Ranked against its immediate rivals, the Fendt Vario 720 occupies the top slot in nearly all our DLG test categories, and it will come as no surprise to learn that this elevated position is accompanied by the customary Fendt price premium. So is it worth the money?
Here at profi we have tended to use Fendt as the yardstick when comparing various tractors. Take this month’s test steed as an example. The Vario 720 returns chart-topping results in almost every category — from drawbar power and economy, through to lift power, hydraulic output, payload and manoeuvrability. This is not us sitting in the seat and blowing the Fendt trumpet; it’s praise that is backed up by hard test facts.
But before immersing ourselves in those test results, here’s a reminder of what we’re dealing with. Fendt updated its 700 series last year to meet Stage IV (Tier 4f) emissions. So, while the six-cyl Deutz TCD 6.1 L6 block is the same, the SCR system has been tweaked with a passive particulate filter plus a more powerful cooling system, which also takes care of the cooled EGR gubbins. In fact, the cooling surface has been increased by 15% with a 620mm radiator fan (now electronically
‘Vistronic’ controlled) to reduce the level of nitrogen oxides and particulates. On the outside the only noticeable change is the 4cm taller bonnet.
The DLG lab tests supplied the stats for our 720, which according to the brochure has a rated power of 136kW/185hp to ECE R24. Revving at rated speed on the dyno it put out 130kW/176hp at the shaft, and this increased to 141kW/192hp at maximum. This excellent performance was achieved with fuel use as low as 252g/kWh and 225g/kWh.
The SCR used 11g/kWh of AdBlue, which is about half the rate that most competitors inject to meet Stage IV. So the 38-litre AdBlue tank shouldn’t be an issue on the 720; the diesel tank measures a sizeable 400 litres. Furthermore the 720 casts doubt on the assumption that a CVT is less efficient on draft work. To deliver 110kW/147hp of drawbar power at rated speed and a max of 121kW/162hp the Fendt consumed 289g/kWh and 262g/kWh, which is less fuel use than many tractors with a mechanical gearbox. And there’s more: in the mixed Powermix test, the 720 recorded a 258g/kWh return, which is a whopping 11% lower than the average test rate. Add the reduced AdBlue rate of 13g/kWh, and these results are even lower than those of the Stage IIIB 724 model we tested in the 05/2013 magazine.
Treading light on public roads, the 720 Vario sips just 537g/kWh at 40km/hr and 540g/kWh at 50km/hr, which work out respectively at 8% and 6% below the average from all the tractors tested so far. The figures speak for themselves.
