Pershing 5X

• LOA: 16.51 m (54 ft 2 in)
• Beam: 4.38 m
• Top speed: up to 45 knots (surface-drive option)
• Cruising speed: 31 knots (standard IPS)
• Engines: twin Volvo Penta IPS950, or twin CAT 12.9 with surface drives
• Cabins: 2, with 2 bathrooms
• Hull: GRP
• Debut: 2016 (Dusseldorf Boat Show)

The gateway to the X Generation

The Pershing 5X holds a specific job in the range, which is to bring the full Pershing look and feel to the smallest hull the yard offers. At 16.51 metres it is compact by the brand's standards, yet the proportions are unmistakably Pershing, with its long foredeck and low, purposeful stance. It arrived at the Dusseldorf Boat Show in January 2016 as the first of the X Generation to reach the water. For many owners it serves as a first step into the marque before moving up the range. Its scale also makes it one of the few Pershings that an experienced owner can realistically drive without professional crew.

That accessibility does not dilute the character. The 5X still asks to be driven hard and still delivers the sensation that defines the brand, a low, planted feel with real pace on tap. It competes in a crowded class of Italian and northern European sports cruisers, and it earns its place through handling and presence rather than sheer size. It anchors the bottom of the range and feeds owners upward toward the larger X models.

Compact lines, full Pershing attitude

Fulvio De Simoni drew the 5X to read as a scaled version of its bigger sisters rather than a softened junior model. The windscreen rakes hard, the hull sides carry the signature side glazing, and the whole form sits low to the water. A single-level main deck runs from the helm back to a generous cockpit, with an electrically operated hard top that opens the saloon to the sky. The beam of 4.38 metres keeps the boat easy to handle in a marina. Even at rest the 5X looks tensioned, which is exactly the effect the yard wants.

Construction follows Pershing practice, with a GRP hull built for stiffness and light weight. The cockpit converts between a sunbathing zone and a dining area, and the transom opens to a bathing platform close to the water. Storage for a tender sits under the aft sunpad, keeping the clean lines intact. The result feels closer to a fast day boat with cabins than to a traditional cruiser.

The smallest Pershing still asks to be driven hard, and still delivers the brand's low, planted pace.

Two cabins below the waterline

Below deck the 5X offers two cabins and two bathrooms, a full-beam owner's suite amidships and a VIP forward. The amidships position gives the master the widest part of the hull and the calmest ride at anchor. Natural light comes through the hull windows, which are a signature of the type and make the lower deck feel larger than its footprint suggests. Finishes lean modern, with pale woods and lacquered surfaces available to order. The space is intimate rather than expansive, in keeping with a boat of this length.

The layout treats the interior as a comfortable base rather than the centre of life aboard, since most time is spent in the cockpit and on the foredeck. A compact galley serves the saloon and cockpit, and the dinette converts for occasional overnight guests. Headroom and finish quality sit above what the length might imply. Owners tend to specify the boat for weekends and short coastal hops rather than long passages. For that use the accommodation is well judged.

Two ways to go fast

The 5X is offered with a genuine choice of character at the helm. The standard fit is a pair of Volvo Penta D11 IPS950 pod drives of 725 hp each, giving a top speed near 36 knots and a relaxed cruise around 31 knots with strong fuel efficiency and easy joystick handling. Buyers who want the sharper edge can specify twin CAT 12.9 engines of 1,000 hp driving Top System surface propellers. That configuration lifts the top speed to around 45 knots and the cruise into the low 40s. The two options make the same hull feel like two different boats.

Surface drives are the more traditional Pershing choice and deliver the direct, connected steering the brand is known for. The pod-drive version trades a little outright pace for docking ease and lower running costs, which suits owners without crew. Unladen displacement sits near 20.9 tonnes, light for the length, which is central to the performance. Range at cruising speed is roughly 300 nautical miles, matching the boat's coastal brief. In either form the 5X rides flat and holds its line through a turn.

Who steps aboard first

The 5X suits the owner who wants the Pershing name and the Pershing feel without the running costs of a larger yacht. It rewards someone who enjoys taking the helm and treats the boat as an extension of the way they drive on land. Marinas across the Mediterranean handle its size easily, and berthing costs stay reasonable for the class. It works as a private day and weekend boat for a couple or a small family. For a first-time buyer in the brand it is the logical starting point.

On the used market the 5X holds interest as one of the more accessible entries to the range, though prices vary widely with engine choice and specification. The surface-drive versions command attention from buyers who prize performance, while the pod-drive boats appeal to those focused on ease of use. Verified pricing shifts with age and hours, so figures are best confirmed hull by hull. As a stepping stone it tends to keep owners in the marque, and many trade up to a 7X or 9X in time.

Design

• Exterior: Fulvio De Simoni
• Interior: Pershing (in-house), with Ferretti Group Product Strategy Committee
• Naval architecture: Fulvio De Simoni & Ferretti Group Engineering Department

Who it is for: Hands-on owners wanting the full Pershing character in an owner-driveable size, for weekends and coastal cruising without the cost of a larger yacht.

Guide price: No official base price published. Used/brokerage asking prices roughly EUR 1.0M-1.75M (e.g. 2023 'Polar' listed EUR 1,395,000). Source: YachtBuyer / TWW Yachts brokerage listings.