[fx45]

There's a video on YT describing the 1.5 petrol hybrid suffering a breakdown and not going above speeds of 40-50kph. Those screen grabs are from the same video. However, that's what the vlogger is saying, there is no proof of anyone else confirming this.

There are many instances of new cars being transported from one showroom to the other on flatbeds. So, no clue if that info is really true or not.

[motorworks]

I have not seen the Hector in person as yet, but the whole aspect of controlling everything from a touch screen system makes me very apprehensive. However good the UI can be, its bound to have some lag! Also, when you are in a tricky situation, say heavy rains and poor visibility, the last thing you want to do is take your eyes off the road and operate the touchscreen. Sure, there are voice commands, but nothing as reassuring as physical buttons for certain fundamental functions.

BMW has the idrive which is supposedly one of the best user interfaces in a car and they have not taken away all the buttons to the UI, although I guess you can control a lot thru the idrive.

I can only think of Volvo pulling off something like this in the recent past, apart from maybe Tesla.

Agree that this is the kind of direction for the future, but unsure if I would ever be comfortable with what we see in the Hector.

[Ithaca]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Haven't seen so much of crowd, customer enthusiasm, TD waiting queues and bookings for any recent launch.
If the price is right - Harrier and XUV 5OO will both get the fight of their lives!
Took a short test drive after waiting for about 45 minutes (Was 8th in the waiting list when I gave name for TD).

Nice to know that we will go for an untested brand as long as quality is provided. Though how MG manages the after sales is what will set it apart or doom it in our brutal price sensitive market.

Would appreciate a review of your short test drive. Which variant did you test. Thanks.

[CarguyNish]

My Sources at MG have shared the following information. A Big Thank You to them for this bit of information.

• Car will be priced competitively, Main Target is the Tata Harrier.
  
• MG Hector's USP will be Connectivity Features and VFM Pricing along with Quality.
  
• Deliveries are expected to start from July End/August.
  
• Car is in high demand in Metro Cities, it has accounted to 350+ bookings in Metro Cities and close to 100+ bookings from Tier 2/3 Cities.
  
• MG plans to have close to 300 outlets by 2020.
  
• With so much demand, MG is planning to expand the dealerships before Festive Season. Some Big Cities in each states haven't been alotted a Dealership yet.

[mpksuhas]

Saw the vehicle on road today. Grill didnt look that outlandish (it was a white car)as I was expecting it to be after watching reviews online. Vehicle had good road presence and isn't like anything which you see on our roads. Is definitely going to be a headturner for a long time.

To give a rough idea, it looked like a Harrier with large grills.

[nirmaljusdoit]

Originally Posted by CarguyNish

[list][*]Car will be priced competitively, Main Target is the Tata Harrier.

Going by the initial reports, the Tata Harrier will have a tough time in coming months. The Hector is much better built and customer service superior as well. Since its been sold in various markets as well, most of the issues would have been sorted out.

MG has nailed it on all fronts till now from getting the factory running and the initial marketing and media drives, social media etc.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Ithaca

Would appreciate a review of your short test drive. Which variant did you test. Thanks.

Only the diesel manual variant is available for test drives (at the showroom I visited) - the petrol variants were not even on display.

Being a short TD - there's nothing much that I can add to what is already known - the ride is soft, space (except width for three) is excellent, the diesel engine is good and the interior + features form the main USP. Will probably go in for a detailed test drive once the initial rush is over - which could mean a longer wait if it priced right against the Harrier.

Here are a couple of pictures clicked yesterday -

The counter-clockwise tachometer is weird when you think about it, but I never found it a bother during the drive.



The flashy front end looks good on the white! This surely will be the next poor politician's Fortuner.



Didn't like the bling on the darker colour. Another poor choice is the alloy wheel selection.







The panoramic sunroof and that huge tablet console will sell this car! Saw even men in their upper 30's trying to see if they can stand in the middle with their head through the sunroof. "Hello MG, open sunroof" was the biggest party trick in the showroom.

I personally love the sunroof closed + cover open feel like below! With the reclining rear seats + large windows + airy cabin due to the pano sunroof - the rear seat is excellent for a chauffeur-driven owner in the city.



Accessories were well explained using the MG configurator on screen. Good job here!

[Simat]

Originally Posted by digitalnirvana

Wonder why that number is given as an example? Because it's the customer service number of China Telecom. Have a look at their website 10086.cn

@MG please change it to 100 or 112 in the next press release would be more apt for India

Just a small correction here sir, this number is for China Mobile helpline and not China Telecom. I know as I am currently studying in China and using China Mobile's sim itself.

Edit- Incase you guys must be curious, I clicked pictures of the Baojun 530 one day, attatching images below:


The rear without the red strip joining the taillamps look better than Hector IMO.

[digitalnirvana]

@Simat I stand corrected, it was a typo. You are absolutely right. Good to see someone from India studying in China. I've seen many of my friends talk about Chinese interns visiting India as part of their learning (my knowledge is limited only to students in telecom engineering) but haven't been able to see the reverse happening. The more our students interact with theirs, the better it is for both our countries. Because we both have similar challenges around rote memory based learning and lack of innovation.

Back on topic, the Baojun 530 looks much better. The absence of the red strip and the silver plastic skid plate makes the rear quite classy. I like the horizontal slatted grille too over MG's honeycomb mesh one.

[simeonovitch]

Originally Posted by nirmaljusdoit

Going by the initial reports, the Tata Harrier will have a tough time in coming months. The Hector is much better built and customer service superior as well.

I must say I'm genuinely surprised to hear that.
Indian manufacturers are usually known for build quality (NO, I dont count Suzuki as Indian, to me its Japanese), and the Chinese for their flimsy products.

I think the Harrier is already facing a tough time, with the dangerous steering, no enthusiast would touch it, and the brand name doesnt really pull a lot pf people either.

[Sebring]

Car is enjoying a 'highly desired' position right now, with one showroom boasting over 500 bookings and another, over 300. It's on this thread if you check. Desire to buy should convert to a sale, so there is time for that. Once the prices are announced, we shall see the punters in play (those who are betting the car to be a smash sales hit).

One differentiator between MG and others is the Configurator they are using in the showroom, that shows how a particular accessory will actually look on your car, taking the guesswork out of the game. Innovations like this are 'need of the hour'! 300 outlets is an ambitious target for 2020, hope they achieve it.

Originally Posted by CarguyNish

it has accounted to 350+ bookings in Metro Cities and close to 100+ bookings from Tier 2/3 Cities.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by nirmaljusdoit

Going by the initial reports, the Tata Harrier will have a tough time in coming months. The Hector is much better built and customer service superior as well.

There is yet to be a single car getting serviced in India and we have already started counting that as a positive against the Harrier!

Just goes out to show how much damage Tata has done to its brand name by providing shoddy after sales service in the last decade.

[Sebring]

Besides Harrier, the Hexa is a solid car in Tata's arsenal (looks were polarising). If only they got the butch design of the MG in Hexa, way back then, they would have had a winner. If you really look at it, Hector just ticks all the boxes in the looks department by sticking to proven 'Land Cruiser'ish' and 'Audi'ish' cues. There is nothing edgy or radical about the whole design aspect. Even on features, they just went with a shopping basket and picked up everything - there is no innovation as such. Brands that stick to basics get it right.

[jailbird_fynix]

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo.





Hector or Harrier, for which one will you go?

Source - Rushlane

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by nirmaljusdoit

Going by the initial reports, the Tata Harrier will have a tough time in coming months. The Hector is much better built and customer service superior as well. Since its been sold in various markets as well, most of the issues would have been sorted out.

MG has nailed it on all fronts till now from getting the factory running and the initial marketing and media drives, social media etc.

I overheard the senior management of MG having a discussion with a dealer over an issue. The issue was that MG refused to release cars to the dealer until the service centre was completed and all processes in place.

MG seem to want dealers to commit to complete service from Day 1 and not to evolve and develop based on lagging indicators.