2022 Mercury V12 Verado review

The company’s timing was perfect. Months earlier, Volvo Penta had announced it was shelving Seven Marine, a US-based high-performance outboard engine maker that was strapping big superchargers on high-displacement V8s to produce unheard-of levels of performance – up to 623hp.

Seven’s range of engines was finding appeal particularly among a new breed of large centre console fishing boats needing more power from fewer engines strapped along the transom. Volvo Penta’s sudden and unexpected decision to walk away from its big-block investment – on the grounds it did not fit in with the European marine engine maker’s growing environmental consciousness – left the market reeling.

But all was not lost. Out of nowhere steps in Mercury with a normally aspirated 7.6-litre V12 outboard engine, an engine that’s unlike anything we’ve seen before.

Mercury’s design brief was simple; build something that can replace multiple high-power outboard engines with fewer units providing as much, or more performance.

But it is the way Mercury’s research and engineering team has approached the task that has made the 600hp Mercury V12 Verado what it is.

Mercury’s design brief for the Mercury V12 Verado was quite simple; its new performance benchmark had to reduce the number of outboard engines mounted to a transom.

Bear in mind that in the US, the larger saltwater centre and side consoles, some of them were fitting up to seven outboard engines up to 450hp across the transom just to get enough prop bite and power to the water.

Reducing the number of engines meant Mercury had to go big on performance, setting on 600hp as a benchmark. Its solution was to develop a monster 7.6-litre V12 engine.

But a conventional outboard engine transom mount wouldn’t be up to the job. This thing is more than 2.0 metres tall – it’s so big that it creates an optical illusion that the boat it is fitted to is smaller than it really is – and weighs more than 500kg.

Mercury’s solution was to fix the engine to the transom. It’s also a brilliant packaging solution, meaning the engines can be packed together much tighter than conventional outboard engines.

It also has a similar transom footprint to Mercury’s other large engines, requiring 27-inch centres to mount compared with the V6 Verado’s 26-inch centres.

Because the engine is fixed to the transom, the Mercury V12 Verado needed another industry-first innovation – a lower gearcase that can turn independently to the engine at up to 45 degrees.

But there’s more. Engines above 300hp have used counter-rotating propellers to give more bite on the water, and it’s a no-brainer for Mercury to do the same with its 600hp V12 Verado.

However, Mercury has had to build the V12 Verado with another industry first, a two-speed automatic transmission running at 2.50:1 in high-speed running, but at a lower 1.75:1 ratio at low revs.

The reason for this is simple. The Mercury V12 Verado weighs 572kg, twice that of the Mercury 450R supercharged 4.6-litre V8. 

The lower gear ratio acts like the first gear on a car, helping the Mercury Verado V12 to maximise torque and pop the boat up onto the plane. Once on the plane, the transmission switches to second gear, bringing the engine into its optimal cruising mode.

The 64-degree V12 has a bore of 96mm and a stroke of 87mm, making it oversquare and therefore offering better performance higher in the rev range. Maximum operating revs are between 5600rpm and 6400rpm.

Similar to a conventional outboard engine, the Mercury V12 Verado will tilt, meaning you can easily raise the engine out of the water while the boat is moored.

The Mercury V12 Verado uses variable quad-cam technology and electronic fuel injection to ensure the outboard engine is operating at optimum performance and efficiency.

One thing you won’t notice with the Mercury V2 Verado is the traditional telltale streaming off the back of the engine. Mercury reckons the electronic dashboard that accompanies the powerplant is all an owner needs to look at, with an overheat warning built into the electronics.

A telltale will be available as an option for those who will miss it. I won’t.

Pricing for the new 600hp Mercury V12 Verado is still a bit speculative, but expect to take a hit of around $115,000 per unit. The dive into the hip pocket doesn’t end with buying the engine, as you’ll also need to hand over between $20,000 and $30,000 depending on the engine count and complexity to have it fitted and rigged.

Rigging includes tapping Mercury’s all-new digital throttle and shift control unit, and autopilot.

This generation of Mercury’s outboard engine includes electro-hydraulic steering that’s built into the lower gearcase.

Part of the rigging is Mercury’s VesselView multifunction touchscreen that is used for engine management. All the performance data, from revs to temperature to Active Trim, are displayed on a single screen and for up to six engines.

A toggle switch on the side of the digital throttle and shift control introduces a new feature that amplifies the steering wheel’s lock-to-lock ratio. Our test boat had it tuned so that it was a half-turn lock to lock once activated, but Mercury can tune it to any ratio you want.

The fast lock-to-lock function is handy for low-speed maneuvering such as docking or negotiating a tight marina. It also goes some way to explaining why Mercury has not bothered to develop joystick control for single-engine applications – it reckons the high degree of steering and throttle control are all skipper needs.

You’ll need a little bit more space behind the console to mount engine electronics, though. Mercury has moved some of the electronic engine controls off the V12 Verado, preferring to house them inboard rather than outboard. 

The Mercury V12 Verado is an outboard engine made to live in the water. Raised up out of the water it’s easy to hook up a hose to flush it out, and regular 200-hour servicing can be done on the water.

The key to making on-water servicing work is an engine cover that raises at the push of a soft-touch release button.

The top section of the Mercury V12 Verado lifts up to reveal all the servicing touchpoints in easy access. The engine takes 13.3 litres of oil, so even just a straight oil change via the dipstick tube can be a costly exercise. 

The surprise is that the outboard engine doesn’t even need to come out of the water until it has done 1000 hours/five years of regular use. That’s when the lower cowling has to come off so the lower gearcase and steering unit can be serviced.

Mercury offers a five-year warranty for recreational outboard engines sold in Australia, comprising a three-year factory warranty and a two-year bonus term. 

We’re testing the very first Mercury V12 Verado to come to Australia. It’s mounted on the surprisingly thick transom of a 10.6-metre South African-made Gemini Waverider 1060 RIB. It’s a familiar brand here, having supplied boats to a number of Australian marine search and rescue services.

The choice of a RIB over a fibreglass boat is simply a matter of mass; our Gemini hull weighs only 1350kg, meaning there’s no need to mount an extra engine to push a fibreglass boat that will weigh three times as much or more.

But there’s another reason it’s a RIB, and that’s to do with the beam. At 3.25 metres wide overall, and with an internal beam of just 1.95 metres due to the 600mm diameter tubes running down each side, the Gemini makes for an extremely stable platform for the somewhat topheavy Mercury V12 Verado.

There’s nothing different about firing up the new Mercury V12 Verado – turn the key and it fires itself up immediately – but at idle you’d barely know it is there. Mercury has worked hard on suppressing noise, vibration and harshness with this new engine, and its efforts have certainly paid off. I was tempted to try the old Rolls-Royce trick of balancing a 20-cent coin on its edge on the engine cover, but there’s too much of a slope on top.

Mercury has tuned the V12 Verado to stump up its full 600hp serve on regular 91 RON fuel, so there’s no real need for owners to reach for the premium pump.

Of note, the new control unit gives a visual indicator – a green LED on the throttle arm – that shows when the engine is in neutral. Slip the engine into gear and there’s no perceptible change in the engine’s note as it slips into the lowers of the two transmission ratios.

Playing with the new throttle, it is extremely sensitive to input. This is an engine with big dollops of torque – Mercury seems reluctant to disclose exactly how much – and thanks to its Duoprop system it also has big bite on the water, so everything that happens at the electronic throttle control tends to happen instantly down the back.

The throttle is extremely sensitive, so if you’re handing the controls over to a first-timer, make sure they are aware of just how instantly reactive things can be, particularly if you're in a confined space.

One of the first things you’ll notice is that because only the Mercury V12 Verado’s lower drive leg turns, you’re not going to be able to glance aft and sense their direction, particularly if you’ve been anchored up for a bit.

Instead, you’re going to have to rely on an electronic rudder gauge built into the in-dash display. Our test boat also has an underwater camera focused on the lower gearcase so you can also visually check the steering angle.

Muddling along at low speed and it almost feels as though you're on an electric boat, there's so little audible input from the transom.

Open up the throttle and there is an increase in engine volume but it is still surprisingly muted, quieter than a V6.

The electronic throttle controls mean whatever happens at the console is immediately felt at the transom. Big atmo engines tend to have this hesitancy to them as they breathe deep to respond to a call for power, but with the V12 the response is instantaneous as the engine's electronics beat the war drums and rouse the troops.

Accelerate from a standing start and at around 3000rpm there's an almost imperceptible change of momentum as the transmission flicks from first to second gear. You can hear the dip in the revs, but you have to listen hard to pick it up.

Part of that listening hard is due to the fact that even with a tsunami of revs onboard, the Mercury V12 Verado doesn't announce it. This engine is almost frustratingly quiet – what's the point in having a V12 engine when it sounds like an unstressed V6? A V8 Verado is more audibly engaging.

Maybe a future update could include a Yamaha-like loud button that releases a little more exhaust note once you're out of the marina?

On test, the Mercury V12 Verado's diet ranged from 5.3 litres an hour at 700rpm up to around 42 litres an hour at 3000rpm – more on that later when we review the Gemini 1060 Waverunner in detail. Our top speed on test hit 43.7 knots into the breeze.

This is a good engine to drive fast. Because only the gearcase turns, there's less tendency for the boat to tip into the turn and nowhere near as much sideways slip as the transom is pushed.

That means this engine can turn a boat flat and tight. For a 10.6-metre RIB, the turning circle is little more than the hull's length at low speeds, and maybe a couple of hull lengths with a heavy dose of revs on board.

The downside to this is that there suddenly is so much more centrifugal force trying to throw you out the side of the boat. Be sure to warn anyone on board to hang on before you chuck it in at speed.

On a much gentler note, the Mercury V12 Verado's quick-turn function is activated via a button low on the throttle and gearshift lever's binnacle. While you can freely twirl the wheel from lock to lock in half a turn, the electro-hydraulic steering isn't anywhere as quick with the stern leg taking a few seconds to catch up to the steering input. It'd feel more natural if there also was a bit of resistance that matched the slow turn rate of the lower leg.

This outboard engine is a gamechanger. Mercury has nailed the brief in terms of building a better large engine, wrapped in a package that will have rivals sitting up and taking notice.

Powerful, fuel-efficient, magnificent to look at, and helping to define a whole new class of high-end recreational day boating, it's the right engine at the right time.

If only it produced a rich V12 burble to back it all up.