While beauty is in the eye of the beerholder, I suspect that a lot of folks will get used to the looks after they experience the mid-range omph of the new motors! (The propshaft HP/torque measurements from a calibrated eddy current dyno below speak volumes!)
Frankly I think the BRP guys deserve a lot of credit for having the balls to challenge and completely rethink the entire outboard design concept AND for the commitment to spend serious $ for a totally new clean sheet design, including ALL NEW production tooling! I'm sure their beancounters would have been much more comfortable sticking with minor refinements to what are already proven and very competitive designs. Those removable panels will also provide much quicker and easier access to key engine components than the conventional bucket-style engine cover with a 2-piece lower shroud, so while I also prefer the looks of the current motors, I can see some advantages to the new design.
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