Nine fast facts about Mercury’s new 3.0-litre V6 diesel

Mercury Marine used the 2018 Sydney Boat Show to pull the wraps off an all-new turbo-diesel V6 engine packing some serious technology, promises and punch.

The new V6 replaces a similarly sized unit introduced about four years ago.

We asked Mercury to fill in the gaps of our knowledge base about what the move to a new engine will potentially mean for buyers.

1. It was Volkswagen’s call to cut the TDI engine’s supply line
Mercury’s VW-sourced 3.0-litre TDI V6 was offered in 230hp and 260hp inboard and sterndrive configurations. Mercury says these engines were excellent, but VW made the decision to stop offering to Mercury. The new Fiat Chrysler Automobiles-sourced V6 will come in 250hp and 270hp configurations.

2. Mercury’s big focus was on making the new engine quieter and smoother
Mercury says that when it was selecting a replacement engine platform, it had to be able to offer diesel options which would raise performance measures even higher.

“Our new Mercury diesel 3.0-litre engine will offer unique features in this significant market segment – best in class acceleration, best in class NVH and easy maintenance and service access,” company spokesman Jonathan Revitt said.

“The best in class acceleration and NVH is based on Mercury’s internal testing. Additional head-to-head testing will be conducted soon.”

3. The new V6’s warranty is pretty generous
Mercury says the engine will carry a best in class, global three-year factory backed limited warranty with an extra two years of limited warranty on major components. The platform has already been exposed to grueling “accelerated life” tests to ensure its real-world reliability.

4. The new engine uses a narrower vee
The Volkswagen-sourced, German-built V6 TDI uses a 90-degree cylinder bank, but the replacement Italian-made FCA-built engine will use a narrower 60-degree vee.

This technology changes the pitch of the turbocharger’s impeller blades to spin faster and produce more boost at lower revs. In road car applications, this technology comes close to eliminating turbo lag, that annoying moment of hesitation before a forced induction engine hits its performance sweet spot. Variable vane turbos are used on other Mercury diesel engines including the 150hp/170hp 2.0-litre diesels, and the 4.2-litre V8 TDI diesel engines (and is also built into the outgoing 3.0 TDI).

6. This is the first time Mercury has used a water-cooled turbocharger
The hotter things get in the engine, the less dense the air pulled into the cylinders. Water-cooling the exhaust-driven turbocharger packs more air in, which in turn delivers more performance on the same amount of fuel.

7. Gearbox options are many
The new Mercury Diesel 3.0L is available with ZF gearboxes with enough variety to allow owners to select the one which best suits their application. The 270hp is available with ZF63, ZF63A and ZF68IV versions in all common ratios and with all features (such as electric, troll, and so on). The 230hp is available with ZF45, ZF45A, ZF45IV, ZF63, ZF63A and ZF68IV versions with all common ratios and features.

8. Cool your jets if you want a new engine now
Mercury’s new 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel isn’t expected to arrive here until January 2019, with pricing expected to be confirmed in coming weeks.

9. You can still buy the old V6 diesel with confidence
Mercury says that based on current plans, the 3.0-litre TDI is expected to be available until early 2019. Mercury says it will continue to offer full servicing and warranty support for these engines.

10. Bonus fast fact: How much does it weigh?
Chris O'Hanlon asked us on Facebook how much the new engine weighs. According to Mercury, the engine weight is 358kg. Packaged with a Bravo 3 X drive and transom the total weight is 475kg.