www.iFourWinns.com

No, I'd rather just let you sound stupid to whomever you talk to about the subject. That's more satisfying then arguing over the internet.

RedRocketSS you are beating a dead horse, sorry.
But I too understand your point completely and I too know "MOST" parts are interchangable between those engine and have done it myself with great success.

September 18th, 2012. Volvo Penta held a press event today to introduce two gas sterndrive powerplants - the V8-380 and V8-225. The engine maker plans to have the engines on display next month at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. "Dealers had a chance to test the engines and the feedback has been phenomenal," Volvo Penta of the Americas vice president of marine sales Marcia Kull said. The engines were installed in three boats at the Volvo Penta Test Center in Suffolk, Va.

She has 380 horsepower at high RPM and faster get-up-and-go via the first major marine use of the latest GM engine, the L96. Figure on 5,800 RPM and higher usable RPM in your boat. Count on all the proven, but “new” tricks that wake up an engine for marine use. Cam timing is, for the first time, variable (VVT) in a marine engine.This increases the power from idle or right out of the hole to 3,000 RPM. Couple that with the new gear ratios and you have a double whammy. Anticipate your boat to gain a boat length early in any comparison acceleration test against a 8.2 engine powered boat in a heads up contest.

The heads are Aluminum to allow for better cooling and a component lighter weight power package. Then, add the normal weight savings by NOT using a big block Chevy and your double whammy is multiplied even more. Weight savings should add up to 225 to 250 lbs. Now, add to all this a broader, higher RPM range and you spin a lesser pitch prop for quick low end response without a top speed penalty as one simply winds the new 380 horsepower Volvo-Penta to a higher rpm limit. I hear you can use 6,000 plus rpms as needed. Spin a lower pitch prop at higher rpms and the top speed is the same as a big block.

"We did not stick with the same-old same-old," Volvo Penta manager of engine engineering Mel Cahoon said. "We didn't just update what we already had. We chose to go forward. This is a new generation of our highest-horsepower sterndrive."

The V8-380, the engine that powers the Chevy Silverado 2500 pickup truck, uses technological advancements to generate the same horsepower as its predecessor — the 8.1-liter engine that GM is no longer manufacturing — to more than make up for the engine's lower displacement of 6 liters, or 364 cubic inches, Cahoon said.

The engine's variable valve timing maximizes low-end torque and high-end horsepower, allowing the engine to use a higher gear reduction for a maximum rpm of 6,000. The result is an engine that weighs 245 pounds less and gets 12 percent better fuel economy, according to Volvo Penta.

The V8-380, which is coupled to either the Volvo Penta DP or Ocean Series drives, can power single-installations boats from 24 to 29 feet and twin-applications vessels from 30 to 40 feet.

The engine manufacturer also unveiled the V8-225 EVC, a 5.7-liter gas sterndrive that delivers power and torque and lower emissions, utilizing computer-controlled fuel management and catalytic exhaust treatment systems. The 225 and 380 are Volvo Penta's cleanest engines yet, satisfying California's tough emissions standards, vice president of marine sales Marcia Kull said. The engines were installed in three boats at the Volvo Penta Test Center in Suffolk, Va. A single V8-225 powered a Monterey 228Si, twin V8-380s powered a Formula 34 PC and a single 380 was installed in a 260 Formula SS. To display the 380's acceleration capabilities Volvo Penta had an identical 260 Formula SS powered with Mercury's 8.2-liter MerCruiser sterndrive on hand.

I drove all three Volvo Penta-powered boats. The acceleration of the engines was indeed impressive, especially in the mid-range. The engines immediately respond to throttle adjustment. They also pushed their respective boats out of the hole with little fuss.

Unless there will be a very significant price premium for the 6.0 V8-380 compared to the 5.7 V8 225, the need for the 5.7 one seems questionable !

......and we should care about any--IF there are any, differences in these motors, because.......? I'm just sorry that my season is drawing to a close.......motor, schmotor! How cares? The most important thing about boating, is.well...BOATING!!!!!! If this is what you are into--arguing about the differences in engines...fine, go ahead.......I'd rather sit on my boat w/ a beer watching my family have fun......
my .02....thank you