[deehunk]

Originally Posted by Sebring

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.

Therefore, I say that it all depends on the skills, why blame a car if you cannot drive it properly? I cannot digest comments like Alto has better handling than Hector, grow up guys, why are you comparing a SUV with an entry level hatchback. I have not seen any reviews so far speaking about body roll, how come a car with poor handling does not have body roll? This forum has the reach to influence buyers, let us do a fair review of the vehicle.
I watched a review on YouTube by a popular guy from Motor beam, first thing somebody should teach him to hold the steering wheel properly, second, he was abusing a new car, his words are clearly audible in the video "this car can reach 80kmph in second gear". What message is he sending to the viewers? I quoted this because someone was influenced by his review in an earlier post on this thread.

[neil.jericho]

In Cochin, the automatic Hector is expected to arrive in showrooms next week and test drives will begin soon after that. They do not expect any delays in getting the RTO approvals for the test drive vehicle.

[omranga98]

Originally Posted by deehunk

I watched a review on YouTube by a popular guy from Motor beam, first thing somebody should teach him to hold the steering wheel properly, second, he was abusing a new car, his words are clearly audible in the video "this car can reach 80kmph in second gear". What message is he sending to the viewers?

Finally someone said it. Motorbeam and Faisal Khan are Cringe overloaded material on YouTube. Leave treating the review cars with respect, they drive like madmen down public roads.
When people question their behaviour, they simply reply, we are tested the car's true potential.
Watch from 13:30. He almost understeered into the curb on a public road in an attempt to turn at 80+kmph in a Hyundai Tucson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-etOyUAVtGg&t=808s

[drjkonline]

Originally Posted by Ooomph

Test drove the manual Diesel variant today
- The motor felt responsive but noisy inside the cabin frequently and without much acceleration in 1st to 4th gear
- Clutch was hard and painful in the traffic...(Need to TD the petrol automatic).

I agree with the noise. That was the first thing I noticed. But wasn't too much of an issue as I kept driving. I guess it's the nature of the motor.

I found the clutch to be very comfortable (neither hard not ultra light) in the diesel car. Something we can live with if a good automatic variant of our choice isn't available. I have read a few reviews which mention a hard clutch and was surprised with my finding. May be all to do with what car we are driving daily. Let's keep a watch on what fellow BHPians feel as more and more of us take test drives.

[deehunk]

Originally Posted by drjkonline

I agree with the noise. That was the first thing I noticed. But wasn't too much of an issue as I kept driving. I guess it's the nature of the motor.

I found the clutch to be very comfortable (neither hard not ultra light) in the diesel car.

The engine bay has been brilliantly packaged and well insulated inside compared to other cars in this segment. Inspite of this if noise enters the cabin, there may be minor leak points. How does it sound from outside? The clutch play is again an individual factor, people upgrading from Maruti or Hyundai will definitely feel a heavy clutch.

[Ooomph]

Originally Posted by drjkonline

I found the clutch to be very comfortable (neither hard not ultra light) in the diesel car. Something we can live with if a good automatic variant of our choice isn't available. I have read a few reviews which mention a hard clutch and was surprised with my finding. May be all to do with what car we are driving daily.

That's true in a way...one's key expectations on the Hector's diesel manual clutch are in reference to what he/she has driven (in this case it's the XUV & Hexa) or and where one plans to mostly drive this car (ratio of city:highway usage)

While one may settle for an automatic transmission missing, this point will bother many buyers who drive daily.

[aaggoswami]

Had a very small test drive of Hector last week. A few pointers.

1. The showroom experience was excellent. Have to appreciate the efforts by MG. An unknown brand is making waves. MG's Vadodara showroom where I went is next to Jawa showroom, Jawa showroom was deserted and MG showroom had massive footfalls. Staff was courteous, there were two display cars, a large screen made up of multiple screens displaying heritage of MG brand, a Coffee machine, and sitting arrangements. Very well laid out, well managed with a customer friendly feel. Just like what Nexa did. Such showroom experience makes the customer feel special. Half the job done I guess. Showroom doors knobs had MG logo, now that's great way to have a brand visibility and attention to detail. Tata, Mahindra, Honda should learn for MG on how to treat customers, plus how to project a brand with such enthusiasm.

2. Exterior fit and finish of Hector has a few inconsistencies, but nothing that felt bad. Just slightly out expectations with respect to anticipated price tag. Doors and panels felt tough, well built, hood was reasonably heavy too. Paint quality is nice and like most SUV's, MG hector can carry darker shades pretty well. When one opens the hood, things are well organized and good amount of cladding is there to make it look and feel premium. Nice effort.

3. Boot loading height is relatively high due to Hybrid system (?). But boot is very large, sales person who was with us claimed a seriously impressive figure of 587 litres boot capacity.

4. Interior fit and finish is impressive. Most of buttons, and switches felt well made but overall there are fewer of such buttons/switches. Power window switches on all doors could have been better in my view. Steering feels good to hold while being of perfect size for the car.

5. Front seats are a bit narrow. Side bolstering was a disturbance for me but please take a note that my frame is heavy at around 100 kgs. While I was seated in co passenger seat there was little space between B-pillar and my shoulder. Cars like Duster, Innova even Harrier don't have this issue.

6. Rear seat is low, too low for my liking, the huge legroom does make up a bit for this, but with such unimpressive level of under thigh support the overall comfort of rear seat takes a beating.

7. The drive : Engine felt more refined than Harrier, and initial enthusiasm was also a wee bit better. Gearshifts were light but overall gearbox wasn't a driver's delight. Light but slightly rubbery in some places, not a deal breaker at all. Gear lever could have been better finished or rather aesthetically more appealing. Before starting for the test drive, sales advisor did warn me and my friend that U-turns will need 1st gear. My usual practice is such that unless the car is dead slow or at a complete stop, 2nd gear is good enough. I follow this in my Innova and even Swift. Unfortunately, as per my habit, I attempted U-turn in 2nd gear while driving Hector and it stalled. Neither was I dead slow or starting to roll from a complete stop, but still it stalled. Have to admit it was bit embarrassing too. The test drive was short and road was smooth so couldn't explore ride and handling characteristics more. Probably due to initial batches or something, not sure, but outside noise did manage to filter more than expected. Steering was light, but much better than Harrier.

Biggest plus while driving Hector : Excellent front visibility! Hood is clearly visible and adds to confidence plus eases out stress too. Also the front camera was amazing so was rear. With parking spots getting tighter, such features are practical, while they make parking easier

8. The square projector units add to visual appeal of SUV. Front end is imposing actually. Car looks premium overall, if priced smartly, they can outdo rivals.

Overall, despite everything, if I were to buy an SUV in 15-20 lakh bracket my preference would be Harrier. Hector is good but overall I felt slightly out of my satisfaction quotient. This could also due to the anathema associated with unknown brand.

[Karthik Chandra]

Originally Posted by hiren.mistry

From the Autocar India review I could see that maps on Android Auto did not cover the entire screen.

As can be seen in this screengrab, the maps is shown in the landscape mode.
Attachment 1885079

Is this due to the way its is configured in the Hector or more due to AA?

Originally Posted by neoonwheels

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?

The stock navigation set up with the Hector is provided by TomTom and this setup covers the entire screen.

Google maps interface covers about 3/4th of the screen.

Screenshots from Overdrive review.





Google maps:


I found the overdrive review, the most detailed in terms of explaining the features.

[ajmat]

I would consider the Hector akin to a blinged up, digitised Qualis. Focusing on space, dependability and a different experience.

[Brishti]

Took a short testdrive of the car in Chandigarh and there are a few points that I took from it:-

PRO:
1.Engine
2.Main Screen
3.Audio
4.Space

CON:
1.Steering
2.Suspension
3.Heavy Backside
4.Bodyroll

[simeonovitch]

Originally Posted by ajmat

I would consider the Hector akin to a blinged up, digitised Qualis. Focusing on space, dependability and a different experience.

Thats the biggest concern here.
The qualis came from a proven manufacturer, and proved its reliability and depandability over a passage of time, and it was when the alternatives were few.

Will the market (crowded with more famed alternatives) here be even kind enough to give the Hector an opportunity to prove itself (whether or not it proves itself, is an altogether different question).
Well, I guess only the time will tell.

[sreejinair]

Saw many reviews, just for the heck of it. I was never going to buy it since my requirement is a diesel automatic. Coming back to the reviews, this is probably the first time when I've seen so many mixed reviews. Wondering if they all got different quality cars.

On a totally different topic, any idea when the car will be launched? I hear 1st half of next month. Hopefully they come up with a diesel automatic next year.

[AirbusCapt]

On the question MG versus Tata, I guess post launch prices and real world reviews will tell the whole story. It's still early days to comment if Hector can actually upset the Harrier's sales.
MG has to do a OnePlus to awe and upset the market. Being a Vivo, Oppo versus a Samsung will be pointless.

[Sebring]

I think what MG Hector has got right, and none have pointed out so far is that the Consumer is exposed to all the colours. At both their Bangalore outlets, together you can see 4 colours of TD vehicles. Look at their media drive vehicles, every channel has got a different colour vehicle. What's the purpose behind having one key colour and exposing that in every media like what Tata Motors did with the Harrier? On the contrary, it caused colour fatigue in me.

[vij]

Looks like pricing is out. Cardekho ha this (New Delhi Ex Showroom

Style Diesel MT 16.5 lac
Super Diesel MT 17.2 lac
Smart Diesel MT 18 lac
Sharp Diesel MT 18.8 lac

Petrol Style MT at 15 lac going up to Smart AT at 16.8 lac and Sharp AT at 17.6 lac


Edit:
Something off - just 30k difference between Smart MT Petrol and Smart AT Petrol.