Fendt has raised the bar on how much power can be squeezed out of a four-cylinder tractor engine by cranking its new 600 Vario up to more than 200hp.

The move comes after the German brand beefed up its popular 700 series tractors, creating a yawning gulf between it and the smaller 500s.

See also: First impressions: New £250,000 Fendt 728 lands on UK soil

Traditionally, an extra two cylinders would be required to successfully cover this 150-200hp-plus bracket, but a new 5-litre Agco Power Core50 engine claims to make this unnecessary.

In the top-of-the-range 620, max power output is 209hp and, thanks to Fendt’s “dynamic performance” boost arrangement, it can call on as much as 224hp when required. This gives it a power-to-weight ratio of 34.4kg/hp.

To help reduce fuel use and noise, the power plant has been designed to deliver high torque at low revs. To this end, the 620 generates a peak output of 950Nm between 1,200 and 1,600rpm and reaches its top speed of 50kph at 1,250rpm.

Other features include adjustment-free hydraulic tappets and an emissions setup that doesn’t need to funnel exhaust gasses back through the engine. It’s also been built to run on alternative fuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil.

VarioDrive transmission

In the same vein as the firm’s larger tractors, the old Vario transmission has been dropped in favour of the single-range VarioDrive setup, which continuously measures slip on all four wheels and dishes out power to those with the most grip.

This has the added benefit of being able to pull the front of the tractor around a turn, helping to give it a 10.2m turning circle on 540mm tyres.

Central tyre inflation is also available from the factory for the first time in this power bracket, giving the option of running lower pressures in the field and higher ones on the road.

Although it’s a relatively compact tractor with an operating weight of 7.7t, Fendt has engineered it to carry a payload of up to 5.8t, giving it a gross vehicle weight of 13.5t.

To improve towing safety there’s a new trailer brake assistant that can detect if the load is pushing the tractor too hard and automatically activate the air brakes.

Back end

Depending on the amount of oil flow they require, buyers can opt for the standard 152-litre/min pump or upgrade to 205 litres/min. These can run up to five connections at the rear and three in the middle.

Other working credentials include a max rear lift capacity of 9,986kg, a 4,505kg rating for the front linkage and a four-speed rear pto. A front 1,000rpm pto is available as an option.

Familiar cab

As for the cab, this uses the same arrangement as the six-cylinder tractors, complete with the FendtOne control layout, which has been gradually filtering down from higher-horsepower models.

It offers a more sophisticated button-laden joystick than previous generation tractors and comes with the option of up to three screens for displaying tractor settings and guidance, as well as running isobus implements.

A cooling and warming box is available to keep refreshments at their optimum temperature and there’s the option of various plush seats with memory and massaging functions.

For those planning to use it with a sprayer, the cabin can be upgraded to Category 4 filtration levels. It can also be fitted with a heated windscreen to ease the defrosting process in winter.

Loaders

A series of new factory Cargo loaders are available for the 600 series, with the largest 5.90 model offering a 34.6kN (about 3.5t) lift capacity and working height of 4.5m.

© Fendt

These are integrated into the tractor, meaning they can be controlled by an optional hydraulic joystick and have settings displayed on the terminal. A weighing system can also be added.

Order books for the new range open in November, with full-scale production kicking off in summer 2024.