[Shreyas_H]

Originally Posted by McLaren Roxx

Looks a segment above the Compass & a couple over Harrier.

Wow, while I agree looks are subjective, that's a big statement!

The Compass is an absolute looker and Harrier also has great street presence and turns heads.

While I would disagree with you basis the pictures I have seen so far, will reserve my final judgement till I see it in the flesh.

I'm flying from Mumbai T2 in a couple of days and look forward to seeing the demo car there

[AYP]

It is strange to see auto AC being offered only in the top trim. Heck, even the Baleno Delta costing 7.25L on road comes equipped with an ACC and so does the top end Tiago.

In the segment where the Hector is going to be positioned, ACC is either standard or available on all the models but base.

[ask_017]

Trivandrum folks, MG showroom is coming up at Neeramankara, Karamana. The place used to be Harry Ford's second showroom in Trivandrum. Work is still going on and looks like quite some distance away from completion and opening.

[drmohitg]

Is it possible that we are misinterpreting this Auto AC feature being available only in the top end variant? For a car boasting about so many features including many segment firsts, offering ACC only in the top Variant does not make sense. Also if you notice the base variant has a smaller screen and hence possible comes with manual AC controls. But all other variants get a large ICE unit and hence possible come with ACC as we know it. They may be trying to say something entirely different. Just a thought.

[McLaren Roxx]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

My bil got a chance to check the car in their Bangalore showroom. Some of his comments:

1. Top end trim would cost around 27.5L on road.

This could very well be the 48v petrol hybrid variant. They simply cannot price the regular diesel at par with a Compass 4x4.

Hope they market this hybrid powertrain well, else people might just compare it with what Maruti offers in its mild hybrid technology. That'll be a bum.

Originally Posted by AYP

It is strange to see auto AC being offered only in the top trim. Heck, even the Baleno Delta costing 7.25L on road comes equipped with an ACC and so does the top end Tiago.

In the segment where the Hector is going to be positioned, ACC is either standard or available on all the models but base.

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Is it possible that we are misinterpreting this Auto AC feature being available only in the top end variant? For a car boasting about so many features including many segment firsts, offering ACC only in the top Variant does not make sense. Also if you notice the base variant has a smaller screen and hence possible comes with manual AC controls. But all other variants get a large ICE unit and hence possible come with ACC as we know it. They may be trying to say something entirely different. Just a thought.

Agreed on both counts. I believe this could be a typo or a misinterpretation. But then why use the auto AC term if it means something else.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by Shreyas_H

Wow, while I agree looks are subjective, that's a big statement!
The Compass is an absolute looker and Harrier also has great street presence and turns heads.

While I would disagree with you basis the pictures I have seen so far, will reserve my final judgement till I see it in the flesh.
I'm flying from Mumbai T2 in a couple of days and look forward to seeing the demo car there

I currently own a Compass (my ownership thread is among the first few Compass threads here) and I can tell you that the Hector looks better than the Compass and it looks like a generation ahead in terms of exterior design.

The Hector is also 250mm longer than the Compass at almost 4.63m length and that shows up in much better interior space (in 2nd row) and boot space. The Hector second row is quite spacious and there is no transmission tunnel (completely flat floorboard) and it will be easy for 3 people to sit comfortably and leg room is also much more than Compass. The Boot is also 1.5x than Compass.

MG have done a great design and it beats Compass on all specs and space (engine though is same). But two aspects which remain to be seen are : Product and service quality and the Pricing! I am sure pricing wise they will be aggressive at 15-20 Lacs ex showroom. The long term quality and service quality will need to be proven over time. From the Looks of it, MG has made heavy investments and is here to stay and they will certainly play aggressively.

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

My bil got a chance to check the car in their Bangalore showroom. Some of his comments:

1. Top end trim would cost around 27.5L on road.

Wow, this car would be Dead on Arrival at that price Point. That is the price segment occupied by a top end Innova Crysta, or with the current discounts, a top end ISUZU MUX - both seven seaters with auto transmissions. You have the choice of a sweet Compass Trailhawk if what you care abut is more 4x4 capabilities.

For a couple of lakhs more you can buy the VW Tiguan, one of the most appealing and complete SUVs in the world today. I hope MG does not get carried away in the pricing and comes in very aggressively. I am eyeing the SUPER trim of the Diesel Hector, which seems to be a well spiced vehicle ideal for long distance trips. Hoping MG will bring it around 14 lakhs ex-showroom, 17 Lakhs on-road.

[clementj]

I had a chance to check out the Hector in the MG OMR Showroom. It's located just before the perungudi toll plaza.

They had one in red and one in grey. I was quite impressed with the car. I currently own a compass limited plus and the Hector definitely felt bigger and more spacious than my car.

A few things from my perspective:
- The looks: Head on as well as from the back, it looks fantastic and has great road presence. The side profile is subjective as I feel that the wheels looked a tad smaller and the curve on the fixed rear window felt a bit out of place.

- The front seats were soft, plush and very comfortable. The seats in the compass feel firmer in comparison. In the rear, the floor is flat and there's a lot more room. But i felt that the under thigh support could have been better and in this aspect, the seats in the compass are shaped better.

The cabin up front felt futuristic and large tablet style display was crisp, responsive and well angled and the infinity sound system was very good. I d prefer the MGs cabin to the compass. Compass feels more Utilarian in comparison.

But, I felt some aspects were quirky. There is no easy way (other than by summoning the MG voice bot) to multi task but to come back to the home screen by pressing the power button, swipe to choose the function and go back the same way. I struggled a fair bit to operate the AC via the touch screen when it was in navigation mode. The 360 camera was active when I got in and i could not guess that the toggle switch was behind the handbrake. At another time, I was trying to rotate the power knob to adjust volume and then noticed the large buttons next to it.

The voice bot could figure out natural language to a reasonable extent like for e.g. 'tune 104.8 fm' automatically switched to FM radio to that station. But it took a fair bit of time to respond and process my commands. It could not get it right everytime.

- The car felt well built but not tank like as the compass. Quality is good in most places but you will notice that certain bits were subject to cost cutting. E.g. the rear AC vent unit, slats and the knobs feel cheap and the design and feel of the gear knob isnt premium. The quality of switchgear such as power window switches and the switches to operate the sunroof is OK but doesn't have the built to last feel and finesse of the compass.

I opened up the windows halfway and tried to open and shut the doors to check if there was vibration. There was considerable jarring of the glass each time the door was shut when the window was open. Considering that the car comes with a pano sunroof, I hope that the quality of rubber spacers are good enough to last the age of the car.

- The boot was electrically operated and one can even set the angle it should open to. I did not like the internet inside badge on the boot though and thankfully, the variant names like smart, super are not badged on the car.

The sales executive gave me a ball park ex-showroom price of 14L for the petrol style going up to 18L for the hybrid sharp variant. I was told that the official prices will be announced by the end of June.

At this price, the Hector will be good value and a great all rounder. How the car will drive and handle remains to be seen but had I not bought my compass, I'd be confused right now

[Guna]

MG has been so meticulous in creating a buzz around the brand and the car itself. I happened to tune in to a local FM channel in Bangalore while driving and the topic RJ had chosen to discuss was around connected cars, voice interface etc and whether the buyers would be willing pay for such gizmos. Looks like the Hector is going to be an aspirational product and not something people will be skeptical about.

[SaiSW]

Originally Posted by McLaren Roxx

Okay, so had a quick peek at the MG Kochi showroom just now. Following are my thoughts -
2. Front face of the car, with the imposing grille and a generous dose of chrome looks premium. Looks a segment above the Compass & a couple over Harrier.

I agree with the front, especially those Audi style indicators, looks very premium, but the side profile looks very awkward. In my opinion, the hector lacks the muscular stance of the Harrier and the Compass, especially from the sides, tbh, the first thing that came to my mind after seeing the side profile for the first time was the Xylo. Both suffer from the same problem - disproportionate tires on a big body. But ofcourse I haven't seen it in person, and maybe it will be different, but I'm not sure. I have seen several pictures of the Compass and the Harrier from about the same angle and distance as hector pictures and former two still look very much proportional.

[neil.jericho]

Here are some pictures that the gentleman from the local MG sales team had put up.

[motorworks]

In my opinion MG should have announced prices by now. You cannot have show rooms opening up, customers walking in and not having the price.

And where are the press ads? Although MG had been advertising well thru digital media, a car launch is always well captured thru news paper ads.

Customers would start losing interest if they do not know the price, and all the more so when the brand itself is new. The price announcement has to be now.

[vineet1712]

I visited MG flagship showroom at 32 milestone in Gurgaon and what an experience. They are really working on customer experience, sales executives spent enough time explaining features and expected costing and trying to compare this car with its competitors.

Overall if MG price it aggressively then they will definitely have share in market that they are expecting but any thing north of 20l otr for top variant sales will take a hit.

[GeeTee TSI]

Originally Posted by Ooomph

Turns out the EXACT same MG HECTOR is sold under 4 different names & brands globally at very different price points.

1. Baojun 530 in China
2. Wuling Almaz in Indonesia
3. Chevrolet Captiva 2019 in Thailand
4. MG Hector in India

Is it fair to be showcasing the heritage of (the original, but now defunct) MG as part of the launch? It pains me to see that many perceive this car to be a British brand. At the same time, it is hardly a surprise people are interested in a feature rich, stylish SUV notwithstanding its brand appeal. MG sure did its homework better than many other 'veterans' in Indian market

[Sebring]

Why not? How else do you fight the 'cheap' perception of Chinese brands! Volvo is owned by Chinese Geely but have you ever heard of any Chinese brand association? They stick to its 'roots story'. MG - The car maker, does have a legacy and the product looks butch. People are fawning over it and going 'ga-ga', but proof of the pudding is in the eating - let's see how many plonk down their money to buy!

Originally Posted by GeeTee TSI

Is it fair to be showcasing the heritage of (the original, but now defunct) MG?