Sea-Doo's new $16,500 luxury PWC packs in a slew of never-before-seen features—such as a water-brake and a full suspension system—aimed at making the ride as safe and stable as possible.
The Specs
The three-rider Sea-Doo GTX Limited iS 255 aims to be the safest and most stable PWC ever made (and seriously: it had better be for the price). On the safety front: It's the first PWC to feature an actual brake (other PWCs simply glide to a stop when the throttle is released)—a feature called iControl, which earned the manufacturer a safety award from the U.S. Coast Guard Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety. When the brake lever is squeezed, it overrides the throttle and the power to the water-jet pump is brought to an idle; a brake gate drops over the jets. Then, the system reapplies power with the gate down, and the water-jet pump thrusts forward, creating reverse thrust to further slow the craft down. The result: a wall of water in your face as you slow to a stop.
As for stability, it's the first PWC to feature a full suspension system. The upper deck is suspended separately from the hull and lower deck, with 6 inches of travel aimed at producing a smoother ride. The deck has a gas shock and spring system in the front under the handlebar and a swing-arm system in the rear. This allows the rider to float on the suspension system, supported front and rear.
Under the hood, it's got a 1494-cc 255-hp supercharged Rotax 4-TEC engine with cruise control and a claimed top speed of around 70 mph in calm conditions.
(Sea-Doo has also released a companion PWC called the RXT iS 255. It is essentially the same, but lacks a few frills such as a depth-finder).
The Ride
In a word: Awesome. Acceleration is furious, with the vehicle peaking at around 65 mph after just a handful of seconds of roaring through our Outer Banks-based semi-choppy saltwater testing grounds. We were a bit skeptical of the newfangled features, but found both the brake and suspension system to live up to their promises.
Compared to the traditional throttle-release method of stopping, which takes a few moments of gentle coasting before the vehicle can fully stop, the water brake causes the vehicle to suddenly brake into a wall of water (you quickly learn to close your eyes). It's not an instant process, but it stops much, much faster than other PWCs we've tested (the manufacturer claims it cuts the stop distance by about 100 feet when stopping from top speed). Just know that if you're unlucky enough to be riding shotgun, the inertia can easily cause you to bang up against your piloting buddy with considerable force (hopefully tempered by the foam of your life preserver).
As for the reverse throttle, it made the craft much easier to dock, and kept us from having to circle around multiple times to pick up objects lost in the water, such as kiteboards or a fallen companion.
But the real fun comes from the suspension system. PWCs are traditionally bumpy rides that give the body a workout as they jackhammer up and down on waves and currents—some would argue that this is half the fun. The suspension system seemed to cut down on both the bumpiness and the resulting exhaustion. It has two modes: manual and automatic. We found the automatic mode, which dials the suspension up and down based on current conditions, to be adequate 90 percent of the time, although riders who want to experiment with the feature a bit could have some fun with the manual mode.
However, while the ride is very stable, it's still possible to capsize if presented with the right mix of bumpy conditions and sudden turns (this is in comparison to Yamaha's high-end three-person PWCs, which are nearly impossible to turn over, even with effort). Some novice riders even found themselves tipping over multiple times during our test ride.
The Bottom Line
The GTX is a powerful and stable ride that contains a possible category-changer. Most PWC-related injuries occur from collisions, and the brake's ability to stop sooner than was previously possible could save lives and limbs. Hopefully this safety feature will work its way into other, less-expensive PWCs soon.
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