Tractor test: Valtra N121 Advance Delivering 93kW/126hp to ECE R24, the Valtra N121 Advance provides exactly the same engine output as the more basic HiTech version that profi featured way back in the 04/07 mag. So, what does an ‘N’ buyer receive in return for shelling out the extra money on Advance spec? We attempt to find the answers in this test on the N121 flagship, a model that continues to be one of Valtra’s bestsellers on the world tractor market.
The perfect combination of youth and experience. How often has that particular cliché been spouted by a team manager when eulogising about the ideally balanced blend of his latest ensemble?
As it turns out, much the same can be said of this month’s test candidate, the 93kW/126hp Valtra N121. There’s plenty that will be familiar on this medium-sized four-pot, but then its Finnish maker has also managed to squeeze in a decent dollop of state-of-the-art sophistication. Size and spec choice? Well, that’s covered too, with the Finns offering six models and ten versions of the ‘N’. Outputs range from 61kW/83hp all the way up to 104kW/141hp (rated output, ECE R24).
Concentrating first on the engine, we’ve already mentioned that N121 rated output (ECE R24) comes in at 93kW/126hp at 2,200rpm. Just to confuse matters, though, we then switch to ISO 14396 for the tractor’s brochure listing, in which it quotes max output as 98kW/133hp, this stat rising to 106kW/144hp once transport boost kicks in (gear H2 and above). Provider of all this power is a 44 CWA motor from Sisu Diesel, complete with common-rail fuel injection, 4.4-litre capacity, wastegate turbo, intercooling and internal exhaust recirculation.
At the DLG test station, the little four-cyl motor did its Finnish manufacturer proud, returning a rated 84.7kW at the pto and a 91.5kW max as engine revs tail off by a modest 200rpm. Torque rise comes in at a reasonable 43% with an engine speed drop of more than 36%. Constant power measures 26% and extra power just shy of 7kW. Taken as a job lot, these figures merely reinforce our testers’ initial performance impression – that this is a solid engine that goes about its business in a thoroughly workmanlike manner.
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