Following the launch of the new S-series in 2013, T-series in 2014 and N-series in 2015, Finnish tractor maker Valtra completes its product rejuvenating programme this summer with the introduction of an all-new 75-130hp A-series. We take a brief drive on the mid-range 110hp A114, coupled up to a 3m mounted cultivator
The entry-level Valtra A-series is on the cusp of increasing from a relatively miserly two models to a rather more magnificent seven. And, with a maximum output offering of 75hp all the way up to 130hp, this newly extended family is expecting to appeal to a whole new customer base.Not that the existing A has been doing too badly. For example, in the UK the current three-cylinder A-series already accounts for 10% of Valtra’s UK sales, which is all the more remarkable when you consider that this market, in reality, only takes one of the two ‘A3’ models, the 101hp A93. So what will change, in terms of hardware, with the arrival of the ‘A4’ line-up later this summer?
Well, let’s settle one potential issue straightaway. For the cynics out there, the A4 is not just a rebadged version of the already-on-sale 4700/5700/6700 Global Tractor from sister company MF. Admittedly there’s a shared driveline: all of the engines together with the transmissions and back-ends are shipped in from AGCO’s Changzhou plant in China. But then that’s pretty much where the similarities end. Unlike Europe-destined MF Global Tractors, which are built in Beauvais and have Beauvais cabs/controls, the European A-series is manufactured by Valtra at Suolahti, Finland, is operated by Valtra-style controls and sports accommodation from Valtra’s regular cab supplier MSK Cabins, also in Finland. Bottom line: the MF and Valtra may be the same underneath, but they look and drive like two quite different products.
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