Malibu provides first glimpse of new Monsoon V8 engine
New Aussie-hardened bent eight will come in two states of tune, clean, lean and greenMalibu Boats has given the world a first official glimpse of the new-generation “Monsoon” V8 engines that will power future generations of its watercraft.
The US ski, wake and surf boat maker has also revealed the engine is likely to come in two states of tune, teasing that buyers will be able to choose between 350hp “M5Di” and 400hp “M6Di” versions of the powerplant.
The details, including a partial image of the new powerplant, were leaked in an announcement from the company that the new direct fuel-injected engines had received a top five-star “extremely clean” certification rating from the California Air Resources Board.
Malibu said this made the new Monsoon powerplants “the lowest emissions engines in the industry”.
“Direct injection technology and the design of our exhaust with a three-way catalyst has allowed us to be able to calibrate to lower emissions than ever before,” Malibu lead drivetrain engineer Scott Peterson said.
“We also have the only fully integrated heat exchanger in the industry, which includes the oil filter, transmission cooler and heat exchanger all on the closed-cooled circuit.
“This makes for unmatched durability in brackish or saltwater and lower engine temperatures for better efficiency.”
Australian testing
Malibu has already tested the new engine in Australia, handing a boat fitted with the Monsoon to the Myuna Bay Waterski Club, which calls one of the harshest marine environments in Australia its home turf.
The new engine makes more power than the 310hp 5.7-litre V8 it will replace, but uses less fuel. Malibu is yet to release the full specifications of the engines, but the one tested at Myuna Bay was praised by skiers who said it pulled better than the engine it will repalce.
The new Monsoon engines are the result of a decision Malibu made in 2016 to bring engine development back inside the company.
The new 5.3-litre V8s have adopted what Malibu calls a Front-End Accessory Drive, which relocates common maintenance components to the front of the engine where they can be serviced more easily.
The new engines are built and tested inside a dedicated 650-square-metre factory located next door to its Tennessee-based boat-building business.
“This allows Malibu to control the entire process from start to finish and producing an engine that is cleaner, more efficient, durable and reliable than anything else in the industry,” the company said.
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