Claas ramps up four-cylinder output with 180hp Arion 570
© Claas Claas has squeezed an extra 15hp from the 4.5-litre John Deere engine used in its Arion 500-series, making the new 570 Cmatic its pokiest four-cylinder model to date.
This long-awaited juice up strengthens the company’s hand in the UK’s fastest-growing tractor sector, with sales of 160-180hp quad-potters up 250% in three years.
Thus far, the best the German firm could offer was the plucky 165hp Arion 550.
See also: Video: Claas Arion 550 Cebis Cmatic on test
But the new Arion 570 Cmatic serves up a straight 180hp (there’s no boost) and offers more torque – 730Nm at 1,400rpm – than the equivalent six-cylinder in the 600-series.
Thi isn’t purely a tune-up, says Claas, with new injectors and a revamped cooling pack helping to get the fuel in and the heat out.
At its near-8t kerb weight, the performance gains translate to just over 40kg/hp – a little way off John Deere’s light-treading 165/177hp 6R150 (33kg/hp) but only a smidge higher than Fendt’s 171hp 516 (39kg/hp).
Engine aside, the only other alteration sees the standard 500-series front axle upgraded to a heavier-duty Dana assembly shared with the bigger Arion 650 and 660.
Stepless only
But unlike the lesser powered 550, Claas isn’t offering a Hexashift powershift option.
Instead, all will depart Le Mans with its in-house-built Cmatic stepless transmission, which would inevitably be the more popular of the two, anyway.
There is a broader range of tyres though, topping out with Trelleborg’s 710/60 R38 VF rears and 600/60 R28 fronts.
These offer a bigger footprint than previously available and can be paired with a central tyre inflation system.
As for the rest of the spec, four double-acting electro-hydraulic spools are fed by a 150-litre/min pump, there’s the full suite of pto speeds, and both front and cab suspension are standard.
The Arion 570 is one of only a handful of models offered in Claas’s “night edition” specification, which adds Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, grey rims, roof and bonnet side panels, and fancy decals woven into cab furnishings.
Other models to get the treatment are Axions 960, 930, 870 and 830, and the Arion 660.
The range
The Arion 500-series encompasses the 125hp 510, 145hp 530 and 165hp 550, plus the new 570.
All are propelled by John Deere’s 4.5-litre, four-cylinder engine and, bar the 570, are available with a Hexashift or Cmatic transmission.
Above them come with six-cylinder 600s, propelled by a 6.8-litre Deere engine that delivers between 145hp on the 610 to 185/205hp on the 660.
