New Holland has unveiled an updated version of its 250-300hp T7 HD tractor range, featuring a larger, plusher cabin with more sophisticated controls.

Dubbed the Horizon Ultra, this new workspace comes with 7.5% more internal space, which has been achieved by moving the rear cab pillars and dropping the height of the wheel arches.

This has made room for a large 30-litre storage bin behind the seat and a series of additional cubby holes and compartments – something that the firm says drivers were crying out for.

One of these, positioned behind the passenger seat, includes a USB point and a mains-voltage socket for multiple charging options.

Shaving the arches has improved views to the side of the machine, made more space for a passenger to sit and given a 33% wider door opening. It’s also allowed the driver’s seat to swivel further to the right.

Another benefit is a folding second seat that forms a flat surface for putting down a coffee cup.

The seat can be flipped forward too, revealing a cooled storage compartment that’s big enough to fit two large bottles, with room to spare for a few other heat-sensitive snacks.

Visible alterations

Several visible alterations have taken place on the cab frame and glass, with a windscreen that curves upwards for a more open feel, and a larger rear window that gives a better view of the rear linkage and pick-up hitch.

More LED work lights have been added, giving a total of 24, and the wipers have been upgraded with a concealed motor and wider coverage.

See also: Case and New Holland tractors: How to fix common problems

Noise reduction

While the engineers were back at the drawing board, they took some time to reduce cab noise and remove irritating frequencies.

This work involved tweaking the cab structure and adding some extra metal in key areas to remove unwanted vibrations.

The mountings were also improved, along with the adhesive that holds the glass in place.

Carrying out studies of the irksome noise frequencies has led New Holland to swap some transmission and hydraulic components for quieter alternatives.

The result is that sound has been deadened to a serene 66dBa, which the company claims makes the T7 HD the quietest tractor in its class.

To speed the rate of heating in winter and cooling in summer, the designers have added a new automatic climate control system.

This has vents positioned all around the cabin and it offers 35% more capacity than its predecessor.

© New Holland

New Holland isn’t best known for the quality of its interior materials, but the update has brought in new plastics, fabrics and concealed trim fixings that apparently have a more premium feel.

This extends to the seat, which now has lateral suspension.

Better buttons

Controls have also been updated with the same setup used on larger T8 tractors. This includes the Sidewinder Ultra armrest, which give operators more options to customise the machine.

There are now eight buttons that can be programmed to carry out different functions, and the spool valves can be assigned to different paddles without having to move the pipes.

© New Holland

A new Intelliview 12 screen features better graphics, a series of shortcuts for accessing setup screens and the ability to carry out more functions.

Thanks to a 32-bit internal computer, there are more opportunities for remote connections, such as diagnostics, file transfer and screen sharing.

Many operators will be pleased to hear that it’s now possible to connect a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth and control it using a new “Media Keypad” on the armrest.

The biggest visual change is the addition of an optional tablet-like screen mounted in the centre of the steering wheel.

This replaces the conventional dashboard and displays information such as forward speed, engine revs, gearbox settings and pto rpm.

New Holland’s T7HD tractors sit at the top of the 14-model T7 range, and are available in three power outputs: 250, 270 and 300hp.

The new models are available to order now for delivery towards the end of the year.

New Holland hasn’t confirmed whether the changes will be rolled out to the rest of the range, but as all T7s share the same cabin, it’s highly likely that they will.