[chirag08]

Do consider the Hybrid Petrol version as well. It will give you a mileage of ~8-9 in the city, it will be remarkably quiet and vibration-free compared to the diesel (a real boon in city traffic) and it will save you 1.6-1.7L upfront during the purchase for the top end. Plus you won't have to deal with any potential headache for NCR-like rules coming to your city (Diesel vehicles 10 years only etc.

Thank you will definetely check it out. Will post my impressions once I take a TD.

[TSEA]

Originally Posted by Poitive

Hi TSEA, The little I could find about the kerb weight of the Hector, IIRC it was between 1550 to 1700kgs approx, based on the variant. Is that correct or does it really weigh ≈2100 kgs?

Originally Posted by RiverRanger

My RC puts it at 1650 kg. I guess it will become ~2 ton only with full load of adults and luggage.

Yes, it is 1655 unladen and 2140 with full load.

On the fuel efficiency front, I am yet to get a good hold on it. My last drive from Bangalore to Pondicherry and back resulted in a mileage of around 12.4. I was expecting a better mileage but I am guessing that driving at speeds in excess of 100, takes a big toll on mileage of this petrol engine.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by TSEA

On the fuel efficiency front, I am yet to get a good hold on it. My last drive from Bangalore to Pondicherry and back resulted in a mileage of around 12.4. I was expecting a better mileage but I am guessing that driving at speeds in excess of 100, takes a big toll on mileage of this petrol engine.

The best method is to cruise at 80-90. On the ALE, at a constant 100, I got 14kmpl.

However, on my drive to Dehradun ,where the speed limit is 80, I got 15 kmpl. Tank to tank. The MG app was more optimistic.

[TSEA]

Originally Posted by mayankk

The best method is to cruise at 80-90. On the ALE, at a constant 100, I got 14kmpl.

However, on my drive to Dehradun ,where the speed limit is 80, I got 15 kmpl. Tank to tank. The MG app was more optimistic.

Got it, 80 is probably the sweet spot. Will try to maintain speeds around that.

Another problem that I face is that the engine does not really make a lot of noise to indicate that we need to upshift to 6th gear. During constant overtaking and braking scenarios, I end up driving the vehicle at speeds above 80 on 5th gear, without realising that I need to upshift.

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by RiverRanger

My RC puts it at 1650 kg. I guess it will become ~2 ton only with full load of adults and luggage.

Originally Posted by TSEA

I am getting 12+ kmpl for neighbourhood runs (<6 kms). The route is through internal roads of south Bangalore
~~~~~
All these for a vehicle which weighs around 2100+ kgs and is less than a month old

Thanks for the weight clarifications, TESA and RiverRanger. Just wanted to be sure if I need to calculate my torque/ton calculation. I usually focus on the Kerb Weight + (an ad hoc) 200kgs for that.

I personally give limited value to MID/App based FE, and only really rely on tank full to tank full, spread over at least a few hundred kms. Over a 6km run, an app/MID reading could easily be quite off the mark.

Originally Posted by mayankk

The MG app was more optimistic.

IIRC, they had changed the starting reading to 13kmpl (MID?) for the diesel, and adjust it there on as per use, for it to seem more frugal than it is. Possibly did so for the petrol as well. Can't recollect this properly.

Another problem that I face is that the engine does not really make a lot of noise to indicate that we need to upshift to 6th gear.

Now that is a compliment to the car
Eventually with more use, one often gets the hang of it. Or one can rely on the meters, of course. Does the Hector have gear shift indicators?

I was expecting a better mileage but I am guessing that driving at speeds in excess of 100, takes a big toll on mileage of this petrol engine.

Originally Posted by TSEA

Got it, 80 is probably the sweet spot. Will try to maintain speeds around that.

In general FE drops rapidly as we go to higher speeds due to an exponential increase in wind-resistance. The slower we go, the lesser the wind resistance faced over a given distance. However, we also wish to be in a higher gear for using the engine efficiently. Based on age old recommendations, the balance between those opposing factors, and some highway practicality, usually does indeed come at about 80kmph.

The aerodynamics of the vehicle (typically poor for the SUV shape), gear ratios, and torque curves, and the weight, too would play a role in what works for a particular vehicle.

[TSEA]

Originally Posted by Poitive

Now that is a compliment to the car
Eventually with more use, one often gets the hang of it. Or one can rely on the meters, of course. Does the Hector have gear shift indicators?
.

Yes, the Hector does have a gear shift indicator, which was very helpful in initial days, specially with the hybrid setup

[satyanu28]

I have finally installed the ROGERAB spring dampers for my HECTOR DCT.

I took it to a local but expert mechanic. It was quite tough to fix and needed a lot of push pull skill and strength. It surely wasn't as easy as it look on the video.

after a good 1 1/2 hours we managed to successfully fit them.

Was well worth the effort. The vehicle instantly felt a lot more "SOLID". The thuds reduced substantially, the pitching up and down while hitting a wide speed breaker at moderate speeds was well controlled. I tool a wide turn quite fast in the city and it held the roll very well. My family noticed it too.

Will try out on the highway today and revert.

[RiverRanger]

Originally Posted by satyanu28

I have finally installed the ROGERAB spring dampers for my HECTOR DCT.

Will try out on the highway today and revert.

Great! Would be interesting to know how has that affected the low-speed ride quality.

Here in Bangalore, the roads are currently in such wretched conditions that as of now, one would rather live with a little bounciness/floatiness than gliding over at a speed of 30-40!

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by satyanu28

I had an interesting perspective from a tyre dealer. He said hard ride happens when you reduce pressure. Soft ride happens when you increase pressure. Ofcourse, optimum pressure is what the tyre is designed for.

~~~~~

Does this make sense?

In my limited understanding, the only time I can think of this making sense is a majorly underinflated tyre. With more space being allowed for the air to move to, when the tyre experiences a bump on the road, a higher amount of travel can be transmitted to the rim/car. The tyre walls' flex characteristics too would differ under different amounts of pressure.

The tyre dealer might not be as silly as it might sound at first go.

When we talk about lesser pressure = softer, and higher = firmer, it would hold true within some limits.

Originally Posted by satyanu28

I have finally installed the ROGERAB spring dampers for my HECTOR DCT.

~~~~~

Was well worth the effort. The vehicle instantly felt a lot more "SOLID". The thuds reduced substantially, the pitching up and down while hitting a wide speed breaker at moderate speeds was well controlled. I tool a wide turn quite fast in the city and it held the roll very well. My family noticed it too.

Will try out on the highway today and revert.

Thanks for sharing this Satyanu. Could you please elaborate your reasons for going in for such a mod, especially considering it is likely to make at least the suspension warranty void (?). Was the ride/handling as poor? If so, in what way?

[satyanu28]

Originally Posted by RiverRanger

Great! Would be interesting to know how has that affected the low-speed ride quality.

Here in Bangalore, the roads are currently in such wretched conditions that as of now, one would rather live with a little bounciness/floatiness than gliding over at a speed of 30-40!

Pretty much the case here in and around chennai.
Went on broken roads, village roads, super smooth highways, weaving through Barricades, long wide turns at highway speed without slowing down.
I think it’s made a huge difference without making it a totally different car.
So it’s subtle but super effective.
So as a photographer I could use the adjective micro contrast.

[satyanu28]

Originally Posted by Poitive

Thanks for sharing this Satyanu. Could you please elaborate your reasons for going in for such a mod, especially considering it is likely to make at least the suspension warranty void (?). Was the ride/handling as poor? If so, in what way?

Ride was overall nice. But being a top heavy car shod with small Tyres, the car
Would pitch and roll a little more than what I liked.
This mod just took of that edge.
I don’t this think this mod would effect the warranty but that’s just my wishful thinking. Would need to check with the dealers on that. Will do so in my next service.

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by satyanu28

But being a top heavy car shod with small Tyres, the car would pitch and roll a little more than what I liked.

Thanks, satyanu.

I wonder if there is significant difference in ride and handling between 5 ,6 and 7 seater versions; between diesel and petrol models; between R17 and R18 tyres. Satyanu, which version do you drive?

Anyone having views on difference, please share.

Edit: Hope the warranty remains unaffected. All the best

[TSEA]

Originally Posted by Poitive

Thanks, satyanu.

I wonder if there is significant difference in ride and handling between 5 ,6 and 7 seater versions; between diesel and petrol models; between R17 and R18 tyres. Satyanu, which version do you drive?

Anyone having views on difference, please share.

Edit: Hope the warranty remains unaffected. All the best

So here are some points from my experience of owning this vehicle for around 1800 kms and for 2 months:

1. The very reason that I bought this vehicle (Hector Plus Hybrid 6 Seater) was because I Needed an SUV with a suspension setup that absorbs road undulations at low speeds. Without that, the vehicle wouldn't have made sense to me. I won't do anything to change that characteristic

2. Since I have not been in the back seat of the vehicle for longer durations, I cannot provide ownership feedback on the rear seat comfort.

One indirect feedback is that my daughter has severe motion sickness issue (surfacing in even 10 kms long drives). In my last 370 kms trip, she was ok (if not cheerful) sitting at the captain seats on the rear

3. My observations on the high speed comfort, as a driver, is also positive. The vehicle is planted and does not start acting-up during planned turns. We need to respect the size of the vehicle and drive it accordingly.

Yes, I have faced the bouncing effect that is talked about. It surfaces when all the below conditions are met:

3.1. The vehicle is at speeds in excess of 60 kmph
3.2. The road slopes down and then again goes up. Folks who would have driven on NICE road in Bangalore, would have observed this in-between the stretch from Kanakpura exit to Bannerghatta road exit

I sat in the rear seats of all the vehicles during my Test drive stint. At lower speeds, I felt Hector handles the speed breaker and craters, much better than any other vehicle.

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by TSEA

So here are some points from my experience of owning this vehicle for around 1800 kms and for 2 months

Thanks for sharing your observations and analysis, TSEA. It is helpful. Much of it matches what I too noted in my TD (which has been shared on my Choosing an SUV thread in detail), but an ownership experience is so much more than just a TD. Your detailed points assure me that even if it wasn't much fun to drive, it would at least provide a lot of comfort.

@satyanu28 's posts got me thinking if the suspension was way too soft to enjoy the vehicle. A good ride-handing (comfort-FTD) balance is what I am after.

I wonder how Hector owners (petrol or diesel) would rate/describe their driving experience in terms of enjoyment and control the vehicle offers. The TD being in the city, I was hardly about to try it at higher speeds and am quite unsure of it.

[satyanu28]

Originally Posted by Poitive

Thanks, satyanu.

I wonder if there is significant difference in ride and handling between 5 ,6 and 7 seater versions; between diesel and petrol models; between R17 and R18 tyres. Satyanu, which version do you drive?

Anyone having views on difference, please share.

Edit: Hope the warranty remains unaffected. All the best

I have the Petrol DCT with 215/ 60R17 Good Assurance (OE)