Sanlorenzo SX120 – A New Icon of Freedom in Crossover Yachting

Sanlorenzo has unveiled the SX120, a groundbreaking 36.6-meter (120 ft) superyacht that redefines its “crossover” yacht concept with greater size, innovation, and style. Announced in July 2025, the SX120 is the largest model in Sanlorenzo’s SX range of yachts, blending the capabilities of explorer vessels with the elegance of flybridge cruisers. It will make its official debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2025.

Key Highlights

• Largest-Ever SX Model: At 37 meters and 270 GT, featuring an open-plan interior and a 70 m² aft beach club with a retractable pool and 360° views.
• Innovative Propulsion: First superyacht to adopt Volvo Penta’s new IPS Professional quad-engine (4 × 1000 HP) system for high efficiency and compact design.
• Explorer–Flybridge Crossover: Merges explorer functionality with flybridge elegance for seamless indoor-outdoor living and adventure-ready design.
• Debut and Legacy: Premiering at Cannes Yachting Festival 2025, continuing the SX line’s evolution from its debut with the SX88 in 2017.

Crossover Design: Explorer Meets Flybridge

The SX120’s aft beach club extends to 70 m² with fold-down terraces and a pop-up pool. Sanlorenzo’s SX line merges the robust stance of explorer yachts with the casual refinement of flybridge cruisers. Co-designed with Zuccon International Project, the exterior features sleek lines, large glass panels, and a contemporary silhouette with explorer cues like a plumb bow. The yacht is 8 meters wide with a shallow ~2.2 m draft, allowing access to shallower waters without sacrificing volume or comfort.

Indoor-Outdoor Flow

The SX120 prioritizes spatial flow and connection to the sea. The main deck offers floor-to-ceiling windows and loft-like openness that blends seamlessly with the aft deck through wide glass sliding doors—blurring the line between climate-controlled luxury and the open-air. According to CEO Tommaso Vincenzi, the layout introduces “a new idea of space, livability and connection with the sea.” It evokes a villa-by-the-sea lifestyle with the freedom to transition from elegant salons to the water’s edge.

Expansive Beach Club with Retractable Pool

The showpiece is the beach club: a sea-level terrace that transforms from 40 m² to 70 m² with deployable bulwarks. Three-sided access allows swimming or launching water toys from any angle. At its center, a pop-up saltwater pool emerges with the push of a button. It retracts flush into the deck when not in use, maintaining safety and aesthetics. Wide teak steps lead to an aft lounge, connecting directly to the lower foyer—and even one convertible guest suite. The result: a seamless indoor-outdoor oasis, among the most immersive beach club designs in its class.  

Bright, Flexible Interiors by Piero Lissoni

Sanlorenzo entrusted famed Italian designer Piero Lissoni with the interior of the first SX120. The result is a study in understated refinement—an environment where natural light, open sightlines, and noble materials harmonize to deliver effortless elegance. The main salon is a celebration of minimalism and functionality. Framed by floor-to-ceiling windows, it features Lissoni’s signature touch: a sculptural central staircase clad in polished steel, geometric wooden ceiling beams, and discreet steel-effect panels. These design gestures balance warmth and edge, creating a space that feels simultaneously modern and timeless. A palette of warm woods, textured fabrics, metal, and glass plays throughout the interiors. The ceilings are lined with distinctive wooden slats—like quills—echoing the natural world with architectural clarity. Underfoot, fine parquet and plush carpets define gathering areas, while the bathrooms are adorned with marble-effect surfaces and backlit accents.

Main Deck Layout

Instead of the typical main-deck master, the SX120 presents a formal dining room aft of the central staircase, open on three sides to the deck and able to seat up to 14 guests. Forward of the staircase lies a full-beam master suite that feels like a villa on the water—thanks to wraparound windows and a private foredeck lounge that offers solitude and sweeping views. This rare forward-facing owner’s suite is made possible by the yacht’s compact engine layout, allowing a complete reconfiguration of onboard space.

Lower & Upper Decks: Modular Luxury

The lower deck houses four ensuite guest cabins for up to ten guests. One of the midship cabins features a sliding partition, allowing it to convert into a TV lounge or children’s playroom, depending on the moment. A dedicated hammam spa provides relaxation, and the bow area accommodates crew quarters for six. On the upper deck, versatility reigns. A panoramic glass-enclosed lounge can transform into a cinema, dining room, or sky lounge. Sliding doors reveal a breezy veranda overlooking the sea, while an external stairway leads to a completely open flybridge sun deck—conceived as a private “owner’s sanctuary.”

The “Smart Island” Concept

A standout innovation is the “Smart Island” furniture system: modular, movable elements that convert into sunpads, sofas, banquettes, or tables depending on the owner’s needs. This concept turns the flybridge into a multipurpose haven for cocktail evenings, sunbathing, or meditative solitude—seamlessly integrated into the silhouette of the yacht. Lissoni’s interiors for the SX120 champion adaptability, informality, and immersion in nature—echoing the very spirit of crossover yachting. Aboard the SX120, luxury is not imposed; it’s felt.

Advanced Volvo IPS Propulsion and Green Technology

Beyond its luminous design and flowing architecture, the SX120 represents a major leap forward in efficiency and propulsion. It is the first fiberglass yacht of its size to adopt Volvo Penta’s new IPS Professional Platform—a pod-based propulsion system co-developed with Sanlorenzo and engineered for performance with conscience. Power comes from four Volvo Penta D13 IPS engines, each generating 1,000 horsepower. Configured in dual pods (two engines per pod), this compact system delivers the thrust of a much larger setup while dramatically reducing the machinery footprint. The saved space enables expanded guest accommodations and crew quarters—unlocking volume typically reserved for larger yachts.

Efficient, Quiet, Capable

The SX120 reaches a top speed of approximately 23 knots, with a fast cruising pace around 20 knots. But the true highlight is its range and efficiency: at 10 knots, the yacht can cover up to 2,000 nautical miles on a single tank. According to Volvo, the IPS Professional setup reduces fuel consumption and emissions by up to 30% compared to traditional shaft drives—thanks to its hydrodynamic pods, counter-rotating propellers, and intelligent power management. A standout feature is the yacht’s Eco Mode, which adjusts the number of active engines and their RPMs based on real-time demand. This system intelligently selects which engine to run—balancing hours, conserving fuel, and reducing overall maintenance cycles. The platform is also equipped with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), a treatment system that cuts NOx emissions to meet IMO Tier III standards.

Precision at Sea

From the helm, steerable IPS pods offer unmatched maneuverability. Integrated Volvo technologies—such as Assisted Docking and Dynamic Positioning—likely enhance the SX120’s handling, giving the captain fingertip control even in tight marina spaces or while holding position at anchor. This propulsion system does more than move the yacht; it defines its experience—quieter, cleaner, and more responsive. It aligns with Sanlorenzo’s “Road to 2030” vision, a roadmap toward cleaner propulsion solutions such as hydrogen fuel cells and green methanol. The SX120 is not just an evolution in yachting—it’s a statement of intent.

Flagship of the Evolving SX Range

The SX120 represents the pinnacle of Sanlorenzo’s crossover philosophy—an idea launched in 2017 with the debut of the SX88. Since then, the range has grown with the SX76, SX112, and SX100, each introducing new spatial strategies and indoor-outdoor integration. But the SX120 takes it further, both in volume and in vision. Key features like the massive beach club, fold-down terraces, and retractable pool elevate concepts first explored in earlier models. Where the SX100 emphasized a stronger connection at the stern, the SX120 expands the full deck experience—both horizontally and vertically—across four levels of curated freedom. While all SX models share a GRP construction and fast-displacement hull, the SX120 is bolder in design, broader in ambition. With its public debut set for the Cannes Yachting Festival (September 9–14, 2025), alongside the new SD132, this flagship is expected to become a reference point for the next generation of explorer-flybridge yachts. With over 120 yachts currently in build or on order, Sanlorenzo is charting a clear course into the future. The SX120, with its harmony of sustainability, sophistication, and spatial innovation, leads that charge—an icon of freedom reshaping what tomorrow’s yacht should be.

Technical Specifications – Sanlorenzo SX120

• Length Overall: 36.6 m (120 ft)
• Beam (Max): 8.0 m
• Draft: ~2.2 m (shallow draft for coastal cruising)
• Gross Tonnage: ~270 GT
• Construction: Composite / GRP hull and superstructure (crossover design)
• Engines: Volvo Penta D13 IPS 2700 – 4 × 1000 HP pods (IPS Professional Platform)
• Top Speed: ~23 knots
• Cruising Speed: ~20 knots (fast cruise)
• Range: ~2,000 nautical miles at economic speed (~10 knots)
• Fuel Efficiency: Up to 30% reduction in fuel burn and emissions versus conventional propulsion (IPS + Eco Mode)
• Guests: 10 guests in 5 cabins (4 on lower deck + main-deck master)
• Crew: 5–6 crew in 3 cabins (forward lower deck)
• Notable Features: 70 m² expandable beach club with folding terraces and retractable pool; “Smart Island” modular sun deck furniture; central steel-cased staircase connecting 4 decks; joystick propulsion with Volvo IPS and Dynamic Positioning; Eco Mode and SCR emissions treatment for IMO III compliance.

With its blend of cutting-edge engineering and refined design, the Sanlorenzo SX120 represents a new generation of superyacht—one that is both environmentally conscious and fully devoted to the pleasures of life at sea. As Sanlorenzo’s largest crossover to date, the SX120 stands proudly as “a new icon of freedom,” delivering an experience that is both intelligent and indulgent.

Sources: Sanlorenzo Press Release (July 2025); Simpson Marine; YachtBuyer; Robb Report Singapore; Yachting Magazine; Boote Magazin.