Suzuki 225 or Verado

[MEG-A-BITE]

I’m in the process of upgrading my outboard. I need to go toa bigger motor and have been looking at Suzuki. I have a 150 Honda atm and have been very happy with it, but don’tsee any new updates to the current Honda 225 model.
Went to the boat show in Brisbane and saw the Suzuki there,looks like a good motor and seem to be very popular. I had a chat to the Redcliff coastguard last week as they run the Suzuki on two of their boats. They raved about the motor, but did mention that they do have a corrosion issue that’s commonon the Suzuki.
They currently running 225 verado on the big Cat and say they very good and have better performance than the 300 Suzuki did before.
Now I never considered the Merc Verados, would be good to get some feed back from those that have them on their boats.

[FisHard]

Suzuki all day mate. I had a 200 and it was brilliant. Maybe the Merc is good too, but that Suzi I had was faultless. It would push your Sea fox with ease!

[hainsofast]

they don't call suzuki disprins for nothing, how about a yammie, the new ones pooop all over suzuki, lighter, more powerful. Having said that, a mate has a verado that is also unreal.

[ozynorts]

Nah don't get an over hyped under powered Yamaha. The 225 has a history of corrosion too fast eddie, even though Yamaha tried to ignore it for years.

[aussiebasser]

I love my L4 Verado. It seems with the release of the G2 Evinrude the Verado has become prettier to some people.

[lethal098]

Not sure who you were talking to at Redcliffe Coast Guard, they may have give you some wrong info.

We run 300hp Verados on our Kevlacat, previous to Xmas 2013 we ran 300HP suzukis. We also run a single 300hpp Suzuki on our 6.5 metre hydrofield.

I can tell you fuel usage for what we do is almost identical, no changes.

Performance, The verado is certainly has more torque and is much more manoeuvrable in forward or reverse and any speed. We have now 600 hours on the Verados and they have been faultless.

Cheers Lee
Deputy Commander Redcliffe Coast Guard,

[lethal098]

talk to the Troy at Brisbane Marine if you are serious, He is by far the best in town.

[outta line]

What size boat is it going on going up from a 150 too a 225 v6 verado is a massive amount of weight difference on the transom the verado are the heavest v6 four stroke .. I toyed with the idea of repowering my victory from a 200 suzuki four stroke but ended up selling boat don't look past the honda 225 it's will be far Better on fuel than a 225 suzuki my 200 was thirsty at 1.2km- 1 L on a 6 m mono ..

[MEG-A-BITE]

Thanks for all the comments, I have looked at the Yamaha 225new 4.2 block and looks like a good option. But they a lot more $ than the Suzukiand I have seen so many more boats with Suzuki’s on at the moment.
The weight of the 225 in any of the brands is not a problem I can go to a 250hp. Any one got the latest fuel economy figures for the 225 Suzuki? Will be interested to know how they match up to the Honda and Yamaha. The Merc Verado looks the best in my opinion ,but you just don’t see many of them around. Not saying they not good but they don't seem as popular as the Suzuki and Yamaha.
Lee, thanks for the info. I don’t think the person I spoke to meant better performance as such, than the Suzuki. I may have misunderstood him,he said the verado was just as good.
How have the Verados been from a corrosion point of view ? Have you seen any issues with corrosion on the Mercs? Or any other problem you may have had with them.
Thanks

[oldie]

check out the USA the Verado motors are everywhere some crew even bolt 4 on the back of their boats!! you boat being a USA make will handle any of those weights fine,

[lethal098]

Hi Mega Bite,

No corrosion issues at all, they have been faultless over the 600hours, The electro power steering is amazing as well. They are sop much quieter than the Suzukis as well, at idle and any RPM for that matter.

and yes you are right you don't see many in Oz, But I can tell you, Ourselves, VMR Jacobs Well, And VMR Southport are all now running Verados and have not heard any issues at all with any of the engines. And as Oldie stated, they are MASSIVE in the states.

[Bull]

Wayne,
How do the Verado's compare on price with the Suzuki's

[hainsofast]

There is a reason suzuki are cheap

[PB]

150hp to 225hp is a big step, what boat do you have?

[outta line]

225 verado is 288 kg dry then add oil and prop .you might aswell go the max hp and put the 250 on if your going to have the same weight on the back

[FisHard]

What size boat is it going on going up from a 150 too a 225 v6 verado is a massive amount of weight difference on the transom the verado are the heavest v6 four stroke .. I toyed with the idea of repowering my victory from a 200 suzuki four stroke but ended up selling boat don't look past the honda 225 it's will be far Better on fuel than a 225 suzuki my 200 was thirsty at 1.2L -km on a 6 m mono ..

That is thirsty. I used to get 1.3-1.5 ks per litre from the 200 Suz on 6.2m Seafarer. Never saw 1:1 even in a rough trip. 16x19 3 blade Solas prop.

[scottar]

That is thirsty. I used to get 1.3-1.5 ks per litre from the 200 Suz on 6.2m Seafarer. Never saw 1:1 even in a rough trip. 16x19 3 blade Solas prop.

The 6.2 (Vagabond I assume) probably balances the weight of the big Zuke better than the Victory. Personally I think the big capacity V6 donks are too heavy for the Victory so you end up having to trim the engine under to keep the bow down especially without tabs or a Permatrim.

As for the OP's question - both IMO are good engines. I have heard of the odd Zuke failure and corrosion issues but if the anodes are changed as specified they should be ok. Every Verado owner I have spoken too has only praise for their engine but as mentioned that is not a lot of people. Do not rule out the value of a good mechanic in the ultimate choice. If you have a good relationship with a trusted dealer it is probably a good place to start

[Spaniard_King]

Wayne,

What updates have the others had that Honda doesn't already have?

What 225 are you comparing between A2 A5 A6 AK1 AK2 or AK3 the current model?

[MEG-A-BITE]

Wayne,

What updates have the others had that Honda doesn't already have?

What 225 are you comparing between A2 A5 A6 AK1 AK2 or AK3 the current model?

Garry I’m no specialist here, but just going on what Ihave been told and I have not seen any new media release on the 225 Honda.I have also been to two boat/Fishing shows and did not see Honda at either of them. Im not bagging them, I’m extremely happy with my current 150, perhaps you can tell me what new technology is in the latest 225 and what sort of deal I could get on a new 225?
Thanks,

[MEG-A-BITE]

150hp to 225hp is a big step, what boat do you have?

PB its a 21.6 Sea fox WA rated to 225 HP.
Bull Verado is 6k more than the Suzuki around the same price as the New 225 Yamaha.

[Nick H]

Mate I've just been through this process and ended up going with the yamaha 225 it was lighter and more powerfull, can't tell you performance figures as I'm still waiting on my vessel. I talked to a marine tech on the coast that services a lot of the pros (all about boats his called) and he said there's not a lot in it, but he said for reliability go the yamaha. He did say suzuki can have problems with the valves after about 500 hours. I think your pretty safe no matter what you go with out of those three. Price wise the yamaha was cheaper as I bought it last year with the FBW controls and yamaha where giving a rebate.

[oldie]

hold out till Merc bring out a naturally aspirated 175/200/225/250 which im sure wont be far off based on what they have released in the last couple of years, remember the silver suzukis that were known as disperins? well all they did was change the colour to black! I know based on a relative that has spent a very large amount of $$ in last 5 years on engines for his charter boat that the bazookers are the most unreliable most $$$ losing engines he could have gone with, mind due in the upper high HP, i think suzuki with their 115 and 140 models did the best but they are not safe from the corrosion issues which is the same with another most popular Japanese engine! From what you hear/read there may not be as many Verado owners who comment or post details on their experience but every one you speak to who owns one swears by them, people must be afraid of the super charger but how many people want a Yamaha Supercharged jet ski? I mean the same super charger fitted to the 200hp Mercury can be wound out to produce 400HP!!!! This is technology more inline with Car Technology like Nissan, like Ford XR6 Turbo, etc etc etc

[outta line]

That is thirsty. I used to get 1.3-1.5 ks per litre from the 200 Suz on 6.2m Seafarer. Never saw 1:1 even in a rough trip. 16x19 3 blade Solas prop.

Harharhar got that the wrong way around 1.2km-1L .... It always ran at 1 km- 1L most trips was chasing a 18.5 prop but never got around too trying one .. I ran a SS 16 x 20

[MEG-A-BITE]

Thanks Nick H, will be keen to get your feedback once you have the boat back and what you think of the new motor.

Oldie your right Im sure Merc will have a new addition to the range in the next year or so, but I want to have a new one for September 1770 trip.

[Spaniard_King]

Detailed Quote just emailed to you Wayne:)

[MEG-A-BITE]

Detailed Quote just emailed to you Wayne:)

Thanks Garry,

[Luke G]

Suzuki make great motors, unfortunately they have not done any major updates to there original 200 - 250 V6 range, which is over 10 years old. Saying that it could be a good thing? they have more then proven themselves and there are rarely any horror stories on them. A boat I fish in regularly is close to 3000 hours on a 2005 250 and no "Valve" issues as such. Some benefits I can still see is the suzuki holds more then a litre in oil capacity over the yamaha, uses a timing chain over belts and has the offset gear shaft and reduction so you can spin a bigger diameter prop. The Verado is a great motor too, the supercharger really packs a punch. They have a 2.6L block, but very well engineered. Some things the suzuki is a little behind with the older V6's is you can't get digital throttles on them and there probably a small step behind in technology. You really can't go too wrong with any motor these days, even those silly looking grey things ;)

[whereswoody]

Mate I run a 200 Suzuki on a 6.8 plate boat, 2.4 tonne full of fuel(350 Litres), i get 0.8 ltrs per km at 4000rpm, sits around 26 knots. Can't advise on longevity as it only has about 100 hours on it. Gets out of the hole easily and nice and quiet. S/Steel 3x16x18.5 prop.

[salty23]

Hi all,
i can't comment from experience but I can repeat a conversation i had with my mechanic the last time he serviced my motor... in HIS opinion and he has been in the game for 30 years.... the alloy quality of Suzuki and Honda are inferior to Yamaha and Mercury... he has seen some serious corrosion issues with these motors.... he also stated that this can be caused by poor flushing practises....15 minutes minimum to flush in his opinion.... He also stated that any motor he services that have used a salt neutralising agent like Salt X or Salt Away is always in great condition... so based on this I would suggest that whatever you decide, focus on ensuring your motor is flushed correctly and you should be able to keep the Gremlins at bay.
Salty
PS
I have a 115 Yammie and submerge the leg in a large drum with Salt X in it.... he always comments on how clean it is when he pulls it apart!

[bannana]

Suzuki make great motors, unfortunately they have not done any major updates to there original 200 - 250 V6 range, which is over 10 years old. Saying that it could be a good thing? they have more then proven themselves and there are rarely any horror stories on them. A boat I fish in regularly is close to 3000 hours on a 2005 250 and no "Valve" issues as such. Some benefits I can still see is the suzuki holds more then a litre in oil capacity over the yamaha, uses a timing chain over belts and has the offset gear shaft and reduction so you can spin a bigger diameter prop. The Verado is a great motor too, the supercharger really packs a punch. They have a 2.6L block, but very well engineered. Some things the suzuki is a little behind with the older V6's is you can't get digital throttles on them and there probably a small step behind in technology. You really can't go too wrong with any motor these days, even those silly looking grey things ;)


Mate not having a crack but I had one of those horror stories that your talking about. I bought a second hand 3000 kevlacat with twin 250 suzks with just over 250hrs on them. The engines were just 3 years old when one decided to fail. On closer inspection both engines were stuffed with cracked heads and needed replaced. Suzukis warranty with these engines both only a month or so out of warrantee was at best pathetic. they didn't even come to the party with a discount for two new engines although knowing the heads cracked within the warrantee period. I tossed up for weeks wether to put suzks back on but after my mechanic guaranteed me it was a one off and the fault of the prior mechanic I then decide to spend another 55k putting 2 more 250 suzks on..... What a mistake!!! 80hrs on the new motors and bang another head cracks!!!! Now this is where the problem starts...... The new engines were only about 6mths old and suzuki wouldn't replace the head and rebuilt the engine taking 5mths!!!!!!!!!!!!! There warrantee is shit and Ive heard plenty of other horror stories with these 250's. I'm all about service and Suzuki will never get a cent from me again.

On the other hand if you were to by a honda through Garry you know you would get great service and back up and thats hard to go past. I'm a yamaha man because i have had issues in the past similar to above with impeccable service and backup from Yamaha so they have $$$. On one occasion I had salt water in my oil on my 60 four stroke after 150hrs and they replaced the head (Stone corner marine)..... I was shocked but hey you can't beat that.

Just my 2 cents.

[rhodesey]

I have a Verado 250 and have been very impressed with it. Its a early 2005 model and still going strong with 960 hours on it. Its had a couple of factory mods carried out and Mercury has been good to deal with.
I beleive with any of the high teck outboards out there you need good local support from your dealer.

[Luke G]

Mate not having a crack but I had one of those horror stories that your talking about. I bought a second hand 3000 kevlacat with twin 250 suzks with just over 250hrs on them. The engines were just 3 years old when one decided to fail. On closer inspection both engines were stuffed with cracked heads and needed replaced. Suzukis warranty with these engines both only a month or so out of warrantee was at best pathetic. they didn't even come to the party with a discount for two new engines although knowing the heads cracked within the warrantee period. I tossed up for weeks wether to put suzks back on but after my mechanic guaranteed me it was a one off and the fault of the prior mechanic I then decide to spend another 55k putting 2 more 250 suzks on..... What a mistake!!! 80hrs on the new motors and bang another head cracks!!!! Now this is where the problem starts...... The new engines were only about 6mths old and suzuki wouldn't replace the head and rebuilt the engine taking 5mths!!!!!!!!!!!!! There warrantee is shit and Ive heard plenty of other horror stories with these 250's. I'm all about service and Suzuki will never get a cent from me again.

On the other hand if you were to by a honda through Garry you know you would get great service and back up and thats hard to go past. I'm a yamaha man because i have had issues in the past similar to above with impeccable service and backup from Yamaha so they have $$$. On one occasion I had salt water in my oil on my 60 four stroke after 150hrs and they replaced the head (Stone corner marine)..... I was shocked but hey you can't beat that.

Just my 2 cents.

There's always the exception, no brand is perfect! I will add that there are many older V6 suzukis used commercially that are still going. Sounds like you should have swapped dealers after service like that!