[gutsy]

Originally Posted by vishnurp99

6. SIAC was an unknown Chinese car maker. So no real track record of longer term support.

This, I feel shouldn't be of concern, as SAIC is a big Fortune Global 100 company. Moreover, they are also in 50:50 partnership with GM and Hector is part of global launch of 2019 Captiva.

At the same time, on second thought, this could be a big matter of concern too, if you re-visit how in 2017 General Motors packed up and left Indian customers in utter lurch. Hope that doesn't get repeated.

[rosh_aveo1.4]

Amazing review and loved the tiniest bit of details. I kept hearing about the suspension being too soft and all but like you rightly said, it's not as bad as what they say. I for one don't drive the car in 120 or so continuously and take sharp turns. It's mainly city and even highway I drive my cars in a sedate manner. Guess the Hector is perfect for me.
Didn't like the alloy designs though. And for some reason I prefer the lower Smart grade alloys instead. Happen to see a quick walk around of the Sharp variant in one of the YouTube video.

[PearlJam]

Excellent review, as usual. In fact, I think this review surpasses all previous official reviews on the sheer attention to detail!

Originally Posted by blackwasp

All variants get disc brakes at the rear as well, with ABS + EBD. The brakes perform as expected. No complaints.

Any more comments on this please? Spongy pedal? Bite, and pedal characteristics? Usually this point is more elaborate in other reviews on team-bhp.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

but the auto wipers are very finicky at times. They are unpredictable in the rains - we switched to manually operating the wipers several times

I have seen this problem in multiple cars, including my Verna and a 1-series I drove outside the country. Looks like a common 3rd party module that still needs to sort out their algorithm

[rkv_hunter]

https://www.bangkokpost.com/auto/175...er-2019-review

Chevrolet Captiva (Hector with an 8 speed CVT) review from Thailand.

Quite a scathing review for the same engine as MG hector DCT paired to a different gearbox.

“While downsized turbo engines are here to stay, there’s simply not enough power in the Captiva especially if you’re going to load up the vehicle with people and stuff. A 143hp power output certainly looks second rate to the similarly sized, forced-induced motors from Ford and Honda producing anywhere between 173-190hp. A Chevrolet executive said: “More power means higher costs.””

[gutsy]

Originally Posted by rkv_hunter

https://www.bangkokpost.com/auto/175...er-2019-review

Chevrolet Captiva (Hector with an 8 speed CVT) review from Thailand.

Great find! Found more reviews that echo similar views:

https://www.9carthai.com/review-all-...rolet-captiva/

http://www.headlightmag.com/exclusiv...tiva-in-china/

https://www.auto-thailand.com/TestDr...mier-2019.html

[New_Kid_Jay]

I do not know why I have this feeling but MG as a whole is likely to fail within a decade or become that irrelevant brand just like Fiat, Datsun and Nissan are now.

Why do I feel so?

MG Hector is undoubtedly a good car, it at the end has competition. Excellent competition, might I add.

Creta is up for a facelift and it will sell even if it is the same as the horrendous Ix25. Our friend, Brand pull sold the Zen Estillo and is selling that coffee bread box as we type.

Seltos is already taking sales away from others and is setting records. It is a competent product. Dusty baby feels old but is a competent car and the enthusiast favorite (good AWD bro). Scorpio and XUV have brand pull both in urban and rural settings.

Hexa is the wise owner's choice. Just my opinion, I love that car. It's just perfection. Rural India is ruled by Mahindra and Tata so forget about Hector in rural areas.

Hector is bought for bling and/or is bought by a first car owner with a high income who wants to make a statement. While that's like 50% of Indian car owners(no offense), we'll see a lot of Hectors on sale in the used car market within 3 years.

MG will bring the ZS EV but let's be honest, electricals in India are fit as either secondary or city cars. Forget highways.

MG might have made a statement but Chinese companies do have a terrible reputation for competency. I am sure that higher numbers will see a drop in quality. Too much previous experience with this in all fields where I've tried Chinese.

KIA is the brand that'll rise with their entry to this segment. They have security even if they fail. Best case scenario, they become number 3. Worst case scenario, they become Datsun. But they survive. Plus, they have transparency with a public roadmap. That instills trust.

MG has no backing. I love the Hector but it's trying to do too much. While that is attractive, it never ends well. They should have made it a 7 seater to compete with and undercut Crysta. That would have given them better profits and a bigger budget to make it better.

[Kosfactor]

Meanwhile in India, Autocar has reviewed the Hector and while they were concerned with the transmission, fuel efficiency, slow acceleration, the infotainment, the interior fit and finish etc, however managed to give it an 8 /10 score also says its a compelling buy.

"Any doubts about the long-term reliability of what is still an unknown product are taken care of by a five-year warranty and a brand-new dealer network"

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-rev...ad-test-414407


Also in Autocar Seltos gets no rating, while they say good things about Seltos overall - the final verdict has something like this "Kia isn’t an established name in India and aftersales service and quality is an unknown for now"

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-rev...t-drive-413732

Autocar review shows pretty clearly that Hector`s second row has no under-thigh support, its like the third row of many vehicles wherein you sit in a bit knees up position.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by New_Kid_Jay

I do not know why I have this feeling but MG as a whole is likely to fail within a decade or become that irrelevant brand just like Fiat, Datsun and Nissan are now.

I presume you mean in India and not overall. Because Fiat (FCA) & Nissan are still significant biggies elsewhere.

Interesting points you mentioned for sure & indeed a thought provoking idea of using the Hector with some changes to take on the Innova instead.

As for the brand surviving, I think it will do well. The attention to detail in product design is remarkable & not make-do. Little things like even how the engine bay covers, aerodynamic flaps ahead of wheels are actually designed & installed show there is intent. Have a look at those. Its not just "cheap dump" approach. There is thoughtful design. One does that only when there is a will to succeed long term. Some things are WAY better than our incumbent SUV leader - M&M in quality, design & implementation on the Hector.

And then there is also investment coming in the form of MG's electric cars that they are already testing. All going well I think they'll do well. It would be a mistake to write them off just now. Too soon IMO. The auto sector is too unpredictable. Biggies like Nissan, Ford, Renault have failed to make a real mark in India even after decades! MG, KIA have done it in 1 year. MG may well throw a surprise and become a very stable long term brand.

[gutsy]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Interesting points you mentioned for sure & indeed a thought provoking idea of using the Hector with some changes to take on the Innova instead.

In rest of the world, especially in Thailand and Indonesia, Hector aka Captiva has been launched in 7 seater form. Wonder why no 7 seater in India? Hector's real competition would be - Crysta, Hexa, Marazzo etc.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by gutsy

In rest of the world, especially in Thailand and Indonesia, Hector aka Captiva has been launched in 7 seater form. Wonder why no 7 seater in India? Hector's real competition would be - Crysta, Hexa, Marazzo etc.

Attachment 1930836

It will be coming along with the BSVI version! For now, MG want to boast about space and avoid direct comparo's to the Innova

[New_Kid_Jay]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

I presume you mean in India and not overall. Because Fiat (FCA) & Nissan are still significant biggies elsewhere.

Yes, of course. SAIC is not a small brand, by any means.

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Interesting points you mentioned for sure & indeed a thought provoking idea of using the Hector with some changes to take on the Innova instead.

Thanks! It definitely looks the part. Plus, undercutting the Crysta with Hector's street presence is a pretty safe move. Although, if they plan on doing that, it will be better to cut on the bling for commercial Hectors just to differentiate.

Originally Posted by Reinhard

As for the brand surviving, I think it will do well. The attention to detail in product design is remarkable & not make-do. Little things like even how the engine bay covers, aerodynamic flaps ahead of wheels are actually designed & installed show there is intent. Have a look at those. Its not just "cheap dump" approach. There is thoughtful design. One does that only when there is a will to succeed long term. Some things are WAY better than our incumbent SUV leader - M&M in quality, design & implementation on the Hector.

Fair enough point. . But again, keeping quality with time is not exactly a Chinese strength. SAIC needs excellent quality control. Most of its buyers are gonna try to keep their Hectors for a decade at least.

Originally Posted by Reinhard

And then there is also investment coming in the form of MG's electric cars that they are already testing. All going well I think they'll do well. It would be a mistake to write them off just now. Too soon IMO. The auto sector is too unpredictable. Biggies like Nissan, Ford, Renault have failed to make a real mark in India even after decades! MG, KIA have done it in 1 year. MG may well throw a surprise and become a very stable long term brand.

Agree. But KIA definitely has an advantage right now. Electric is still a decade away in this country. KIA knows that better and they're just introducing cars they're already selling worldwide to generate capital first.

I believe MG needs to do the same too. First-mover advantage in the electric arena so far hasn't reaped rewards since we are asking 'kitna deti hai' again.

[grevvity]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

This happened in my new Swift too. Once the reserve warning light came on the DTE displayed ---. This should be common behavior with other cars as well.

That's the exact behavior of my Fiat Linea as well.

[535dinesh]

Finally!! The much awaited review is out and as usual our team didn't miss the nuts and bolts of the car. Thank you team for such a detailed review. As we could see the review is on a positive note, sales chart will remain around 3-4 k units per month atleast for next one year. I am very eager to see the 2019 tbhp car of the year as we have direct competition in this segment. I am sure hector will post a decent fight for this years title.

[greatgyan]

Originally Posted by GTO

Poor ol' Maruti is watching with envy as everyone mints money in the lucrative Rs. 15 - 20 lakh SUV segment. Good volumes + FAT margins. Little Suzuki simply doesn't have the talent to make a nice premium SUV in this segment. Now that they have big-daddy Toyota on their side, maybe we'll see something from the alliance in the future.

You Said it here and and Maruti just implemented it.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com...w/71915013.cms

Maruti/Toyota plan to launch a Hyundai Creta Competitor in 2022!! Just too late in my opinion. This segment already has some well established products and they'll get further strengthened by 2022. It'll be extremely difficult for Maruti to challenge them, let alone dominate this segment like they dominate the entry level segment.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by greatgyan

Just too late in my opinion. This segment already has some well established products and they'll get further strengthened by 2022. It'll be extremely difficult for Maruti to challenge them, let alone dominate this segment like they dominate the entry level segment.

In theory & by usual market rules you are right. But then most rules don't work the same for Maruti in India!!

Rewind a few years. Maruti was caught napping when the Duster (not sub4m I agree), EcoSport, TUV300 et al started literally dancing on the streets in an all new compact SUV segment. It woke up yawning, took its own time to freshen up & launched the Vitara Brezza. The rest is history. It went on to rule the SUV segment across all lengths. Maruti even became the #1 SUV seller trouncing M&M with a single product! (SCross really contributed tiny numbers in sales.)

So while they are late, it would be risky to simply rule them out this early.