FUEL FOR THOUGHT
Motor Boat & Yachting|September 2021
What better way to test the production version of the Cox CXO300 than on the brilliant Axopar 37? Is this a new dawn for diesel-fuelled outboards?
Jack Haines
FUEL FOR THOUGHT

British company Cox Powertrain’s first engine fired up more than ten years ago and set the UK-based company on its path to revolutionise the diesel outboard market. We have followed the company’s progress keenly and, back in early 2019, editor Hugo was the first journalist in the world to test the CXO300 prototype fitted to a Tornado RIB on a lake.

Now, Cox’s production facility in Shoreham-by-Sea is fully up and running and, thanks to the vision of German Axopar dealer Patric Polch, we have the opportunity to test the engine on a boat that we know very well indeed, the Axopar 37. I have probably done more sea miles in an Axopar 37 than any other boat I have tested, and know the boat intimately, which would hopefully make comparisons with the petrol outboards that are usually fitted to this boat all the more pertinent. Though I know the boat very well, this would be the first experience I’d ever had of not just the Cox but any diesel outboard, except for the odd crude commercial unit I’d come across on my travels. The sheer size of the units is what most stands out upon seeing them in the flesh. The familiar Axopar Cross-Cabin shape is punctuated at its aft end by the somewhat less familiar cowlings of the 300hp, 4.4-litre V8 diesels. Though they are large on the transom, with the lids off it’s clear what a brilliant job Cox has done with packaging these engines. The motor – developed from scratch for this purpose – has a vertical driveshaft that connects to a 90-degree transfer case built to manage all that lovely torque produced by the twin turbos that are tucked neatly down each side of the engine. It certainly fills the transom more than the usual V8 Mercury petrol would but it’s a nice-looking unit that suited the all-white Axopar test vessel down to the ground.

This story is from the September 2021 edition of Motor Boat & Yachting.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 2021 edition of Motor Boat & Yachting.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MOTOR BOAT & YACHTINGView All
HOW TO NAVIGATE OVERFALLS
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

HOW TO NAVIGATE OVERFALLS

Overfalls are areas of broken or rougher water caused by tidal currents flowing past or over geographic features.

time-read
2 mins  |
February 2024
SLEIPNER'S NEW FINS
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

SLEIPNER'S NEW FINS

If you're looking for extra comfort at sea Sleipner's electric-powered radically curved Vector Fins could be a game-changer

time-read
6 mins  |
February 2024
SIRENA 48
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

SIRENA 48

The Sirena 68 won last year's award for flybridges over 60ft. Can its new entry-level 48 repeat that success?

time-read
7 mins  |
February 2024
24-YEAR ITCH
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

24-YEAR ITCH

It took 14 years to find one, and another 10 to rebuild, but when boatbuilder Will Squibb first fell in love with a Levi Corsair, he knew he had to have one

time-read
7 mins  |
February 2024
WALLYWHY 150
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

WALLYWHY 150

A new launch from Wally is always going to cause a splash, but will the latest addition to the Wally why range create the same ripples as its larger predecessor?

time-read
5 mins  |
February 2024
THE TRUE COST OF RUNNING A SUPERYACHT
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

THE TRUE COST OF RUNNING A SUPERYACHT

Everyone loves the idea of owning a superyacht but what does it actually cost to run one? The owners of a Sunseeker 105 charter yacht reveal all...

time-read
6 mins  |
February 2024
SUNSEEKER 100 YACHT BOAT TEST
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

SUNSEEKER 100 YACHT BOAT TEST

A breezy delivery trip from Southampton to Poole provided the perfect conditions for sea trialling Sunseeker's latest big boat sensation

time-read
7 mins  |
February 2024
AZIMUT 48
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

AZIMUT 48

Is it a party platform? A sportsboat? A weekender? Whatever it is, this American-style Azimut has plenty to recommend it...

time-read
7 mins  |
February 2024
BIG TRIP SMALL BOAT [PART 2]
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

BIG TRIP SMALL BOAT [PART 2]

Having made it from Runswick Bay, Yorkshire, to Harwich, Essex, in just one day, Ian Furby continues his attempt to circumnavigate Britain in his 18ft Nordkapp speedboat

time-read
10+ mins  |
February 2024
AQUADOR 300 НТ
Motor Boat & Yachting UK

AQUADOR 300 НТ

Alex Smith tests one of the most exciting new compact cruisers money can buy

time-read
6 mins  |
February 2024