“To be fair to all the big players within the yachting industry, they are all trying very hard within the constraints of the cruising yacht to innovate and Jeanneau has clearly worked pretty hard at that with its new 490. She’s one of the first of a new line of yachts that sits between the 479 and the 519, both of which are part of the last generation of Oceanis’s that are now being phased out. Philippe Briand, who designed that previous generation of Sun Odysseys, is still at the helm but the interior on the new range is in the hands of Jean-Marc Piaton. In terms of the overall look of the yacht, you can see that Briand is still at the helm and this is more of a development on the idea of the previous generation of Jeanneaus as opposed to a revolution. The angular lines and chined stern are still in place and she retains that almost Lego brick look of modernity. Yet there are significant changes too…
Jeanneau’s 490 is expertly tailored to its customer base and if you were considering buying one, then I do not think you will come away disappointed.”