I like Honda outboards. Honda make some good products and as a volume car manufacturer it makes sense to use their experience in that direction when it comes to powering a boat. For instance the engine for the 90 hp model is basically the engine used in the FIT, Honda's best selling car globally. This engine has numbers in the millions now so they should know what they are doing. But what Ifound strange at this years Miami boat show was all the razzmatazz sounding the engine that you see above. Not due for release to the public until the fall Honda sent me a press release that was very coy and did not divulge much only to say that I should come to the booth at the appointed time. I apparently was not the only journalist there a whole slew had turn up for the unveiling which turned out to be frankly disappointing. The black cover was whipped off and revealed the engine that you see. Everyone present was expecting something new and exciting and all we got was this the only visible difference is the black grills in the cover. Of course it is what is under the hood that matters and the press materials said that the engine had VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Electronic Control) which is not new and has been used on Honda engines for the past eight years. Interesting as a new engine may be this was a let down and I feel that Honda thought that they ought to have some sort of 'exciting press event' as they have for the past few years. This was most definitely not it.
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