Does the first car of MG manage to hit the sweet spot? We find out.
Morris Garages debuted in India with its Hector SUV. A sub-brand of SAIC, MG is a British carmaker which presently has four cars in its portfolio – Hector, MG ZS EV, Hector Plus and Gloster. The Hector looks like a bigger car than it is and offers unmatched road presence. The five-seater SUV competes against the likes of Jeep Compass, Mahindra XUV500, Hyundai Tucson and Tata Harrier. The vehicle is technologically fully-loaded and gets a good dose of creature comfort features. It gets petrol and diesel engine options with a combination of both manual as well as automatic transmission options.
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Exterior
The MG Hector looks big and, indeed, it is. The large front-grille and the high-positioned trending LED DRLs give it a contemporary appearance. The C-shaped fog lamp cum headlamp housing is dipped in chrome. The faux skid plate and black cladding lend it a character. Although it looks weird from certain angles, the tasteful elements on other sides fill up the gap. It gets 17-inch wheels but they look reasonably small due to the sheer size of the Hector. The large wheel well gaps underline this shortcoming. Moreover, the front and rear overhangs bulge out giving it MPV-esque looks from sides.
Similar to the front, the rear too gets a dual-tone bumper and thick red strip connecting the tail lamps. At some angles, the car styling looks abrupt like the large silver faux skid plate which houses the exhaust pipe. MG has gone overboard in designing the Hector.
Dimensions
The new MG Hector exceeds all the car in its segment when measured. It’s got more than 4600mm length! Have a look at the dimensions.
| Length | 4655 mm |
| Width | 1835 mm |
| Height | 1760 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2750 mm |
| Ground Clearance | 175/180 mm |
Interior
The massive dimensions do translate into cavernous cabin space where even the taller passengers won’t complain about the head or legroom. There is a good amount of knee room as well in the all-black cabin. However, in the petrol hybrid variant, the battery is placed below the driver’s seat which limits the legroom of the 2nd-row occupant. Due to the same reason, you do not get the adjustable driver’s seat option in the fully-loaded petrol hybrid. The rear seats offer good shoulder room – easy to accommodate three-average size adults.
The large glass area, apart from the panoramic sunroof, makes the cabin a lot airier. In fact, you might struggle to keep your privacy. The quality of the materials employed is not top-notch. The major highlight of the cabin is the massive 10.4-inch touchscreen unit.
The boot space is simply more than adequate at 587-litres. If you want more boot space, you can fold the second-row completely flat. It gets 60:40 split rear seats.
Engine & Specifications
The Hector is available with three engine choices – 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol, 1.5-litre mild hybrid and 2.0-litre diesel. The SUV is available with both manual and automatic transmission options.
| Engine | 1.5-litre turbo petrol | 1.5-litre hybrid petrol | 1.5-litre diesel |
| Power | 143 PS | 170 PS | |
| Torque | 250Nm | 350Nm | |
| Transmission | 6-speed MT/ DCT | 6-speed MT | 6-speed MT |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 60-litre | ||
Features
MG has added enough bling to the Hector to make it a tempting offering. It gets 8-colour ambient lighting, panoramic sunroof, cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, LED headlamps, LED tail lamps, LED front and rear fog lamps, leather seats, 2nd row seat recline, 60:40 split seats, 6-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, 4-way power-adjustable co-passenger seat, powered tailgate opening, heated ORVM, subwoofer, amplifier, 8 speakers & tweeters and a 10.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. It also gets more than 55 features which can be controlled by MG’s iSMART app.
Safety
MG Hector gets 6 airbags, ABS + EBD + Brake Assist, rear disc brakes, hill hold control, traction control, ESP, 360-degree view camera, front and rear parking sensors and many more.
Price
The MG Hector is very aggressively priced compared to its rivals with its price starting as low as Rs 12.83 lakh and the fully-loaded version top out at Rs 18.08 lakh (ex-showroom, pan India).
| Hector Variants | Price (ex-showroom, pan India) |
| Style MT | Rs 12.83 lakh |
| Super MT | Rs 13.63 lakh |
| Style MT (Diesel) | Rs 13.99 lakh |
| Hybrid Super MT | Rs 14.21 lakh |
| Super MT (Diesel) | Rs 14.99 lakh |
| Hybrid Smart MT | Rs 15.31 lakh |
| Smart DCT | Rs 15.99 lakh |
| Smart MT (Diesel) | Rs 16.49 lakh |
| Hybrid Sharp MT | Rs 16.63 lakh |
| Hybrid Sharp Dual-tone | Rs 16.83 lakh |
| Sharp DCT | Rs 17.55 lakh |
| Sharp MT (Diesel) | Rs 17.88 lakh |
| Sharp Dual-tone (Diesel) | Rs 18.08 lakh |
Verdict
MG Hector is a perfect SUV for someone looking for a flashy car. It gets immense road presence, humongous architecture, premium interiors, spacious cabin and costlier-than-its-value appeal. Above all, the aggressive pricing acts as a cherry on top.
