[Guna]

Originally Posted by Aditya_Bhp

.

And most of the bookings are for the petrol automatic, but I am not sure the buyers are aware of the real world fuel efficiency of these cars, if not, we will have large number of these in the used car market.

This kind of unprecedented demand for a large petrol automatic SUV (from a new brand) is really strange. There is something most of these potential buyers have misunderstood IMHO. Are they under the impression that Diesel cars will be banned? Or are they made to believe that turbo petrol+DCT combination delivers diesel like economy? Sorry if I sound like I am underestimating the intelligence of these buyers but despite myself being a user of petrol cars all these years (one of them being a petrol guzzling SUV), I am thinking twice about the petrol automatic (Hector and Seltos under my radar) and I can't understands this phenomenon!

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by VKumar

Front doors are not heavy, they are excessively heavy for a comfortable ingress and egress; and I am skeptical that the door itself is not as heavy as it feels, probably they played smartly with hinges.

Bingo. I got the same feeling. The doors are not heavy, they are exceptionally heavy to the extent that it was uncomfortable to open them and required a decent amount of force. What you are saying must be true that it is not necessarily the built alone but may be due to additional factors. And mind you that I am comparing it with Ecosport and 320d, both cars being high on built quality and have decent heavy doors. The Hector's needed extra effort!

Originally Posted by Guna

This kind of unprecedented demand for a large petrol automatic SUV (from a new brand) is really strange. There is something most of these potential buyers have misunderstood IMHO. Are they under the impression that Diesel cars will be banned?

Well this might be true for Delhi NCR - one of the largest markets for any car maker. People are shifting towards Petrol engines due to the NGT rule.

Buyers in other states might be doing the same due to either a fear that something similar would be enforced there too since the air is not getting any cleaner OR just go with the petrol for the lack of a diesel AT model.

[VKumar]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Bingo. I got the same feeling. The doors are not heavy, they are exceptionally heavy to the extent that it was uncomfortable to open them and required a decent amount of force.

Exactly same thoughts Dr. saab, in fact the best part is that our reference cars are also more or less same, in your case its Ecosport and 320; in my case its Ecosport and Endy!

I felt that to comfortably open the door, I had to pull the latch with one hand and push the door with another hand placed a bit towards the B pillar area. So I went out and started checking if the door is actually that heavy or not. I parked the car sideways on an incline, opened the door with great force and left it there itself - bingo, the door didn't close on itself. Try that in any car with heavy doors and you will see that even with slight force, the step mechanism can't control those heavy doors and they end up closing on the cars parked on inclines sideways. But, if the step mechanism is tight, it holds the door quite well - especially the lighter ones. So, this has made me skeptical of the door part.

[motorworks]

Originally Posted by VKumar

Exactly same thoughts Dr. saab, in fact the best part is that our reference cars are also more or less same, in your case its Ecosport and 320; in my case its Ecosport and Endy!



I felt that to comfortably open the door, I had to pull the latch with one hand and push the door with another hand placed a bit towards the B pillar area. So I went out and started checking if the door is actually that heavy or not. I parked the car sideways on an incline, opened the door with great force and left it there itself - bingo, the door didn't close on itself. Try that in any car with heavy doors and you will see that even with slight force, the step mechanism can't control those heavy doors and they end up closing on the cars parked on inclines sideways. But, if the step mechanism is tight, it holds the door quite well - especially the lighter ones. So, this has made me skeptical of the door part.

I think MG read this aspect of people calling cars well built based on the feel of the door closing very well and applied some thinking to making sure that the customers feel the heaviness in the doors. Not saying that its a gimmick, may be the Car is built well, but there is a possibility that MG has paid attention to this detail and may be added some play on the hinges or something like that to ensure customers felt it.

[VKumar]

Originally Posted by motorworks

Not saying that its a gimmick, may be the Car is built well, but there is a possibility that MG has paid attention to this detail

Same opinion here mate, I am not doubting the build of the car either. Some bits are really good in fact, but yes; I would like to hear the opinion of a Creta owner regarding the rear seat shape, width, actual seating comfort and how these both actually fare against each other.

Being true, I am not someone who will pick a Hector over a Creta and if I will put my 20+ big ones; it will be an XUV or Hexa or Crysta any day.

[vineet1712]

Took multiple TD of petrol automatic, crossed my finger and booked Hector top version petrol automatic in black color. It is my family's first car which is north of 15L, DCT and black color. We have always gone for a practical car like WagonR, Vento, Celerio AMT and i20.

I really hope we get the delivery of the car asap and it suffices the ask, trust, and money that we are putting in.

[dhruvwali]

Originally Posted by vineet1712

Took multiple TD of petrol automatic, crossed my finger and booked Hector top version petrol automatic in black color. It is my family's first car which is north of 15L, DCT and black color. We have always gone for a practical car like WagonR, Vento, Celerio AMT and i20.

I really hope we get the delivery of the car asap and it suffices the ask, trust, and money that we are putting in.

Congrats! What is the waiting period being quoted for the same right now?

Did you get a chance to take it on the open roads? How does it perform in decent speeds?

At start stop traffic for me, the low end turbo lag was sad, but once the turbo kicked in the acceleration was decent.

[mxx]

There has been a lot of posts saying that the pricing is exceptional/disruptive. I dont know what I have missed, but I feel that the pricing is just right, not great and definitely not disruptive. The pricing is in the segment price range - considering competition offerings like harrier, creta etc. Some posts compare MG hector launch to be like Xiaomi and Oneplus in phones. Xiaomi and Oneplus has disruptive pricing (almost half of the what samsung and others were offering). Ofcourse we cannot expect cars to be launched at half the price, but what I meant to say is that the pricing is not disruptive. The product itself, going by the reviews out so far does not have anything exceptional. I am not talking about gizmos and gimmicks, but the drive train and other more important aspects of the car.

[Sebring]

MG is bringing more goodies to the table for the same price. There is a sense of higher value for the end buyer. That's where the disruption lies. Also, the design looks very chunky, very masculine with that dominant front - and that has added to the appeal.

Originally Posted by mxx

I feel that the pricing is just right

[anu21v]

Originally Posted by volkman10

BS6-compliant MG Hector to be introduced in January 2020

Hector’s entire powertrain line-up is only BS4-compliant at the time of launch.

Link

As far my understanding Goes, that 2.0L Diesel engine, borrowed from Fiat, is already BS-VI compliant.

Think the reason why they are telling it as BS-IV compliant maybe because (a) the 1.5 Turbo Petrol may not be BS-VI compliant even though Diesel is already compliant; and (b) They want to ensure to have the opportunity for price increase as they are giving out BS-VI compliant car in BS-IV sales market and thus have reduced the price to remain competitive against existing players who all are selling BS-IV right now.

Originally Posted by vineet1712

Took multiple TD of petrol automatic, crossed my finger and booked Hector top version petrol automatic in black color. It is my family's first car which is north of 15L, DCT and black color. We have always gone for a practical car like WagonR, Vento, Celerio AMT and i20.

I really hope we get the delivery of the car asap and it suffices the ask, trust, and money that we are putting in.

Congratulations on your big buy!!!

I am waiting for an adjustable-7 seater + Diesel AMT combo version before I can consider buying it. IMO, the size of the vehicle really warrants a 2+3+2 seating arrangement with the flexibility to bring down Last row seats. For me buying it in its current 5 seater Variant is kind of just overpaying for 5 seats and I wouldn't want to go anything north of 10L. If the car is for the family it makes sense to go with 7 seater flexi arrangement.

Also, no news so far of any AMT, AT, CVT for the diesel variants. Given how many Ladies drive SUVs (at-least in NCR) and the comparatively low-FE of Petrol Variants, MG should seriously consider bringing in an AMT for its diesel variants at-least. I expect CVT or AT to be much costlier and even-though reliability of CVT or AT would be good but I can live with an AMT for low cost no-nonsense approach.

[padmrajravi]

Originally Posted by anu21v

As far my understanding Goes, that 2.0L Diesel engien, borrowed from Fiat, is already BS-VI compliant.

That engine is BS6 ready ,not BS6 compliant. For converting a BS6 ready engine to BS6 compliant, the manufacturer needs to add hardware. In Fiat engine's case this is the adblue tank and related bits. This additional hardware will come only in vehicles manufactured after BS6 transition point. So at the moment , MG Hector's engine is BS6 ready and BS4 compliant , but not BS6 compliant. I think only the trailhawk version of Jeep currently has the Fiat BS6 compliant engine with adblue tank.

[AnandB]

Originally Posted by anu21v

Also, no news so far of any AMT, AT , CVT for the diesel variants. Given how many Ladies drive SUVs (at-least in NCR) and the comparatively low-FE of Petrol Variants, MG should seriously consider bringing in a AMT for its diesel variants at-least. I expect CVT or AT to be much costlier and even-though reliability of CVT or AT would be good but i can live with an AMT for low cost no-nonsense approach.

Fot 170bhp i don't think AMT will suffice.

[vsrivatsa]

Originally Posted by anu21v

Also, no news so far of any AMT, AT , CVT for the diesel variants. Given how many Ladies drive SUVs (at-least in NCR) and the comparatively low-FE of Petrol Variants, MG should seriously consider bringing in a AMT for its diesel variants at-least. I expect CVT or AT to be much costlier and even-though reliability of CVT or AT would be good but i can live with an AMT for low cost no-nonsense approach.

Jeep has already released the ZF9 Torque Converter based JC Trailhawk for this Fiat Engine. My guess is that MG may take the same route of using the ZF9 Torque Converter for the Hector as well - that way taking on a proven combination.

[AGwagon]

Originally Posted by vineet1712

Took multiple TD of petrol automatic, crossed my finger and booked Hector top version petrol automatic in black color.

I have now also taken multiple test drives and a couple of longish test drives (10-15km) at home @Delhi (one in day @930AM and one last night 8PM). The idea was to not only see the car in both lights and environments, check mileage in real world but also to get perspectives of my family members (had at least 3 people with me each time).

Let me summarise my findings here for the Petrol DCT Sharp:
LOOKS, INTERIORS & FEATURES
1.Driving position, ergonomics & visibility is great. Aided further with 360 degree cameras and sensors galore. The camera quality isn't great, but again it is sufficient as you are able to discern objects easily.

2. The build is solid, and yes the doors are almost too heavy, but I would rather have this then them being light like most cars in India. I have driven a Black XUV in Delhi for 7+ years over a lakh km of not so sedate driving, and it was the only car that I had ever owned which never needed a denting & painting job. Even though it did have a few dents, but all I am saying is it just wouldn't dent easily at all given very strong bumpers, height and sheet metal thickness.

3. The Voice command tech is superb, and I am sure for the tech-savvy kinds, it will become the default to operate many car features safely and for others it may remain a gimmick.

4. The LED MID is just superb and one of the best I have seen on a car (layout wise). Sure I can suggest a number of changes & improvements, but it is really well thought of. (This for me is one of the big reasons for going with the top model)

5. Looks - While in the day the new-age face and styling may look very imposing & butch in the night from a distance, with the lights on it masks its weight and while it looks good (especially the floating indicators), it doesn't look too imposing (have mixed feelings about this)

6. The Headlights even though are white & all LED, but are not super-bright. I was expecting more. (It may be to do with the positioning of headlights Vs the driver, or something else, but would like to see if any other member felt the same). Also couldn't really discern the cornering function of the fogs in my shorty drive.

7. LED Tail lamps and the auto boot-lid, looks fantastic in day & night and highly practical to use (this is another reason to go for Sharp)

8. Seats & Space - The seats are very comfortable in both rows. (my entire family corroborated this) and the flat floor and acres of space is very helpful, especially in families with small children.

9. Sunroof - As we all know is more show than useful. So in my books if it is a party trick, it should at least be a size which will WOW everyone! Top it with 'Open the sunroof' and you suddenly feel important (being listened to is so important ) . Although I also feel if it was given as an optional addition in the top model, it would have really brought the cost down

10. Multi-colour mood lighting - Nothing in the class of the germans, and not something which you would notice after some time. However, just lifts the cabin a touch, can do without.

11. The Ipad - well agreed it is not extremely smooth and could have been much better, but t it makes the cabin look good, simple and uncluttered. Couple that with the features it offers, both connected and otherwise, I am sure the owners will simply love it. I also want to add, the OTA updates have already started (apple carplay) is the first, and my SA told me that wipers are also being added to voice commands with the next OTA update. I am sure that just like our smartphones, they will continue to make incremental OTA updates, constantly improving the customer experience.

DRIVE, RIDE & HANDLING
1. DCT - yes the DCT is slow to respond, and couple that with the auto e-brake, it will take getting used to and will not please the enthusiast at all (you can sense that it has been tuned for efficiency than performance, not that it is bad thing for this class of cars). The gearshifts although are smooth and change un-noticed when you have settled to not using a very heavy right foot.

2. Sports Mode - well you have a manual mode labelled S next to the drive, but I do not think that it does anything to the mapping of the gearbox and only allows you to hold the gears longer, which can help a little with performance, but it doesn't do much (I should say that I didn't really get any open-stretches to test this out properly though)

3. Ride & Suspension - well it behaves exactly like the similar sized SUVs in its segment. It glides over the small undulations and potholes, and rolls over the big ones and the 'car-breakers'! the pitch on acceleration and breaking though is fairly controlled.

4. Steering - I found it to be well balanced and precise.

5. Brakes - adequate and the pedal feel and bite is progressive (which is the one thing that you struggle as soon as you jump in a new car). I also very much like the auto e-brake, it is really a boon in a city driving with a lot of traffic lights.

6. Grip - I am sure it would be nice to get a wider rubber than the 215 section it comes shot with, but this will need to be tested at speeds which sadly I wasn't able to achieve in my TDs

7. NVH - it is very refined and mostly at idle you dont notice or hear it especially in the DCT. The outside world is also fairly muted. No complaints here.

8. Power - The progress may be slow, but the power is more than adequate. It is not for enthusiasts, but not underpowered either.

9. Maintenance & service - there are so many packages to chose from over and above the warranty, service and RSA goodies thrown in. Which can ensure that the new customer's mind can be put to rest and not have the anxiety of dealing with a new company and the new car. Well done MG!

10. 'Kitna deti hai' - the big one! Now before I say anything here, I would just want to say that these are only my thoughts on my findings based on the TDs that I took and the interactions with the SA. At the same time since I am already a soon to be customer of the same model who will hope to drive this beast everyday Delhi-GGN a-la-70km hell-circuit, I can assure you this was very important to me. In city conditions in normal traffic the MG DCT returned a respectable 11+ kmpl, both times on the test vehicle as per the MID (pls excuse the pic quality). This for me at least, puts my mind to rest and in-line with my expectations.

Enough said. Please excuse the long post.

I am now eagerly awaiting the delivery of my new car, which thanks to the excellent response that they have got is more than a month away! .

Oh well we can't have everything now can we??

[sreejinair]

Went for a test drive today in Pune, they didnt have a diesel for TD. It was in the workshop as a customer met with an accident while doing a test drive. Anyways I was there to TD the petrol automatic.

I like the car, lots of pros but just like any other car it aint perfect.

It is a BIG car on the inside and the outside. It was raining and no matter what I did the auto rain sensing wipers wouldnt work. Well I am not used to the auto wipers so its not a big deal. Started driving and oh man the lag in the auto is pathetic, may be that is the sole reason why it wasnt provided in the media drives.

The steering is too light, way too light. It will take some time to get used to. My chevy magnum isnt that dead in the centre. I didnt get a chance to drive it fast to see if it weighs up, may be another test drive will help find that.

What I didnt like the most is the uneven panel gaps in the car, by the way I saw white, red, black and silver. They didnt have the burgundy red. I like the silver and then the white.

I have a video of the uneven gaps but I am unable to post it, the "go advanced" button doesnt seem to work (using mobile)

Please note that the uneven gaps are not something you can ignore, its very much visible. The gaps are only on the hood and the boot.

Now this has been said a million times by everyone and I will say it again the tyres are small.

Everything else is really good in the car, the ride quality, its size, interior fit and finish, seat comfort, NVH, visibility, brakes are really good, its definately a VFM car.