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"Quite a surprise, the way this blend of old and new delivers more than the sum of its parts"
AT FIRST glance Fendt's Farmer is much as it always has been: A square, heavy block of a tractor with a big, beetle-browed cab carrying four worklamps and angular, no-nonsense mudguarding. But what you don't see is the new Deutz motor, the thing that puts the Ci in 308Ci. That's under some snazzy new Vario-style steel panelling, wrapped in neat pipework.
The 308's exterior looks durable and the same holds for the inside. This has seen mild updating and is made from solid stuff, apart from the seemingly unchanging flimsy drinks bottle holder and floppy side window catches. Plus in this example, some untidy trim up by the rear window.
CAB, NOISE
***** The 50s updated
The Massey may have the biggest cab in this group but the Fendt comes close, its square-rigged office losing only on length. Which translates into plenty of legroom for tall drivers, who perch on a good-quality swivelling Grammer air seat. Access is via particularly wide steps and doors - something not so good in the Deere - though that tractor's passenger accommodation easily beats Fendt's rear mudguard shelf. Storage approaches the Deere's thanks to a deep box over the offside console, though this hurts visibility.
Elsewhere, skinny front pillars boost the view forward through a wide front screen. Sight of an implement is excellent, though tall drivers coincide with the rear window wiper motor. The cab shows its age in the wide, sight-robbing front console, thick cab side pillars and lack of a roof window option for loading; instead there's a big rear-opening hatch. Heating is typically Fendt - separate systems for heating and ventilation/aircon, with two fans supplying nine vents and a demister.
Economically the 308 is chaotic. The brightest spot are the well-ordered linkage controls; the gloomiest are the pto clutch and hand throttle, marooned a very long stretch away on the front console. The splitter lever and spool levers we'll come to.
And noise? Subjectively middling and a test-average 77.2dB(A) under load, never quiet but easy enough for all-day work. From the engine, a deep, friendly growl overlain by light, jet-scream turbo whistle. No gear whine in...