Beneteau Gran Turismo 45

From French boat building giant Beneteau comes a new express cruiser that has some exciting features that will put other boats in her class on notice.

The Gran Turismo 45 immediately grabs the eye with a slightly curved sheerline that plays well with a low- profile superstructure, which includes a hardtop that swoops aft over the cockpit. The impression is one of a boat that was built for on-the-water fun.

That hardtop has a massive retractable sunroof built into it that combines with the large salon windows to bathe the yacht’s interior in natural light. An electric bay window at the aft bulkhead opens up to a cockpit dominated by a sunpad for three that is flanked on either side by an entrance onto the boat leading up from the hydraulic swim platform.

That swim platform of course is super convenient for getting toys (or humans) in and out of the water. A tender garage in this space can also hold a small dinghy, or perhaps more likely act as a highly functional stowage area. Lift up the top of the tender garage to reveal a neatly concealed grilling station.

Down below, this Gran Turismo has a rarity in its class — a full-beam primary suite amidships with a double berth and walkaround space. This is a feature that makes her an excellent option for overnights, and which is sure to drive customer satisfaction and loyalty. What owner, after all, doesn’t want a best-in-class place to sleep?

At full speed this boat lives up to her racy moniker, dashing along at 37 mph, while cruising in the 29 mph range. Propulsion units are the highly efficient and maneuverable 440-hp Volvo Penta IPS600s, in a twin setup. The 45 also benefits from Beneteau’s trademark Airstep hull, which creates a bed of air for the boat to sit atop, creating a ride that is feathery soft. This is a vessel that seems to touch all the bases and is well fit for a variety of uses. It seems like we can chalk up another hit for the goliath from France.