At the Genoa Boat Show, the new Suzuki DF350AMD and DF300BMD were on display and available for testing for the first time
The DF350AMD and DF300BMD are distinguished by their engine-integrated steering system and new foot technology. The electro-hydraulic steering system, adaptable to all boats, offers smoother and more precise steering, minimal maintenance and allows for a cleaner and tidier engine compartment and transom.
These outboards are equipped with the Drive by Wire electronic throttle SPC system, available on Suzuki outboards in the 115 to 350 horsepower range, and the optional Steer by Wire steering system, which includes the new dedicated joystick with automatic rudder adjustment and assisted docking mode, which further amplifies the feeling between the driver and his boat, providing absolute driving pleasure.
The Suzuki DF350AMD and DF300BMD are equipped with a redesigned gearbox, which has resulted in the front of the foot profile being refined by 4%. The new profile improves hydrodynamics and consequently decreases friction with water, increasing top speed by 2% and reducing fuel consumption accordingly.
Total control
In the case of multiple installations, and with the help of the Steer by Wire system, each outboard has its own built-in actuator, which allows it to be disengaged from the others: when manoeuvring, by steering with the joystick, each one can act independently in terms of swing angle, direction of thrust – forward or backward – and power speed of each engine. Management of the whole is entrusted to the on-board computer, which coordinates all the outboards in unison in terms of direction, speed and direction of thrust.
This facilitates manoeuvres and makes them more immediate and precise, to the point of making the hull perform otherwise impossible evolutions. The precision and immediacy of the electronics available on these outboards further refine the feeling between the boat and those who steer it, to the point of simplifying operation, allowing total control of the hull at full speed, for pulling in and changing course, and when manoeuvring in restricted waters, even in complicated moorings.
With power steering, optional Steer by Wire, and powerful torque, the new 4,390 cc V6s with 350 and 300 horsepower respectively offer lightning-fast power and acceleration, combined with easy steering and course stability.
Suzuki technology
The gearbox lubrication system has also been revised to increase its reliability: oil circulation has been improved, for optimal management of its temperature, although the quantity has been reduced – from 3.2 to 2.8 litres – and lubricant replacement has been facilitated, which no longer requires hauling the boat. Another technical feature to highlight, which reinforces the uniqueness of the Suzuki 300 and 350 hp outboard engines, is the intake system with which they are equipped. In order to exploit the potential of the mechanics to the fullest, an effective filtering system has in fact been created for the air introduced from the grille and then transferred through ducts to the intake manifold.
The Dual Louver System – incorporates a dual filter made up of blades in the grille, each designed with a precise ‘dog-leg’ shape, which helps remove impurities from the inhaled air and prevents moisture from entering the grille, even in the form of fine spray. Suzuki’s Direct Intake System – newly designed and shaped intake ducts – not only remove moisture from the inhaled air, but also lower the temperature of the air, making it denser and improving its qualities as an oxidiser.
Fuel efficiency
Suzuki has also increased fuel efficiency. The fuel injected into the cylinders also has the task of cooling the cylinder. To achieve maximum efficiency it is therefore necessary to inject 100 per cent of the petrol at the correct time and at a certain angle into the combustion chamber. To achieve this Suzuki has developed an even more precise and accurate fuel injection system, the Dual Injector, based on dual injector technology; by using two smaller injectors instead of the conventional ones, the necessary precision and better vaporisation is achieved.
Also, thanks to the electronics that oversee the operation of the 4.4-litre V6s is the Suzuki Lean Burn system. Using a network of sensors that measure a series of engine parameters, such as load, throttle opening, environmental data and so on, the system is able to calculate in advance and with absolute precision how much petrol the injection system needs to inject into the combustion chambers in relation to the amount of air required for combustion to be as efficient and optimised as possible. In two words: + air – petrol. This guarantees fuel savings, especially at a constant speed, when cruising, the condition in which up to 14 per cent of fuel is saved, and also reduces the amount of CO2 produced, which benefits the environment.
(New Suzuki DF350AMD and DF300BMD on display in Genoa – Barchemagazine.com – September 2022)
