Honda Marine teases new-look outboard engine

Few details have been released, but the relative size of the new shape and the fact it swings a stainless steel propeller hints that Honda's new-look engine will fall somewhere into the upper end of the outboard engine performance range.

Honda last updated its engine range with a redesign of two of its most popular outboard engines, the four-cylinder 115hp BF115 and 150hp BF150, in late 2021, as well as introducing a new 140hp BF140 for the US market.

That means the new engine could be a step-change for the 200hp BF200, 225hp BF225 and 250hp BF250 V6 outboard engine range that gained Honda’s Intelligent Shift and Throttle digital controls in 2019.

At the time, the engines also picked up Honda’s “Progressive V Form” design that gave them a fresh look along with changes to corrosion protection and a beefed-up electrical system.

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The change also bumped the 200hp and 225hp engines up to Honda’s 3.6-litre V6 engine block that was previously used only for the range-topping BF250.

A final image in the video shows the new engine will feature a very different design to the current line-up, removing the soft edges of the current cowling to develop something that’s more angular and aggressive. 

There appears to be a big change, too, to how the engine cowl is removed, featuring what looks like a release lever just above the drive leg and a recess on the leading edge that serves as a handle to pull the released cowl forward.

The lower leg appears to be different, too, hinting at refinements to the way it operates.

The video shows the new engine features chromed highlights with matte black panels, with Honda’s traditional silver dominating.

According to Honda, more details about the new engine will be released on September 21.

Until then, we can only guess what it is.