Over the last decade, the SUV section has seen an insane boom in the Indian market. The reason is very simple, SUVs offer both a sporty look and large seating capacities. They are the perfect blend of looks and storage, something which large Indian joint families need. Hence, as the middle-class audience in India grew they moved towards these handsome titans. However, recent trends have shown a lack of enthusiasm for new vehicles. The increase in the number of launches and the market being saturated has made sure that only a few vehicles stand out. Joining this market with hopes to create some movement is the MG Hector. MG Hector is the product of MG Cars, a British sports car firm. It is the first ever all India model of the company. The car is an Indianized model of the Baojun 500, which was produced by Chinese-automobile company Baojun. The car hit the market this May and is currently being placed to lock horns against the Jeep Compass and Hyundai Tucson. Space is cramped, the market is peaking and the scope to break is low. The only way MG Hector makes it big is by delivering an amazing performance in every segment. So lets us take a closer look at the vehicle and understand what it has to offer.
Over the last decade, the SUV section has seen an insane boom in the Indian market. The reason is very simple, SUVs offer both a sporty look and large seating capacities. They are the perfect blend of looks and storage, something which large Indian joint families need. Hence, as the middle-class audience in India grew they moved towards these handsome titans. However, recent trends have shown a lack of enthusiasm for new vehicles. The increase in the number of launches and the market being saturated has made sure that only a few vehicles stand out. Joining this market with hopes to create some movement is the MG Hector. MG Hector is the product of MG Cars, a British sports car firm. It is the first ever all India model of the company. The car is an Indianized model of the Baojun 500, which was produced by Chinese-automobile company Baojun. The car hit the market this May and is currently being placed to lock horns against the Jeep Compass and Hyundai Tucson. Space is cramped, the market is peaking and the scope to break is low. The only way MG Hector makes it big is by delivering an amazing performance in every segment. So lets us take a closer look at the vehicle and understand what it has to offer.
Exterior
Despite being a British brand, MG has always gone for American based models. The front of the car is dominated by the massive black grill. All the lights smoothly flow out from the grill and give the car a commanding look. The model is very different when compared to the kind of cars we are used to seeing in the Indian market now. However, this model has gained a lot of attention globally. The car looks and feels very big. This is particularly good for this segment cause size matters. Very small vehicles don’t provide the space and feel buyers of this segment desire. It is the side looks which could have been better. The way the shoulder line of the car ends the rear reduces the impact that the front look created. The rear is fair. The thing which stands out is the way plastic is used in the rear segment under the spoiler. It is a very simple point but it enhances the look of the car. The rear also has massive plastic claddings. They otherwise would have made the car unnecessarily bulky but the company has paid attention to the place cause it looks good. Overall the vehicle manages to give out a strong feel. The shoulder and bulkiness could have been better but otherwise, everything seems fair.
Interior
The car is big but not the biggest. The car is sized fairly. It is very clear the moment you enter the car. The car isn’t uncomfortable but at the same time, it isn’t leaving way too much space for anyone. What makes the car stand-out however is the number of features it is offering. It is particularly known for adding multiple segment firsts. The best part of the cars, as shown in multiple advertisements, is that the car understands multiple human emotions. The company makes its brand tone very clear with this feature. They are here to support the users every need The car offers an all-black cabin which is lead by the 10.4-inch touch-screen infotainment system. The system is one of the most advanced in the segment. Apart from standard features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, it also provides convenience features such as navigation (powered by TomTom) with live traffic alerts, a 360-degree parking camera, AI-enabled voice recognition, which MG says has been developed to understand Indian accents, TPMS (tyre pressure monitoring system), and separate controls for media, phone and system alerts. MG will also offer an iSMART mobile application that will allow users to control the AC, door lock/unlock, tailgate and even open and close the sunroof. The MG Hector will also get an E-Call feature that will send an alert to your emergency contact in case the airbags are deployed. The iSMART application can also thoroughly scan the car to detect any malfunction. The car has an interesting function called ‘Find My Car’, which will help locate the vehicle in a parking lot while the geo-fencing feature will send an alert on the owner’s mobile phone if the car crosses a set perimeter. Other highlights include dynamic turn indicators, a panoramic sunroof, multi-spoke alloy wheels and LED DRLs. It will also get an auto-dimming IRVM and a 7-inch MID (multi-info display) as well. The car has ample storage space. In the five-seater version, it has a large boot of around 587 litres. The size of the boot reduces in the 7-seater version. Apart from it the car has all the regular and wanted storage place well placed. Overall the interior of the car manages to impress.
Driving
The MG hector comes with multiple options in both, petrol and diesel powertrains - 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder engine and the Fiat-sourced 2.0-litre oil burner engine respectively. The petrol-hybrid is over 11 per cent more fuel efficient than the regular petrol-manual but it still falls short by 1.6kmpl of the 17.41 Kmpl as claimed by the 2.0-litre diesel engine. Surprisingly, the mild-hybrid powertrain betters the regular petrol manual by a similar figure so it bridges the gap between the two versions. And on the top of that, this hybrid variant is more efficient than the petrol-automatic by nearly 2kmpl. The car is expected to have great riding abilities. It is also expected to withstand Indian roads. Time will tell how the car performs on the road but judging by the specifications, it should do a great job.
Should I buy One
MG hector provides a lot of segment firsts. It gives a strong impression and has a strong campaign backing it. The pricing of the car is also very desirable at the range of 15-20 lacks. The problem begins with the question of where do you live? The car has been Indianized but can a British company actually judge the current state of Indian roads? Also, will the company be able to spread all the spares and services across the country? India has a large landscape and not all places have all the services. While buying a vehicle like MG Hector one needs to remember that it will require maintenance checks and spares. Will they be available? Apart from this, the car seems to be an amazing option. It is bringing many features to the market for a reasonable price. A good car to go with.
