2008 Yamaha FX Cruiser SHO

New vehicle nabs top industry honor for innovations

Popular Science has chosen the Yamaha FX Cruiser SHO for its ‘Best of What’s New’ award in the recreation category.

Yamaha says its FX Cruiser SHO is the first personal watercraft to incorporate nanotechnology into its manufacturing and has the largest displacement engine ever in the industry.

Called NanoXcel, Yamaha’s nanotechnology is featured in the vehicle’s hull, deck and liner and is 25% lighter than comparable components. The result is improved performance and handling, power-to-weight ratio, acceleration and top speed, the company says.

The FX Cruiser SHO comes equipped with a 1.9-litre, 1,812cc, supercharged, 4-stroke engine, which Yamaha says is 300cc’s larger and 45 pounds lighter than the nearest competitive engine. Yamaha claims the FX Cruiser SHO is quicker from zero to 30 mph than a Corvette Z06.

According to Yamaha, this is the only engine in the high-performance, 4-stroke category optimized to run on the least expensive regular unleaded fuel.

Also included on the FX Cruiser SHO is Yamaha’s ‘Cruise Assist,’ which is the industry’s only electronic throttle. This allows the driver to set and hold a particular engine speed without having to hold the throttle in the exact same spot. Once set, the driver can alter the engine speed in increments of 250 RPM at the push of a button. A ‘No Wake Mode’ sets the engine at an optimal speed for no wake speed zones—approximately 5 mph.

“We set out to break new ground for our industry with our new SHO WaveRunner, and receiving this prestigious award confirms we were successful in achieving just that,” says Yamaha watercraft president Mark Speaks. “We are honored to have Popular Science acknowledge the engineering innovations that went into this accomplishment.”

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2008 Yamaha FX Cruiser SHO