Move the slider to compare, Benetti Oasis left - Sanlorenzo X-Space right

What Benetti and Sanlorenzo have done right with their 40m plus superyachts, is they’ve understood, and considered, what modern superyacht owners are looking for. On first impression, both superyachts connote ideas of a connection to nature, exploration and comfort, largely due to their enormous aft areas, both of which feature folding bulwarks and a small pool.
 
On their respective websites, Sanlorenzo brands the X-Space as ‘The perfect encounter between Explorers and classic navettas’, while Benetti urges future owners to ‘Enjoy the sophisticated, yet informal, easy-going rhythm of life on board. To lay back and find the perfect space for each moment of the day’. The difference in branding is a tip of the hat to the distinctions between the two superyachts.
 
The 40.8m Benetti Oasis, while it’s the smaller of the two superyachts, appears to feel the most spacious. The salon and aft deck merge into one with a seamless sliding glass door, which allows the guests to have a complete view of the scenery behind the boat, even while sat inside having dinner. This, along with the airy and spacious vibe of the superyacht’s interior, suggests that glamour was strongly accounted for when putting this superyacht together.
 
That’s not to say the X-Space is not as glamorous. The interior design is bright and modern, and inconspicuous features such as the built-in sunbeds on the folding balconies highlight the boats elegance.
 
With that in mind, the sturdier, almost meaner looking Sanlorenzo is 110 GT larger than the Benetti. With an extra 2.9m in length over the Benetti, there is room for an extra hot tub on the bow area. The X-Space really is geared up to accommodate to the needs of an adventurous owner looking to reach far-away places, something which shouldn’t be too hard with a 50,000-litre fuel tank.
 
The Benetti Oasis also carries that notion. At 11 knots, the superyacht can travel a distance of 4,000 nm, meaning it would make light work of a trans-Atlantic crossing. What’s more, the Benetti also has an extra berth for one more crew member. In the past, shipyards have been criticised for underestimating the amount of crew that are needed on board, this could make a substantial difference to the owners experience, particularly if that extra crew member is working on the service side of operations.   
 
Taking all this into consideration, it’s hard to put one in front of the other without knowing the specific needs and wants of the buyer. Both models offer similar specifications and luxuries but it's hard to tell what’s most likely to sway a prospective buyer one way or the other.

One yacht broker told SuperyachtNews that, “It’s really down to the reputation of the ship builders at the end of the day. I’ve found in my experience that nationality, as well as heritage, plays a big part in making up the difference between two superyachts. It’s the same with cars, if you’re an American, you’re probably more likely to get a Ford or Mustang, if you’re Italian, you are probably likely to go for a Ferrari or Lamborghini. Once you get past that, it’s normally about the reputation; what have they done in the past and what are people going to associate them with if they have that boat?”
 
Without dwelling too much on the comparison between the automobile and superyacht industries, it’s interesting to note how car design has evolved throughout the decades. In the 1950s even the mildest of petrol heads could tell you the make of a car simply by looking at the hubcap. Then, over the year’s, government regulations came into play forcing designers into making the same changes, albeit for the benefit of health and safety. Over time, the market also fragmented into more categories, small, midsize and SUV for example, leading to a narrower range of distinguishing features for individual cars, which in turn, lead to many labelling some vehicles as ‘Cookie-cutter’ designs.
 
As most would point out, the two industries do not run parallel to each other. The elegant lines of the X- Space are very much classic Sanlorenzo, and the Benetti Oasis offers traditional English lines with an Italian refinement that some would argue as being a perfect combination. With that being said, it poses the question of where the evolution of design is heading in the ever-growing superyacht industry. Hypothetically, if one were able to sit in a coffee shop along the coast of the Mediterranean, being lucky enough to watch superyachts sail across the distant bay over the past 50 years. Would they still be able to point out the distinguishing features of various shipbuilders, or would they struggle with some of the emerging models?  

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