[srivibhu]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

I found the rear seats of the Harrier to be much better than the ones in Hector.
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You may also consider the XUV700.

I sort of liked the Hector seating but dad preferred the Harrier's lower seating

Ultimately the Harrier's ride and handling scores a win now. We drove both the SUVs back to back and the wobbly effect of the soft suspension of Hector especially in uneven roads is not acceptable. Otherwise the ride comfort of Hector is superior
XUV 700 : next upgrade for my car.

Originally Posted by aniyo

Do take a long drive or talk to some owner on highway comfort of Hector. Rest I agree Tata could have done more with the features for price point. But engine from Fiat, platform design from range rover there is hardly any scope for margin.

This is what I experienced with my back to back test drive.

The Harrier AT on road is almost 1L more expensive than Hector Style and 80K more expensive than the Hector Shine. But then I will just have to live it down for the better ride and handling. (Shine now comes with a sunroof at 20.2L on road which I will miss)

Ride comfort being the most important thing for my dad, I thought we would prefer the softer ride of the Hector, but then the stability and lower seating of Harrier actually was a much better ride.

Finally quick throttle response of Harrier is far better than Hector. Flooring the pedal to overtake does nothing in the Hector and required a downshift but far better in Harrier (even which is not even close to the response I used to get from my XUV 500, I loved that mHawk).

Space wise Hector is far better than the Harrier. So it's a compromise on price, space, features for ride and handling, larger ASS network, known devil factor of TATA.

Now its back to the dealer to haggle price/discounts!

[Big Smoke]

Seeing how Ford abruptly announced it's (unofficial) exit from India, I would say play it safe and buy the Harrier. I'm a Harrier owner myself, but that doesn't have any bias over my recommendation. I would've recommended you the Hector, but seeing Ford's abrupt decision & MG's not-so-strong sales + extremely expensive spare parts, I would again say, buy the Harrier.

[Electromotive]

Go with the Hector. Decent fit and finish, more features and better value.
Quality control at TaMo is poor due to deeply ingrained issues related to company culture, which is not the case with MG. Small niggles and issues might seem trivial at first but the frustration builds up bit by bit and makes you hate your car. My associate has a Harrier and curses the day he bought it.

[Dr Carlton Pere]

Originally Posted by srivibhu

I now have to make a decision for my dad on which car to buy.

I was in this same dilemma last October, it's nearly a year now with my Harrier XT manual and I have absolutely no complaints. Love my harrier to bits.

[Candy$Cars]

Originally Posted by srivibhu

I love the Harrier looks but for almost the same price, Hector comes with better warranty, features and back seat comfort is far better on long rides.
Dad is also not too keen on Tata Cars. Until last year he was a "anything but TATA" person but now sort of ok with Harrier too.

Final decision is now down to me, I am leaning towards Hector but for 3 things
1. Long term ownership is unclear
2. Service outside of major cities (we have one in our place though)
3. the horrible (in my view) rear look (which we can live with)

Get the Harrier only if if you are going for XT & above. The XM is too barebones at that cost.
I have a Harrier XZ bought in Feb 2020. No niggles, nada, works perfectly, it is a charm.. The confidence and performance on the highway is very good.

But, I will recommend you go for the Hector. It will be driver driven most of the time, the soft suspension will be comfortable for your father and the odd time he may drive, diesel Hector will also be okay (same engine, couldn't be much different) and you get much more features and better looking interiors (assuming XM variant of Harrier, the XT onwards is good in Harrier as well). People have also reported that service is good of MG, they also have modern new service centres so lounge etc. will also be better.
The space shouldn't be an issue in the Harrier, it has acres of space and believe me when I say this because we also have a Honda City. You are comparing right now and in comparison you may feel Hector is more spacious, but Harrier is very good in its own.

[Knighted06]

Originally Posted by srivibhu

Down to Harrier (XM) and Hector ( Super)

I would really advise you to consider the Harrier XT variant in case you're going with Harrier. Its got all the features that you need. XM is too bare bones, and the look of the Harrier itself is really out of symmetry with the wheel caps and bare dashboard. I know it is slightly out of your budget, but in the long term it really matters. I know admire your determination in not crossing your budget, but XT variant is also the most VFM variant in this category. For the question of which car to buy, I think you won't go wrong with either of the choices. The main reason I would avoid Hector is because it is basically a rebadged Baojun 530 which is Chinese company which I don't really trust especially in terms of safety. All the best, I'll be waiting for your ownership review.

[sanjayrozario]

I've owned the XUV500 earlier & now I drive the Harrier. The Harrier drives better, remains planted on the roads at high speeds, feels generally safer & is a fun to drive vehicle (I'm comparing the earlier XUV500 & Harrier).

But the Harrier is riddled with niggles so be prepared for regular SC visits. With the XUV500, I visited the SC 6 times in 5 years whereas I did the same no. of visits with the Harrier in 18 months. I've been contemplating to sell it off so that I'm at peace. BTW, the Tata executives were helpful in sorting out all issues. It's just that their QC at the factory is awful.

My suggestion would be to wait for the XUV700.

[RiverRanger]

Originally Posted by srivibhu

I now have to make a decision for my dad on which car to buy. Top considerations for him

For the primarily chauffeur-driven, Hector is a better choice. Harrier is more "SUVish" while Hector is more of a comfortable cruiser.

All your needs seem aligned. Comfortable, frugal diesel (same for both vehicles actually), enough space and a large boot (Hector has the largest 587L boot).

Hector Super has better features than Harrier XM. You'll get all four disc brakes, cruise control, reverse parking camera, reclining rear seats, height-adjustable seat belts, all windows down by remote key, rear seat armrest with cup holders and a larger 10.4" touchscreen. The flat floor in the rear is helpful too.

Looks are subjective- but you don't have any issues there. IMHO, the 2021 Hector looks better. You can also try the new havana grey colour.

You can also consider the Hector Plus 6 seater. It can give you more flexibility and options. You can put one or both rear seats down and free up to 530L of boot space. Or keep them up and carry 6 for shorter, single-day trips. Many people find it the better looking Hector too.

The real question- the long term ownership! Here, everyone can only make predictions. The good news is that MG Motors have focussed on one thing that appeals to Indians- value for money. Based on this single sentence, one can feel confident that they will be around for sure. They have also managed to create a kind of high tech niche for themselves with their gimmicky features (Internet inside, AI inside etc) and forays into EVs.

Service-wise- in general, the word has been good about the service experience. They have also been expanding their footprints so things would only get better.

Rear-end looks- Again, this is subjective- but I would again think the 2021 Hector has a better-looking rear. The oddest piece in my opinion was not the red reflector plate (which is gone anyway) but the lighter coloured faux skid plate which has now been given a darker shade and looks much better. But look wise, it still pales into comparison with the Harrier, which is the best looking vehicle in its class IMHO!

[4by4]

Originally Posted by srivibhu

I now have to make a decision for my dad on which car to buy. Top considerations for him
1. Diesel only, he does not prefer petrol
2. Space for 4 excluding driver
3. Mostly driver driven
4. Decent mileage (12+)
5. Very comfortable drive for long trips. He does 1 to 2 500 km trips a month - This is the most important of all
6. Manual only (he is not comfortable with auto if he needs to drive)
7. Very good boot space
8. Hard stop budget of 20L

Down to Harrier (XM) and Hector ( Super)

I love the Harrier looks but for almost the same price, Hector comes with better warranty, features and back seat comfort is far better on long rides.
Dad is also not too keen on Tata Cars. Until last year he was a "anything but TATA" person but now sort of ok with Harrier too.

Final decision is now down to me, I am leaning towards Hector but for 3 things
1. Long term ownership is unclear
2. Service outside of major cities (we have one in our place though)
3. the horrible (in my view) rear look (which we can live with)

Seltos is too stiff, Creta I don't see VFM and Compass is just out of budget.

Any advice is highly appreciated

Would strongly recommend Harrier. Or if you can stretch, Safari. Since you are going to be chauffeur driven, Tata has much better ride and captain seats have much better comfort.
Being owner of XZA+ Harrier with almost 15k mileage, can confirm not a single issue faced so far.

[NarediAni7518]

I would suggest go with the Hector, we’ve had a diesel one since 2020 November and have recently crossed 12k kms on it. No car in this segment can beat it right now (not considering the XUV700). The only issue that I have with it is that it’s infotainment system is too laggy and on startup the camera takes time to start. One more serious issue with the car that I feel is that it’s suspension is just too soft, even minute vertical undulations will be felt for sure, so take a longish test drive on a bad road & then only proceed. Also, beyond 135-140kmph, the steering wheel vibrates a little (it’s too light), so please check that too.

[Jakku]

If these are the "only" choices you can have and if comfortness is a criterion, then Harrier would be better. But, I guess, Hector would give you more features. If you may reconsider and add Creta to the mix, I guess, that would be a fair compromise and can go for the higher variants.

For Harrier, I guess, you should go for XT variant at the minimum and that would definitely cross your budget.

[Doonite]

Originally Posted by Candy$Cars

The main reason I would avoid Hector is because it is basically a rebadged Baojun 530 which is Chinese company which I don't really trust especially in terms of safety.

I'd just like to point out that Harrier and Safari duo haven't been tested by GNCAP, so their safety is an unkown as well. Off topic but Nexon face-lift (which added sunroof) can be added to the list as well.

Also, both Hector and Harrier are competent cars and i personally believe, a person can't go wrong with either. It depends on more on other factors like - budget, distance to service centre, reputation of said centre etc. and not factors like country of origin

[roy_libran]

I am having the same Harrier vs hector (Automatic) dilemma. I prefer the former and wife the latter!
We are contemplating either the Harrier XTA+ or the Hector Sharp CVT. Not considering the XUV700, Innova 2.4D or Safari.

This will be a company leased car, with a fixed 5 year use. We don't intend to retain/continue at the end.
Maintenance is not my problem.
Our usage will be short city runs, ZERO office commute and mostly Highway use (lot of trips into the mountains). I do tend to take my cars into the rough too quite a lot during my jungle and birding trips.

Please help me decide if it would be utterly foolish for my use case to pick the Hector CVT, coz the rest of the family loves it.

[TRANSAM]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

I am having the same Harrier vs hector (Automatic) dilemma. I prefer the former and wife the latter!
We are contemplating either the Harrier XTA+ or the Hector Sharp CVT. Not considering the XUV700, Innova 2.4D or Safari.

This will be a company leased car, with a fixed 5 year use. We don't intend to retain/continue at the end.
Maintenance is not my problem.
Our usage will be short city runs, ZERO office commute and mostly Highway use (lot of trips into the mountains). I do tend to take my cars into the rough too quite a lot during my jungle and birding trips.

Please help me decide if it would be utterly foolish for my use case to pick the Hector CVT, coz the rest of the family loves it.

The Hector Sharp CVT/DCT has all the modern creature comforts and moderately priced as well, longish waiting once booked ( I believe 4/6 weeks), I have driven both the CVT & DCT, there's a little lag in the CVT, the suspension is a bit on the softer side and yes the immediate reaction would be that's a seriously light steering.

Other than the above, the Hector/plus is an overall great VFM buy.

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by TRANSAM

The Hector Sharp CVT/DCT has all the modern creature comforts and moderately priced as well, longish waiting once booked ( I believe 4/6 weeks), I have driven both the CVT & DCT, there's a little lag in the CVT, the suspension is a bit on the softer side and yes the immediate reaction would be that's a seriously light steering.

Other than the above, the Hector/plus is an overall great VFM buy.

To be honest, the Hector wasn't even in my consideration, but my wife dragged me to MG. I drove both the DCT and the CVT variants and liked the smoothness and initial responsiveness of the CVT better. It's a very nicely specced and comfortable car no doubt, but I am concerned whether it would be able to take me into broken trails and mountain passes.