Name an up-and-coming East Asian tractor manufacturer that starts with K and has a penchant for orange paint.

The Pointless answer, for fans of the BBC’s favourite teatime quiz, is Kioti, which, presumably envious of Kubota’s European success, now fancies its chances north of 100hp.

But rather than putting in calls to the usual posse of third-party suppliers – Perkins, ZF, Carraro, et al – the company is manufacturing all the main components for its biggest-ever tractors in-house, giving it complete control of every nut and bolt.

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Until now, its six tractor ranges, encompassing some 55 models, crescendoed at the 127hp HX1201, which set Kioti’s higher-horsepower dream in motion when it was launched two years ago.

It still leads the now mid-sized HX line-up (100-127hp), but has been replaced at the top of the billing by the HX1402 and HX1302.

These are powered by the same 3.8-litre, four-cylinder engine as the others, tuned up to 140hp/540Nm and 130hp/530Nm, respectively.

Where they fit in a very congested UK market isn’t yet clear, but the company intends to replicate the approach of compatriots Kia and Hyundai in the automotive sector.

That means starting cheap and offering a decent warranty (five years/3,000 hours).

However, “cheap” is the operative word. With so many main-brand dealers drowning in stock, Kioti will have to cut a good deal to tempt buyers.

Simple drivetrain

As well as the extra firepower, the new models have a 20cm longer wheelbase, which should improve balance for loader work and, most notably, a new transmission.

The semi-powershift box is Kioti’s first, offering eight clutchless steps in each of the four ranges.

Overly keen provision of switchgear means there are three sets of buttons to control them.

There’s also an automatic function but, as this is preset to shift at 2,000rpm with no scope for alteration, there’s not a whole lot of benefit, bone idleness aside.

And, as slick as the powershifts are, the two separate range levers – one of which engages the set of creepers – are dead clunky.

Top speed is 40kph (there’s no 50kph option) and the biggest tyre option is a 650/65 R38, which should be ample for fieldwork.

Features that warrant a mention include an engine speed memory and an automatic pto mode that will start and stop the shaft according to linkage position.

What’s the cab like?

The basics are good – five matchstick-thin pillars and a generous glass acreage provide quality views, the huge single-pane frontage a particular highlight.

The twig-like exhaust also goes unnoticed, and including a nearside B-post in the structure allows for a sensibly sized door that latches tightly without fuss.

© MAG/Oliver Mark

The sole spoiler is the largely futile defrosting element on the rear window; the thick wire strung across it akin to viewing the attached implement through a tennis racket.

Inside, the HX is an also-ran. Operators sit in a sea of Deere-esque tea-brown trim, interspersed with loveless but functional switches that could be found in any alley of Smyths toy emporium.

A hotchpotch of these is clustered around the nose of the armrest (linkage, throttle, powershift), with the rest stacked on the side console.

© MAG/Oliver Mark

Fancy? No. But good enough for livestock farmers more interested in cows than cabs.

And it’s these apathetic buyers that the South Koreans are eyeballing.

They’ll no doubt like its generally lightweight and manoeuvrable characteristics and, to charm them further, the company fits a hydraulic loader joystick as standard.

© MAG/Oliver Mark

This is plumbed permanently into a set of mid-mount valves and there are currently two options as far as lifting hardware is concerned – Kioti’s own unit (circa £9,000 on-farm), or a Quicke equivalent.

Beyond that, the company has most of the in-cab essentials covered.

There’s an air-sprung seat and cab suspension – front axle cushions are apparently in the works – as well as air-conditioning and radio controls hung in the ceiling, where they are safe from the worst of the dust.

These sandwich a roof window, which is a little on the small side for loader work and split from the front windscreen by a crossmember of considerable girth.

But storage is abundant, improved – for a small fee – by the optional heater/cooler box behind the passenger seat to stash lunchtime carbohydrates.

Word on the street is that there’s a “premium” version of the HX1402 coming next year.

This will get a ruck of extras, including a load-sensing hydraulic pump, fancier Grammer seat with heating and cooling, an LCD display and adjustable oil flow rates.

Farmers Weekly verdict

These are unchartered waters for Kioti, and it’s in with some big fish.

Yet there’s plenty to like about the HX – especially the visibility – and it feels reminiscent of Kubota’s M135 GX of a decade ago.

At the time, that model was the Japanese firm’s flagship tractor, and it opened the doors to the mainstream market.

But success will be determined by the dealer network. Only a dozen or so are currently up for selling the HX models, with most of Kioti’s groundscare network already signed to a mainstream tractor marque.

And the prices might not look as cheap as they did when Kioti hatched its UK plans, with dealers slashing big brand prices to try and get tractors moving from forecourts to farms.

Kioti who?

Kioti is an established name in the business of lawn mowers, UTVs and hobby tractors, but it’s yet to properly break into professional farming in the UK.

It builds some 50,000 tractors annually, ranging from 21hp to 140hp. Most are sold under the Daedong brand, and the lion’s share of exports land in North America.

British importer Kioti UK, based in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, was built from the ashes of defunct machinery distributor Ruston’s Engineering Company (Reco) in 2015.