Team-BHP - MG India's first SUV named Hector. Edit: Launched @ 12.18L

Had a chance to visit the Malad, Mumbai showroom yesterday to see this car. We're scouting for a new car to replace the aging Honda City and had waited a month for the chance to see this.

We left with mixed feelings, partly because of the ignorant sales person who concentrated only on the features (sunroof and Hello MG options in particular) as the selling point. Thanks to the mountain of information online, we were there only to have a physical look at the car and to see how the infotainment system works.

As expressed by others in this thread, the response-lag by the voice command system is very noticeable and is borderline to the point where you feel it's missed the command and you start to speak again when suddenly it buzzes. It's nowhere near foolproof and would drive me impatient having to repeat them or worst, restarting all the way from home. The sunroof command took about 5 seconds to be executed - for opening and closing.

I also felt that the infotainment screen isn't the best in terms of responding to touch - no where near the same experience as a phone or tablet. It needs to be used with patience and slow actions - something a driver might not e comfortable with.

The good is definitely the space available, there's LOADS of room inside and plenty of buttons for the driver to feel extremely happy. We were 4 adults and 1 infant in the showroom and we were all very happily accommodated in the car. No love lost here.

As the automatic version is still not available for a test drive we left to visit another day, but concerns over how reliable or niggle-free such a car would be on persistent drives over bad roads remained and I don't think a test drive would in any lay rest to them.

I fear that for me personally, the pros are outweighed by the cons with this one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by swiftLife (Post 4605727)

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.

Whats the harm in that. In the end, this group of people anyways don't value driving dynamics and all. Not that the Hector is horrible in that aspect either. The USP of the Hector is the gizmos and possibly a very VFM price point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by drmohitg (Post 4605778)

I agree that this group doesn't consciously value driving dynamics but from what I have observed that sub-consciously even non-petrolheads do like cars which drive better. Have firsthand experience with 2 of my friends in this regard. Only thing is they are unable to make out exactly why one car drives better than the other.

IMHO, after the joy of the gizmos goes down and if the driving experience is found to be below the rivals, then the buyers might regret choosing the vehicle just because of all the tech.

What I want to say is that just presence of gizmos shouldn't be a deciding or a driving factor when purchasing a car. It's unwise to do so in my opinion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 4605565)

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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guna (Post 4601841)

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.

This is what I had mentioned earlier. It is becoming a talking point (being a talking car itself :)) everywhere.

I have a feeling this car might go down the 'yaris' road on sales charts eventually for many reasons. Full marks to MG on advertising which would definitely gain them some initial numbers. MG focused a tad bit more on the gizmos rather than what's more important. That's understandable as we are in the progressive world where gimmicks dominate the dynamics but yet, evidently looks like they didn't actually hit the right spot on that. Could this be a rushed effort in the fear of losing the 'internet car' thing to Hyundai venue? Lag on the touch screen is the last thing I expected from them. I thought the Chinese are the Masters of that domain. That gigantic 10.4" screen is definitely going to be an eye sore if it doesn't serve the purpose. IMO, this car will be a victim of the transition to connected cars, will have to wait for the team bhp full review. Anybody else feel the voice assist lady's 'voice' is pretty much similar to the one in Nexon? stupid:

Had the first taste of Hector's power on the relatively low volume roads of JP Nagar at 4 PM. I was doing reasonable strong speeds in my Nexon on the ORR but this car just surged past, and I was struggling to keep up. Then he did a sharp U-turn and disappeared in a flash. Then I spot him doing a solid stop (on the dime) - in front on the MG Hector showroom. Amazing first impressions. The car looks like a mini Audi. The showroom (from outside) resembled a temple with a throng of devotees queued up, so will do the 'checking out' another day!

MG India's first SUV named Hector. Edit: Launched @ 12.18L-img_8873.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by swiftLife (Post 4605801)

Without going too much off-topic, if that was indeed true then the numbers being put up my MSIL and Hyundai would be drastically different than what they are in reality.

Hector would likely offer both VFM price tag and aspiration value in terms of features and this should be more that enough to make it beat the competition.

Quote:

Originally Posted by drmohitg (Post 4605889)

MSIL doesnt make a bad handling car.
Alto, Swift, Dzire and the Brezza are all decent handlers.
Not well built, yes. But you cant fault them on handling.

Quote:

Originally Posted by simeonovitch (Post 4605900)

MSIL doesnt make a bad handling car.
Alto, Swift, Dzire and the Brezza are all decent handlers.
Not well built, yes. But you cant fault them on handling.

Just curious to know is the Hector's handling that bad and below average? I've seen all the reviews and most of them incline towards a neutral/comfort oriented steering/handling. If we look at the segment the only car that scores in that area is the Jeep Compass. Because I read the T-Bhp harrier review and there were serious concerns regarding the steering above 100kph. So can't understand why Hector is already getting the negative opinions about it.
Waiting for official review as that would resolve everyone's concern :D

Test drove the manual Diesel variant today, Finally!!

7kms Test drive observations in thick traffic for 25 mins:

- Spacious inside out... seat comfort was average in the drivers seat. Adjustable steering was good to customise
- The motor felt responsive but noisy inside the cabin frequently and without much acceleration in 1st to 4th gear
- Car feels big while driving! pretty much like a HEXA and not a harrier. Certainly more of a MUV feeling first than a SUV
- Clutch was hard and painful in the traffic...(Need to TD the petrol automatic)
- Internet led Infotainment was fresh and impressive but am not sure if I want to browse through 7 tabs while driving for most functions with my left hand and that too while driving
- Waiting in Queues for a test drive and still not knowing the price is frustrating to say the least

Ended the test drive with being impressed with many 1sts but the very drive itself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AutoNoob (Post 4605664)

Attachment 1885775

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.

100% correct. It looks like an after thought and a complete abomination of a feature. All that chrome, red LEDs and that skid plate with those cuts and angles make the rear so busy and superfluous. I also feel that it makes the car look a lot narrower and taller from the rear. A complete contrast to the front. The rear is a real eye sore in my opinion.

Also, the rear bumper now has 4 components: the white bumper, the black bumper, the reflector/reverse light strip and the skid plate. Why MG?? :eek:

Quote:

Originally Posted by simeonovitch (Post 4605900)

MSIL doesnt make a bad handling car.
Alto, Swift, Dzire and the Brezza are all decent handlers.
Not well built, yes. But you cant fault them on handling.

You obviously haven't driven the Eeco, the Omni and the ilk.
With their soft sprung suspension and disconnected steering dynamics in most of their models they please the masses more than the enthusiast.

Quote:

Originally Posted by simeonovitch (Post 4605900)

MSIL doesnt make a bad handling car.
Alto, Swift, Dzire and the Brezza are all decent handlers.
Not well built, yes. But you cant fault them on handling.

There is a difference between popular cars and good cars, all that sells well are not the best. Swift and Alto are well known for accidents because of instability and poor braking. The reviews can tell you the pros and cons, but end of the day the buyer should be confident of driving his car. There is no point in blind bashing of a vehicle without realistic driving experience.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ankur_fox (Post 4605758)

As expressed by others in this thread, the response-lag by the voice command system is very noticeable and is borderline to the point where you feel it's missed the command and you start to speak again when suddenly it buzzes. It's nowhere near foolproof and would drive me impatient having to repeat them or worst, restarting all the way from home. The sunroof command took about 5 seconds to be executed - for opening and closing.

This could be something to do with the AI learning. Most of the voice command systems failed because they fail to recognise native accent. However, the new age technology enables the use of Artificial Intelligence bots to overcome this problem by trying to learn the command and adapt. The downside of this could be the lag. While in showroom, there are multiple people getting in and commanding the bot. So it could take a few seconds to learn and adapt. Probably we should test the way it behaves when there are consecutive commands coming from a single user. If it still lags, then it's probably bad implementation of the technology.

Quote:

Originally Posted by deehunk (Post 4605941)

Swift and Alto are well known for accidents because of instability and poor braking.

Where are you getting that from?

I'll, nevertheless, quote the official review for you

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aditya (Post 4388362)

The Maruti Swift is on sale in India at a price of between Rs. 4.99 - 8.29 lakhs (ex-Delhi).

What you'll like:

• The same successful formula (including good looks)...now improved
• Stylish black cabin, with better rear seat space & boot capacity than the outgoing car
• Sweet petrol & an efficient diesel. AMT available with both engines for just 47k extra
• Fun to drive, especially the slick Petrol MT. Enjoyable handling & on-road behaviour
• Impressively equipped (Auto LED headlamps + DRLs, reversing camera, Apple & Android touchscreen ICE…)
• Dual airbags, ABS & ISOFIX child seat mounts are standard across the range
• Maruti's widespread service network, excellent after-sales support & fuss-free ownership experiences

And this is from the Alto 800

Quote:

Originally Posted by .anshuman (Post 2952550)

Being a raised car riding on puny tires, I expected the handling to be disappointing. In reality, the Alto's road manners are at acceptable levels and will keep the masses happy. Behaviour is predictable and the handling is safe enough, with no nasty surprises. The Alto is agile and a lot of fun to throw around at low - mid speeds.

Quote:

Originally Posted by .anshuman (Post 2952550)

Braking performance is par for the course. Translated, it will do the job with a regular driving style, but isn't suited to hard driving. The Alto 800 retains composure under braking, though you should expect stopping distances to suffer because of the narrow tyre patch. We wish ABS was offered as an option (just like the driver airbag is).