David Lockwood•5 Feb 2016

REVIEW

Riviera 525 SUV: Review

Name: Riviera 525 SUV: Review
Brand: Riviera

A luxury Australian all-rounder ideal for active pursuits

The Riviera 525 SUV is the single-level iteration of the 52 Enclosed Flybridge that rated highly in our 2015 test. Without the flybridge, with less weight and windage, this SUV can run smaller standard engines with the same IPS 2 pod drives — the 625hp D11 IPS 800s instead of the 725hp IPS 950 variants on the flybridge sister ship. The result is an impressive 30.5-knot top speed and excellent economy. From all our tests, this hull is one of Riviera’s best. But while the 525 SUV offers a smooth cruise, it's an Australian watersports platform first and foremost. Fish, dive, play, get outdoors and entertain. With a standard hydraulic swim platform and new cockpit layout featuring undercover barbecue, al fresco lunch setting, and separate transom lounge, you can do all these things with renewed vigour and aplomb.

OVERVIEW

- The SUV is proving a big hit for Riviera

The SUV acronym is almost trite, but Riviera has been enjoying a great run with its namesake class of boats since it jumped on the wagon more than three years ago. This doesn’t come as a surprise, given the SUV’s pitch as a great all-rounder. Most Australians enjoy pleasure boating and active on-water pursuits. The SUVs offer plenty of potential for such things. As such, the boats have been a bit hit from South Australia to Southport and across to Perth. American markets have also jumped aboard. More than 60 SUVS have been sold in the first three years that Riviera launched the genre.

Captain Stan R Mawyer, a US Merchant Marine and 100 Ton Ocean Master, delivered this boat’s predecessor, the 515 SUV, with this exact same hull but the upgraded 725hp IPS 950s, on a 1250nm delivery from Boston, MA, to Fort Lauderdale, FL. He took the Atlantic road rather than the slower inshore Intracoastal route.

Captain Mawyer says he spent 5.5 days at sea averaging 27 knots in his glowing review of the boat’s performance. The swell was up to 10 feet, he racked up 300nm days, and reckons this hull outperformed his 45 Viking Convertible. Indeed, there is something to be said for the low-profile SUV and its reduced centre of gravity. The stability is a real asset offshore and during raft-ups.

But while the new 525 SUV supplants the 515 SUV, it retains the same 53ft hull. By our reckoning, based on our extensive tests covering more than five iterations and repowers, this is among the best hulls in the whole Riviera range. We raved about our test of the 52 Enclosed Flybridge last year and this 525 SUV reminded us why we liked that boat so much. This is another great performer and owner/driver Riv, but one for the owner who doesn’t need a flybridge station.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

- A very complete boat with hydraulic swim platform

You get a lot of standard kit on your Riviera these days and, if shopping for a single-level 50 footer like this 525 SUV, you really need to compare apples with apples and inventories with inventories. Pretty much a tender and watermaker, which are usually owner-brand specific, were needed on our test boat.

As standard, the 525 SUV has: a 450kg hydraulic swim platform that doubles as your tender/jetski lift; a wet bar centre with twin electric barbecues, icemaker and storage; C-Zone digital switching with iPad connectivity and programming for Wi-Fi; 13.5kW Onan generator and 2.5kW inverter; twin Volvo Penta 15in Glass Bridge multifunction display nav screens; AV systems with 28in and 32in LED TVs and Fusion stereo with separate indoor/outdoor zones; full air-con throughout; cockpit joystick docking station; and more.

This 525 SUV, hull #31, sold to a Riviera owner coming out of a 43 Flybridge and 4000 Offshore prior to that, so it was a natural progression. His new boat was also a Sydney boat show rig with some trick options. These included upgraded electronics, underwater lights, high-pressure wash, full teak cockpit and surrounds, extended cockpit awning, dishwasher, washer/dryer, extra TV, and soft furnishing upgrades.

The base price was $1,562,100 at the time of writing. The test boat has a ticket of almost $1.6 million for this loaded boat. You also get a lot of inherent consideration and sophistication in the CAD design, with storage, inbuilt features and a level of fit and finish that make these new Rivs real standouts.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION

- New cockpit layout with popular three-cabin and two-bathroom layout

In 2015, Riviera brought its side-by-side barbecue in the transom (now an optional layout there) back under the awning on the starboard side to create an improved all-weather amenities centre. Given the frequency with which we use our barbecues on boats, this makes good sense.

There’s now a dedicated portside al fresco dining area. With the inbuilt lounge, table and couple of casual chairs you get a great lunch setting, opposite the amenities centre, under the shade of the awning, and in front of the hopper window swinging open to the aft galley. Thus, you have somewhere to cook, serve, sit and eat, all nicely protected from the sun and weather, while enjoying the views unfolding out yonder. So very Australian.

At the same time, there’s a new inbuilt three-person lounge in the transom. I’m not convinced about its relevance on my imaginary 5252 SUV, but if you like your fishing like I do then you can easily ditch this for a central live-bait tank. They make great party iceboxes and storage for dive gear, too.

Either way, with twin swing-out doors to the swim platform, each of which locks open, you increase your effective cockpit space and boost your waterfront interface. You can dispatch the tender on the hydraulic swim platform at the press of a button, add a drop-in fishing cutting board and rod-holder station and get catching, and so easily slip overboard for a dive, spearfish or swim.

With pod drives in the traditional lazarette space, Riviera has really maximised sub-floor storage in other ways. There’s a central mini lazarette with full liner perfect for stashing watersports gear; twin underfloor fish boxes with macerator pumps; and side pockets with toekicks so you can lean outboard and fight a decent fish.

The walkaround decks have been tweaked with improved moulded toe-rails, we’re told. This was certainly an easy boat to get around. The engine vents are less conspicuous in white, too. Up front, the foredeck sun pad with drink holders has room for a couple of couples, while the anchoring gear and deck fittings all have that familiar and functional feel about them.

Indoors, the 525 SUV reflects the way we use our cruisers these days. There’s the popular aft galley with homelike cooking appliances, opening rear window, lots of cupboard and drawer space, drawer-style fridges and freezers, and the two-pack overhead cupboards that denote the modern SUV styling.

The high/low dinette forward to port, with views out the deep windows, and the lounge opposite, which can be optioned with ottomans to a desk/breakfast nook, together seat the boat’s six-person sleeping capacity. Then there are the twin helm seats before the auto-inspired dash, as twin electric sunroofs and opening windows add to the airy and spacious feeling of this living area.

The three-cabin and two bathroom accommodation is beautifully executed, with no cabin being a compromise and all of them beckoning your family and guests. Though not full-beam, the stateroom to port has a plush queen bed, extensive wardrobe behind the bedhead, views out the hull windows, natural ventilation, and luxe en suite. The third cabin alongside to starboard has twin single berths and the washer-dryer. It’s as comfortable as cabins on 60 footers from luxury European marques. The VIP guest cabin in the bow, with island queen bed and shared en suite/dayhead, is especially bright and cheerful.

Riviera owner Rodney Longhurst is a strapping fellow and all Rivieras are designed to accommodate The Boss. Headroom, elbowroom and storage are highpoints, as is the companionway width. All told, it’s a classy interior that we’ve raved about in our 52 Enclosed Flybridge test. You can read more details about it here. One last thing, this is a pretty kid and family friendly boat with that nice big cockpit.

HULL AND ENGINEERING

- A great pod-drive hull with refined engineering

The reason for the model change from 515 SUV to 525 SUV was to standardise the Riviera range in keeping with ISO 8666 requirements that: establish uniformity of definitions of main dimensions and related data, and of mass specifications and loading conditions, as it applies to small craft having a length of the hull of up to 24m. So, essentially, this 525 SUV it’s just a reclassification.

Thankfully, the hull remains the same proven configuration one of the best in the pod-driven Rivieras in the range. It’s actually a derivation of the Belize, now owned by Riviera, which was designed by returning Riviera CEO Wes Moxey for Zeus pod drives. The tank-tested hull carries its beam well aft at the chines so it can support a good payload. Certainly, 30.5 knots top speed is slippery.

Built in Australia for our way of boating, the Riviera 525 SUV has solid glass foundation below the waterline and cored decks and superstructure. There’s a small GRP keel to assist directional stability and docking that also reduces the drift rate and skating at anchor. This low-profile 525 SUV just hasn’t the windage of the flybridge boats.

Engine vents are inboard and there’s a Marine Air Flow system, with positive (24V fan) forced-air supply, passive extraction and two-stage mist eliminators. Such things are a point of difference from, say, the old Riviera 47s. Think long engine and engineering life, which is a good thing given all the electrical gear down there, too.

Engine room access is via a conventional cockpit hatch and the layout is logical, serviceable, owner-friendly, with virtual standing room forward. The boosted 3500-litre (extra 500-litre) fuel tank has sight gauges and remote shut-offs, twin fillers and stainless-steel fuel lines. There are two bilge pumps and a high-water alarm, plus a fire-suppression system.

On the electrical front, the 525 SUV has digital AC/DC switching and systems monitoring, a 13.5 kW Onan generator, 2.5kW inverter (for the AV system, icemaker and a GPO), and twin battery chargers for quick-response charging of its substantial banks.

The engineering and electrical systems have been refined and are now rival anything you will find on big-name overseas marques. All of this is reflected by one of the smoothest and quietest cruises we’ve experienced on a lower-helm 50-footer.

ON THE WATER

- Super smooth cruise in an active adventure boat

Although ours was a quick spin around Sydney Heads, it wasn’t anticlimactic stepping off Riviera’s new 57 Enclosed to this smaller 525 SUV. This is a nice single-level cruiser, with big views and abundant comfort, and realistic manageability.

As with the previous test of the 515 SUV, there was a very pleasant motion and predictable ride, the noise levels were low, and the boat runs in fine fettle and trim without demanding much driver input. The IPS 2 drives have plenty of grip and the addition of a small keel helps keep the boat on track.

The low-profile nature of the boat, with bridge clearance of 3.80m versus 5.53m for the Flybridge version, means considerably less windage and the weight savings are around 3500kg. This is why the IPS 800s are such a good match and why the boat feels so stable. It’s also dry.

We have run extensive tests of the 515 SUV with the IPS 800s and we had a nice run in this 525 SUV predecessor. According to the official figures, you will enjoy a 360+ nautical mile (nm) range at 24.4 knots, which equates to around 15 per cent better economy at these speeds than the flybridge sister ship with the bigger IPS 950s.

At a smooth 2000rpm you will see 19.9 knots cruise; 2100rpm gives an ideal 22 knots; and 2200rpm returns a fast cruise of 24.4 knots. The supplied sea-trial “predictions” reveal efficient cruising anywhere between 20-27 knots for around 8-8.7 litres per nautical mile and a 360-380nm range.

Top speed is about 30 knots at 2450rpm wide-open throttle with three crew and full fuel and water. So there’s not a lot of point upgrading to bigger engines, at least for the way we use our boats in Australia. Cruising at 22 knots for a safe 360nm range is just ideal for local use.

The Dynamic Positioning System from Volvo Penta is worth a mention. This lets you hold station with a virtual anchor at the press of a button so you can prepare lines and fenders for docking or, if you like fishing, hold over a reef for jigging. The autopilot system with cruise control is similarly user-friendly, as is the standard second cockpit joystick to assist docking.

It’s all just easy-peasy cruising, digital switching and operation, and low-stress operation for the owner/driver. Personally, coming from a 42 footer, I could very easily get my head and hands around this 525 SUV.

VERDICT

- All-round Australian luxury cruiser for our celebrated way of boating life

The practicality and utility of these SUVs is hard to ignore. The 525 SUV is an especially nice sized owner/driver boat with cutting-edge technology that performs intuitively. It really drives itself, the hull performs beautifully, and there’s a great predictable motion.

Whereas Sport Yachts dazzle the champagne, the SUVs add a big on-water cockpit for active pursuits. The 525 SUV’s measures 8.50sq m or almost 11sq m with mezzanine and caters for everything from serious offshore cruising to fishing, diving and watersports with the family, and rafting up and entertaining.

In this way, the SUVs hold real boat-user appeal compared with sun-lounging boats. This 525 SUV was hull number 31 out of mould, running the standard IPS 800s for 30-knots out of the box, and with the proven three-stateroom-and-two-bathroom layout for family boating holidays.

So if you want a 50 footer without a flybridge, this is a must-consider boat. Evidently, more and more experienced owners are going the single-level way. Maybe it’s an age thing, too. There are no ladders or stairs. The 525 SUV flows, melds and mollycoddles. Cruise, relax, enjoy and get active.

LIKES

>> Exceptional stability and a surefooted motion

>> Functional, Australian-sized cockpit for all pursuits and pleasure boating

>> Excellent sight lines, vision and ventilation from internal helm station

>> We like the three generous cabins on this SUV and its 50 EB sistership

>> Pitched in the sweet spot that is today’s pleasure-cruiser market

NOT SO MUCH

>> Competing 50 footers boast full-beam staterooms, but Riviera has three big cabins instead.

>> The modest extra outlay for the flying bridge 50 EB sistership seems to buy a lot of extra boat

Specifications:

Price as tested: About $1,587,793 with twin Volvo Penta IPS 800s and upgrades including teak cockpit floor, foredeck sunpad, dishwasher, washer/dryer, extra electronics suite, underwater lights and more.

Priced from: $1,562,100

LOA: 17.61m including swim platform and bow roller

Hull Length ISO8666: 16.15m

Beam: 5.01m

Draft: 1.30m (max)

Weight: Around 22,800kg (dry w/standard engines)

Sleeping: 6+1

Fuel Capacity: 3500 litres

Water Capacity: 750 litres

Holding tanks: 400 litres

Engines: Twin 626hp D11 Volvo Penta IPS 800s, turbo-charged, fully electronic, six-cylinder common rail diesel engines with IPS2 pod drives

Supplied by:

The Riviera Group,

50 Waterway Drive

Coomera, Qld, 4209

Phone (07) 5502 5555

See www.riviera.com.au

And RMarine Sydney

See www.rmarinesydney.com.au

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Riviera 525 SUV: Review

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