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-   -   MG India's first SUV named Hector. Edit: Launched @ 12.18L (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/205468-mg-indias-first-suv-named-hector-edit-launched-12-18l-54.html)

I remember in one of the reviews the Android Auto was not covering the whole screen. In this pic, is it the Android Auto or the native navigation at play?

All that I'm hearing from test-drivers is that it's either above average / borderline good (at best) as a product. But full marks to the marketing. They have created a bigger buzz than Kia. People who normally wouldn't ask me about cars (e.g. my sister) are curious about the Hector.

Have been told by the dealer in Chennai that both the petrol MT and Petrol DCT will be available for test drive later this week

This looks so much better. Another change I see is the 'all black' bumper cladding instead of fake silver.

I checked out the MG Hector at the Thane Showroom yesterday. Test drives are also available. I didn't take one because I was in a hurry and there was a waiting of atleast an hour. Talking about the car, it gives a very strong first impression and has an amazing road presence. I'm currently driving the 1.6 S cross so that's my point of comparison. A few notable points-

• The doors were noticeably heavy and gave a very solid feel. It took quite an effort to open and shut them. So build quality gets a thumbs up.
• The interior quality seemed good. You've got large glass areas + The panoramic sunroof which makes it feel very airy and spacious.
• Acres of space in the rear seat. The reclining feature is very good and you can get pretty comfortable with the seat reclined at the maximum angle.
• The touch screen just blows you away with all of its features and quirks. I'll admit it is less responsive sometimes but this can be fixed with OTA Updates.
• The 360 camera is gonna be a big boon while parking this car in Mumbai. The resolution/quality could've been better though(I'm not sure if it was because they've used low res cameras or because the video feed is spread out on such a huge screen)
• Not a fan of the fact that AC Controls are fully touch screen. Instead of the physical volume buttons, if they would've added physical buttons for fan speed, that would've been better(Maybe they can add a feature to remap these two buttons with software please:). Guess I'll be using the auto climate control a lot more
• The 8 speaker system sounded pretty solid. No need to add any aftermarket audio upgrades.
• The salesperson informed me that the deliveries will start from August and that the pricing will be similar to or below Harrier. Also stressed on the fact that Tata just bumped up Harrier's pricing.
• He also hinted that the warranty and service packages will be best in class. I mentioned the 5 year/unlimited kms warranty thing. He said that is mostly gonna happen. He also added that they will be offering free pick up and drop for service to their customers.

All in all this car might actually be a huge hit if MG Manages to get it below the Harrier. They've got the attention, they've got the bookings, they just need to convert them into sales. I'll be test driving it soon as I'm interested to see how much better or worse will it be to drive than the 1.6 S-Cross.

PS:- Mods when can we expect a complete, detailed Team-BHP styled review? Any estimated dates?

The Hector ‘styling’ is loud and over the top. Too much of everything - chrome, gizmos and accessories. I think the XUV crowd will love this one.

But at the end of the day it’s a Chinese SUV that has bombed big time elsewhere that they’ve tried this trick. Perhaps they hope to replicate the story of Chinese phones in India, and perhaps they might just be right with their reading of the market.

I do wish the market proves to be more mature than that, else this will open the floodgates for more Chinese cars wearing borrowed European suits.

Such a nice looking car. Much better than the Harrier. Harrier has a smiling face - like the Indica - while the Hector wears a growl, which suits an SUV better.

But there are two things that I don't get.

1) I see that people expect MG to price this alongside the Harrier and XUV500. That is not going to happen. Harrier and XUV500 are Indian cars developed and built completely in India. No way the Hector, whose many parts/dies are being imported, will be able to match their price.

2) How many new car buyers would be confident enough to spend 20+L of their money on an unknown/Chinese brand with no backing from an established local brand? Remember the Ssangyong Rexton didn't sell even with Mahindra backing it. I'd definitely play safe and buy a Harrier instead.

Saw the car in Outer Ring Road Showroom, Banaswadi, Bangalore. I was expecting the car to look bad with all the bling elements, but surprisingly didn't seem over the top. While the tyres are a bit small, the overall stance and shape seemed to have a coherent idea. Not a mis match/after thought that we see in some designs. "Internet inside" is a bad idea that will be very funny to read a few years down the line when all cars will have these features.

Went for a short test drive in the diesel. Noise filters in. But vibrations are taken care of. Easy to drive and manoeuvre but lacks a totally planted feel I get with my EcoSport.

First impression is good. Need a longer test drive and more importantly a team-bhp review before deciding anything.

This car will sell because of the features I feel. My daughter who accompanied me was super impressed by the sunroof and only wanted to know when we are buying it.:)

On the plus side, the staff at the showroom are super friendly, and ready to get the car home for a longer test drive. They claim to have 500+ bookings in Bangalore.

Was trying to play with some pricing scenarios. The Harrier has 4 variants and so does the Hector. However, the Hector is better equipped variant for variant. For example, considering Hector Sharp against Harrier XZ, the Hector gets sunroof, 360-degree camera, a more powerful engine tune, powered tailgate, a larger touch-screen, LED Headlamps etc.

Similarly, the second variant from the bottom on Hector (Super) gets Cruise control etc. that are only available in the next higher trim in Harrier (XT). So if MG wanted to undercut Harrier pricing slightly, they could price each Hector variant a little lower than the variant which is one step further up in the Harrier.

• Hector Style - Price a bit less than Harrier XM (i.e. around 14 Lakhs Ex-showroom)
• Hector Super - Price a bit lower than Harrier XT, i.e. around 15 Lakhs
• Hector Smart - Price a bit less than the Harrier XZ, i.e, around 16.25 Lakhs
• Hector Sharp - They can go well above Harrier XZ, i.e.around 18 Lakhs.

This will still keep it price competitive vis-a-vis Harrier. If they want a shock effect, they can price it lower than the corresponding variant in Harrier line up, i.e. start off the Style a bit less than Harrier XE around 13 Lakhs and go up to say 17 Lakhs for the Sharp.

My mother in law is in the market for a car that can do city duty and the occasional highway run from Pune to Nashik. She's been reading up on all the new launches - Harrier, Hector, Seltos and is super excited about this car. We'll most likely test drive one in Delhi fairly soon.

My initial impression from sitting in one in the showroom was mostly positive - barring one thing - the apparent blurry instrument cluster display. Anyone else think the display is not sharp enough?

Its possible.

This rear skid plate cladding looks totally out-of place. If I was going to buy this vehicle (in dark shades), I would definitely be going for matt black treatment on this eyesore.

I wonder if there was any harm if this part was kept clean, without so many lines and probably darker shade for dark exterior colours.

You probably ticked that off, but let me ask anyway: Any chance the plastic wrap was still on?

True, the skid plate is the only sore point in this design. It looks better in Wuling Almaz. I think if the skid plate is painted in black, it will look much better.

Infact, not only the skid plate, but the overall rear end of Wuling Almaz looks more matured. Sometimes I feel that designers should drop their creative hats beyond a certain point.

This car indeed is generating a buzz. I was amazed when a non-petrolhead friend of mine suddenly asked me about my opinion about MG Hector.

My only concern is, that people don't just end up buying this vehicle by being charmed all the fancy stuff. The new tech euphoria will die down in a month.