Mercury

Famously associated with waterskiing, high-octane powerboats, and the lakes of the American Midwest, Mercury Marine is all of those things and much more; it proudly claims to be the largest builder of marine propulsion systems in the world.

Founded as Kiekhaefer Mercury in Cedarburg, Wisconsin in 1939, the company that became Mercury Marine was originally intended to manufacture industrial equipment for the dairy industry but its sideline of repairing and improving outboard motors was an immediate runaway success, with more than 16,000 orders placed during the 1940 New York Boat Show. The company also made chainsaws and snowmobiles in its early days. 

Since 1961 Mercury Marine has been part of the giant Brunswick Corporation, whose Brunswick Boat Group subsidiary includes other well-known brands such as Sea Ray, Bayliner, Crestliner, Harris Boats, Quicksilver, Meridian, and Boston Whaler, and is widely reckoned to be the largest maker of pleasure boats in the world. 

The company's inboard engine division currently produces seven different series of diesel engines for motor yachts and three distinct ranges of MerCruiser petrol inboards, in addition to a separate range of MerCruiser tow sport inboards. Mercury is still headquartered in the brand’s spiritual home, Fond du Lac on Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin.

Mercury markets its diesel engines on the basis of quiet running, reliability, and robustness – also pointing out, for what it’s worth, that while many of its rivals re-engineer general-purpose engines for marine use, its engines are designed and made to be totally marine-specific. With a wide choice of engine ranges optimized for different boating applications, Mercury’s diesel ranges – now branded as Mercury Diesel rather than MerCruiser – cover a broad segment of the market, from a 2.0-liter producing 115bhp to a 6.7-liter outputting 550bhp. 

The unique selling points of Mercury’s diesel technology include a variable geometry turbocharger that boosts the engines’ torque at low revs, top-mounted maintenance points for easy access, a performance-enhancing charge air intercooler system, enhanced corrosion resistance, and SmartCraft engine monitoring and control software. Both high-pressure common rail engines and direct-injection diesels are available.