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

Quote:

Originally Posted by neil.jericho (Post 4609897)

I must say, for a showroom that doesnt have the automatic test drive vehicles at hand, getting 200 bookings is fabulous going from an unknown brand. Overall 400 bookings for the state is very good going as well and this is not counting the Trivandrum numbers either.

That is a great achievement , considering nobody even heard about MG till a year back. I am a bit skeptical about this though. MG has proved themseleves to be very good at marketing. This might just be another way of marketing. Inflating booking numbers.

Today went to the MG Flagship store in Gurgaon and checked the Hector. First impressions:-

1Hector is extremely well built with heavy duty doors giving sense of safety.
2. The voice commands work flawlessly. Be it, Sunroof opening, AC, Windows etc.
3. Huge boot
4. Electric tail gate opening and closing has different levels according to the height of the person.
5. Infinity Music system is extremely powerful.

MG Hector to be launched June 27, 2019

The MG Hector SUV will be launched and the price will be unveiled on June 27, 2019.

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

The Hector is MG Motor's first product for the Indian market. It will be available in four variants - Style, Super, Smart and Sharp. The SUV features a split headlamp design with LED daytime running lights and dual-tone alloy wheels. It comes equipped with a 10.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system that has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity options. Other features include a panoramic sunroof, 360-degree camera, cruise control, electrically adjustable front seats and heated ORVMs.

The MG Hector will be powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine that produces 141 BHP and 250 Nm of torque and a 2.0-litre diesel producing 168 BHP and 350 Nm of torque. A 6-speed manual transmission will be offered as standard, while the petrol version gets a dual-clutch automatic option. MG will also offer a mild-hybrid variant.

Link to Team-BHP News

I had initially dissed this car:
"MG who? Never heard of it."
"Chinese brand? Will have poor quality!"
"Voice commands? Must be a gimmick!"

And then my wife has a test drive of the car and is blown away by the up-market feel of the car, the features, and oh, that panoramic sunroof. :)

And I realise that I had made my perceptions about the Hector far too wrong.

This car will have a very high Wife-Acceptability-Factor; pretty sure that this will sway the decision in the Hector's favour on quite a few occasions. :thumbs up

Quote:

Originally Posted by nishsingh (Post 4610273)

And then my wife has a test drive of the car and is blown away by the up-market feel of the car, the features, and oh, that panoramic sunroof. :)

If someone from MG is reading this, he / she will be super proud. This is what MG aimed at through its marketing and promotions. Your sentence summarises why Hector will sell (if the pricing is digestible).

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarik.arora (Post 4610303)

This is what MG aimed at through its marketing and promotions. Your sentence summarises why Hector will sell (if the pricing is digestible).

Quote:

Originally Posted by .HEM (Post 4610504)

If priced well, Hector can become the segment leader immediately after the launch. I hope MG wont take the pre-booking numbers to their head and ask for a premium price.

It's absolutely astounding to me that people are willing to book a vehicle without knowing its price. Other than not taking a TD, that seems to be the biggest cardinal sin to commit while buying a vehicle!

Unfortunately this is now turning into an industry trend, seeing as Kia has gone the same way with their Seltos "launch".

Quote:

Originally Posted by noopster (Post 4610510)

This is happening because there are simply not many options in this segment (20+ lacs SUV), which has significant demand/potential.
Tuscans and CRVs of the world have moved to another price bracket (30+)
XUV 500 is not perfect and is aging
Harrier is not yet there.
Compass is smallish and expensive for what it offers
Now there are couple of SUVs which seem to be ticking all the right boxes on paper.
I think people are going ahead with the booking simply because they can cancel booking once the price is announced (or becomes available for TD) and it doesn't match their expectations.

Just back from a quick TD of the automatic.

- There is a severe lag when taking off from a standstill. Will be a pain in stop-go traffic
- Overall felt very underpowered (I did not drive the manual)
- Felt so underpowered that it's going to be a tough vehicle to drive on the highway
- Gear changes are slightly jerky but not a big turn-off
- No gear indicator - Just shows "D"

Price notwithstanding, I had high expectations from the vehicle but came back disappointed. I will cancel the booking and will wait for the Seltos.

Quote:

Originally Posted by patron (Post 4610665)

Just back from a quick TD of the automatic.

Price notwithstanding, I had high expectations from the vehicle but came back disappointed. I will cancel the booking and will wait for the Seltos.

That's bad news. I was hoping to TD soon however Hector seems to be moving out from my shopping list with recent TD experiences shared by Bhpians. It's a big car but if the lag is profound as what you described, it's definitely going to be a deal breaker for me as well.:deadhorse

Quote:

Originally Posted by patron (Post 4610665)

- There is a severe lag when taking off from a standstill. Will be a pain in stop-go traffic
- Overall felt very underpowered (I did not drive the manual)
- Felt so underpowered that it's going to be a tough vehicle to drive on the highway

Well, Well, Well..i didn't expect this feedback for a DCT gearbox. if it is so, then shall we expect same lacklustre performance from Seltos DCT as well? i am quite baffled reading your review about DCT.:Frustrati

Quote:

Originally Posted by NAVREVV (Post 4610698)

I dont think the Seltos DCT will behave the same way, the Hyundai Venue DCT reviews are really good. I would love to buy the Seltos but I find those dimensions too small. I already find the Compass too cramped on the inside. I guess I'll have to wait for the Tata Buzzard (Cassini) hope they launch a diesel automatic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by patron (Post 4610665)

Just back from a quick TD of the automatic.

- There is a severe lag when taking off from a standstill. Will be a pain in stop-go traffic
- Overall felt very underpowered (I did not drive the manual)
- Felt so underpowered that it's going to be a tough vehicle to drive on the highway
Price notwithstanding, I had high expectations from the vehicle but came back disappointed. I will cancel the booking and will wait for the Seltos.

I am surprised that you found the auto box slow. I TD'd the manual & found power to be in plenty. In fact, the first 2 gears were tuned better than the Compass.

Looking at engine specs, Seltos should be even more lazy. Assuming it would weigh roughly the same as Creta & Hector the same as Compass,
Petrol: 115/140 vs 141 bhp & 144/242 vs 250 Nm
Power:weight of 93/105 vs 94 & torque:weight of 117/182 vs 167

Diesel: 115 vs 167 bhp & 250 vs 350 Nm
Power:weight of 88 vs 104 & torque:weight of 192 vs 219

Petrol non-turbo & diesel look pretty underpowered.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NAVREVV (Post 4610698)

Quote:

Originally Posted by sreejinair (Post 4610711)

+1
But dont expect Buzzard to be any roomier than Harrier. I would expect it to offer even lesser space in the 2nd row as they would need to cram in a 3rd with minimal increase in overall length.