The scenic route: Test driving the Pardo E72 laid-back luxury cruiser

Combining minimalist design with fuel efficiency, the Pardo E72 invites you to slow down, unwind and savour the journey, Hannah Rankine reports...

Bold and brash might draw the eye, but it’s cool and collected that makes you stay. From the moment I step on board the 22-metre E72 from Pardo Yachts in the spring sunshine of Mallorca, I feel an immediate sense of calm. While the appealing weather may have played a part, it is the yacht’s understated aesthetic and promise of eco attributes that put me at ease.

The “E” in the E72 standing for “Endurance”, this series offers a contrast to Pardo Yachts’ GT and Walkaround lines, which prioritise speed and performance. “The Endurance range is for long cruises, so the performance is not its top value,” explains Veronica Bottasini, Pardo’s brand communication manager. “The focus is more on the journey than speed and arrival time.” This slow-and-steady-wins-the-race ethos is also reflected in the E72’s fuel consumption – just 80 litres per hour at an “eco speed” of 12 knots, which provides a 900-nautical-mile range.

I am keen to take the helm to see if she is as peaceful underway as her calming design and eco-conscious performance suggest. With twin Volvo Penta IPS 1350 engines, the handling is smooth and intuitive, and a huge windscreen offers good visibility. While the E72 is gliding across the water, Bottasini mentions that the hull has been studied and optimised for stability, with a “warped” hull design and a decreasing deadrise angle from bow to stern that allow her to cut through choppier seas with ease.

Though the E72 accommodates two crew in the bow, it is perfectly suited for owner-operation thanks to a clutter-free helm station and large 22-inch Garmin displays. The additional helm station on the starboard side of the aft deck and six external cameras make docking a simple task.

A step up from Pardo’s 18-metre E60, the E72 has a four-cabin layout, gaining one cabin on the E60’s three. The master, VIP cabin and dayhead are accessed privately via a dedicated staircase on the port side of the saloon, while the two guest twin cabins are reached through separate access forward, which gives an extra sense of privacy on board. Space planning is highly honed; I am particularly impressed with the full-beam master cabin that felt like something you’d find on a larger yacht. It offers ample storage, a vanity or office desk, plus an en suite bathroom with his-and-her basins and a separate shower and toilet on either side.

One of the joys of the E72 is the main deck layout, which fosters the sort of indoor-outdoor atmosphere that you’d want on a boat this size. With floor-to-ceiling doors that slide away on both the aft and starboard sides, the interior merges into the exterior cockpit and the side deck terraces created by fold-down bulwarks. “The concept here is to have a continuity of space inside and outside,” Bottasini says. “With the doors and windows open, the saloon and cockpit are one continuous space on the same level where you can enjoy time with friends and family close to the sea.”

There’s no shortage of inviting spots to kick back on the exterior decks, and you’re never far from a cold drink thanks to hidden refrigerators tucked away throughout the boat. The aft cockpit seating converts from a dining sofa into a sunpad that hangs over the swim platform – it almost feels like you’re suspended in mid-air over the water below. Or you might prefer to sit on the side decks, feet dangling over the sea, or recline on the foredeck sunpads and take in the views while underway. The moveable, weighted backrests on the latter are a small but clever detail, allowing you to find your ideal lounging position. I also appreciate the generous width of the side decks. Even with the fold-down balconies raised, there is plenty of space to move from bow to stern comfortably, with retractable cleats and the absence of handrails adding to the clean aesthetic.

Unlike the coupé style of Pardo’s sinuous GT series, the Endurance line comes with a flybridge, which extends the outdoor living spaces further. The model I’m on has an open top with an electric bimini for shade, but Bottasini points out that owners can choose a fixed T-top if they prefer. With an L-shaped sofa, dining table, sunloungers and even a small galley, I imagine the flybridge will be a dream for entertaining on long and leisurely summer evenings.

While the exterior remains unmistakably Pardo – sporting the brand’s signature inverted bow, forward-leaning superstructure and parallelogram-shaped hull windows – the Italian shipyard partnered with BurdissoCapponi Yachts & Design to bring a new vision to the interiors. “Pardo asked us to create an interior that builds on the style of the E60, refining it with a more contemporary and elegant approach,” says Francesca Burdisso, one of the studio’s two co-founders.

The result is a minimalist, tonal colour palette that doesn’t feel overly decorative. “The primary wood is a matt-finished grey walnut, used selectively to emphasise key design elements, like the ceiling trims, upholstery bases and cabin wall panels,” Burdisso explains. “To counterbalance the richness of the wood, we introduced light, neutral tones and contrasting materials, like chevron beige fabrics for the upholstery, Krion Pearl for the galley countertop and sand-coloured resin to visually unify horizontal and vertical bathroom surfaces. A warm rust tone threads through the palette, adding depth to details like the ceramic basins in the master bathroom.”

The simple design doesn’t come at the expense of detail. Textured materials bring depth to the spaces, from the linen-like wallpaper on the lower deck bulkheads to the continuous wood grain across the saloon flooring. Even the air-conditioning and lighting are neatly integrated into the structure. “Every stylistic and decorative decision was made to create a warm, inviting atmosphere,” Burdisso says.

This isn’t a boat for thrill seekers intent on island-hopping at high speeds. It’s made for those who embrace a slower pace of life, who prefer the scenic route over the fast lane, and relish quality time with no particular place to be.

First published in the February 2026 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.