Volvo Penta expands product range for 2007

by IBI Magazine on 22 Aug 2006 Sweden's Volvo Penta has expanded its product range for the 2007 model year with the introduction of two new versions of its popular IPS drive system for boats. The two new engines — the Volvo Penta IPS350 and IPS600 models — have engine blocks reinforced with a special 'ladder frame' and a cylinder head cast as a single unit. Common-rail fuel injection contributes to a quieter engine sound without diesel clatter.

'The attitude to boat engines has changed,' says Lennart Sellman, product planner at Volvo Penta. 'Previously, top speed and acceleration were decisive, but today more is required. Boat purchasers are placing increasingly rigorous demands on engines — perhaps the key factor in the boating experience — in terms of environmental performance, safety and comfort.'

The Volvo Penta IPS350 is a four-cylinder diesel with turbocharger, intercooler and compressor. An adaptation of the company's own D4-260 engine, it has a 3.7lt capacity and a crankshaft output of 260hp at 3,500rpm. The balance shafts are mounted in the engine block to compensate for the engine's rotational forces, resulting in considerably more even running, says the company.

The Volvo Penta IPS600, which is based on the company's own D6-435 engine, is a straight six-cylinder diesel, also with turbocharger, intercooler and compressor. It has a crankshaft output of 435hp at 3,500rpm and a torque of 1,017Nm at 2,000rpm. Both new models comply with 2007 emissions requirements for the EU and United States.

Volvo Penta has also introduced new sterndrive engines for the 2007 model year, as well as electronics such as the Volvo Penta IPS Joystick, which was launched at the London International Boat Show in January 2006, and the new Power Trim Assistant that automatically trims a boat optimally based on rpm.