150 hp outboard engines… the, Yamaha 150hp carburettor two stroke, Yamaha VMAX 150, Yamaha F150 four stroke outboard and BRP E-TEC 150...

Yamaha strikes back!

In effect Yamaha pitted all of its three technology platforms against the E-TEC.  And the results sure came back different to what the
E-TEC marketing people have been spruiking.

“At Yamaha we have the luxury of manufacturing three technology platforms,” said Brett Hampson, National Sales and Marketing Manager for Marine Products at Yamaha Motor Australia.

“Rather than being locked into just one form of engine system, at Yamaha we can take a broad objective look at two stroke, four stroke and our High Pressure Direct Injection VMAX engines and make head to head comparisons.”

For the E-TEC test program a single hull (Haines Hunter 6M Breeze) was in turn rigged with each of the four outboard engines.  Through the test procedure, each engine was propped for optimum performance.  Only then was the test process rigorously documented under controlled conditions.

With electronic and manual recording equipment on hand, each engine was put through its paces.  Data was collated to deliver irrefutable information in the five key categories that are of real interest to boaters… speed, economy, km travelled per litre of fuel, best cruise consumption and distance travelled per 200 litre tank.

Speed
Not surprisingly there was very little difference between the four outboards in terms of outright speed.  All engines deliver 150hp at the prop, so not surprisingly, the speed right through the rpm range proved to be very similar if not nearly identical for every engine.  In the speed category there are no winners and no losers.

Economy
Fuel economy is an area of key interest for boaters.  Put simply boaters want to go further on less fuel. As expected the 2 stroke Yamaha used a little more fuel than the later technology engines.

Generally… that is except for the 4100 rpm to 5100 rpm where the E-TEC consumed a fraction more fuel than Yamaha’s 2-stroke 150hp outboard.  Who would have thought that the E-TEC was a less fuel efficient outboard than Yamaha’s trust conventional 2-stroke?

Above 3500 rpm Yamaha’s VMAX 150hp model consumed less fuel than E-TEC and above 4500 rpm Yamaha’s 4-stroke F150 consumed less fuel than E-TEC.

In the economy stakes E-TEC is certainly not the tearaway fuel miser that some would have you believe.   Depending on what rpm range you operate your engine, Yamaha VMAX, 2 stroke and 4-stroke engines are definitely less thirsty than E-TEC.

Kilometers Per Litre
Fuel consumption figures are one thing, but ‘how much fuel it takes to travel a given distance’ is the real world translation of the fuel data.

In the bottom end of the rev range, particularly around idle, E-TEC returns okay figures.   But once the throttle pushes engine RPM above 1500 rpm, Yamaha’s 4-stroke F150 leads the way.  From 1500 rpm to 3500 rpm, the F150 delivers more distance for less fuel than E-TEC.  From about 3500 rpm to wide open throttle, Yamaha’s VMAX 150 outguns the E-TEC again delivering greater distance travelled on less fuel.

If the majority of your boating is sub 3500 rpm, then Yamaha’s 4 stroke F150 will deliver greater distance travelled than E-TEC.  If you are more of a full throttle boater, then clearly Yamaha’s VMAX 150 is the fuel efficiency choice.

So how does this data translate to a day on the water?  Yamaha took each rig and found the sweet spot; the performance criteria where best cruise speed consumption was achieved.

Best Cruise Consumption
Under this test situation, the Yamaha 4-stroke F150 travelled 1.89 kilometres per litre of fuel consumed.  Second best was the Yamaha VMAX 150 outboard that travelled 1.67 kilometres on a litre of fuel.  E-TEC came in a clear third, travelling 1.6 kilometres on a litre of fuel.  Even under cruise conditions where E-TEC is supposed to be superior, Yamaha holds a distinct advantage with both its 4-stroke and VMAX technology.

Distance Travelled Per 200 Litre Tank
This is the ultimate test for any serious blue water angler.  Given a 200 litre tank of fuel on board, how far can I travel – what is my cruise range?

Boaters will go further with both Yamaha 4-stroke and VMAX power than E-TEC.  The Yamaha F150 delivered a cruise range of 378 km, the Yamaha VMAX 334 km.  The E-TEC 150 will take boaters just 320 km on 200 litres of fuel at optimum cruise speed.
The simple answer for blue water boaters who want to go way offshore and come home again, is to choose Yamaha 4-stroke or Yamaha VMAX ahead of E-TEC.  You will benefit from going further on less fuel.

Summary.
Sometimes things don’t quite line up the way the marketing gurus would have you believe.  Yamaha’s testing under Australian conditions on an Australian built hull clearly demonstrates that Yamaha 4 stroke and VMAX technology in the main delivers superior fuel consumption and performance figures to E-TEC.

With three technology platforms on offer to customers (2-stroke, 4-stroke and VMAX) Yamaha is able to provide the most appropriate power choice to suit the customer’s style of boating.  BRP offers a single technology platform - E-TEC.

Yamaha outboards are available through an Australia-wide network of authorised Yamaha outboard dealers.  The Yamaha range comprises trusty and dependable two stroke models from 2hp to 200hp, High Pressure Direct Injection VMAX models from 150hp to 200hp and low emission fuel efficient four stroke models from 2.5hp to the world’s largest production outboard- the 350hp V8 Yamaha F350.

Customer contact

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SA / NT           08 8359 015
WA                 08 9455 4544