[vigneshkumar31]

Do your dogs need ventilation ? Or would they be comfortable with the windows closed and AC on? Would that be a possible reason for the anxiety of the dog?
#
+ Thar convertible. Impractical second row for humans but perfect for furry friends ?


+ Thar Hard top. You can figure out a way to pop the rear windhshield off and have a comfortable perch for them. ?

- Bad option as a highway cruiser.

[RT13]

Originally Posted by vigneshkumar31

Do your dogs need ventilation ? Or would they be comfortable with the windows closed and AC on? Would that be a possible reason for the anxiety of the dog?
#
+ Thar convertible/hard top.

Thanks for the suggestion mate. Thing is, we have 4 Our big girl is a Great Dane. She alone could probably occupy the entire rear of the Thar, leave alone the other 3. Plus it is neither a great highway cruiser, nor particularly suited for commuting either. I’m afraid it ticks the least number of boxes for us. Would make a great enthusiast’s vehicle for a couple though.

Cheers,

[Bluengel180]

The hector plus should do perfectly for the dogs. It has an almost flat floor and ample space for the doggos.

One feature is extremely important since you have a great Dane and will be transporting multiple dogs in the rear. Dedicated AC vents. The hector plus has them at the perfect height and don't even look at any cars that don't have this option.

Since you don't want a van and the hector isn't that great a driver's car you can wait a couple of months to see what the Gravitas and the xuv500 have to offer. They should be much better drivers cars while sharing the same space and price points of the hector plus.

[landcruiser123]

How about the Hyundai Tucson? Must admit it might be slightly smaller than the MG Hector.

But the Hyundai could be a worthy alternative to an MG which is still a small brand in India. Tucson doesn’t have three row seating, but the large boot can compensate.

[gaurav911]

Interesting requirements.
For taking your fur babies along with you and your better half, even a compact SUV or something like a Creta with folded seats will suffice. The reason I mention this is because primarily your wife will be driving the vehicle in the city and a smaller frame may be convenient.
However, if you plan to take out station road trips with the entire gang, you will definitely require a larger vehicle.
I would strongly suggest that you test drive the Harrier. Moreover , if you like it then you can wait for the Gravitas which may actually turn out to be something that suits you. Also the auto gearbox on the Harrier is tuned rather well and should be enjoyable to drive. Personally , I am not fond of the Hector's road dynamics and handling. The ride on the rear seat was quite unsettling over uneven road surfaces so I am not sure a nervous Great Dane would be happy at the rear. Also the automatic is available only in a petrol DCT which is likely to give you only single digit numbers.

[Biker Ram]

I know it's not a straight answer your are looking for but I think you guys should definitely test drive the other cars such as Innova, Fortuner, Endeavor etc before ruling it out completely. I'm not arguing about the looks, offroad ability or whether it looks primarily like a chauffeur driven vehicle. That's your personal preference. I'm just saying they do have plus points, and it's not fair to strike it off assuming it will be difficult to drive as a self driven daily use car. A Hector or something else of similar size may not be all that easy to drive and park either. Difference between Alto/Celerio and say Innova will be of course night and day, but between Hector and other bigger SUVs, maybe not so much.

On the other hand I'm just genuinely curious what kind of drives you will be taking all 4 along. Your and your TBH's parents house where all are welcome? Or traveling to hotels and resorts? I have a lab and he is not welcome at my in-laws' place because they have cats. Often we find it's less stressful for him and us to just drop him at his usual boarding place than take him along to some new and unpredictable places. With four dogs of different temperament I imagine it can get even more stressful.

[sramanat]

I am in a similar boat but with smaller pets (sun conures, about to add a caique into the mix, but their cages will occupy as much as a great dane) and 2 kids. I had never thought of the hector plus. Wouldn't a 5 seater suv with large trunk (minus the cargo tray, of course), like a compass fit better? The great dane can hop on to the back and stay comfortable there. The others can be in the middle row.

[digitalnirvana]

Originally Posted by sramanat

I am in a similar boat but with smaller pets (sun conures, about to add a caique into the mix, but their cages will occupy as much as a great dane) and 2 kids. I had never thought of the hector plus. Wouldn't a 5 seater suv with large trunk (minus the cargo tray, of course), like a compass fit better? The great dane can hop on to the back and stay comfortable there. The others can be in the middle row.

Personally I wouldn't put a pet in the trunk. Chances of injury in the case of a rear-ending event are too high. A 7 seater suits OP's use case better.

[AirbusCapt]

On one hand you say "no vans" and on the other hand you buy the most vannish "suv" currently on sale?
Please test drive that car with your full family before you buy, a great dane may find it a tight fit due the high floor and low cabin ceiling. Ideally a carnival may be the right fit, although it's too big to drive within the city.

[Karan_n8]

Just some re-assurance, I think you have a winner in the Hector Plus here. The vehicle is supremely spacious and will serve as a very well feature ladden machine for your family. The Pano sun roof also would be handy given that with you and the four furry friends would need a decent amount if circulation on a longer trip.

[Neil Roy]

I know this is completely irrelevant and might invite a warning from the admins but, any chance that you can share the fotos of your furry family? Wish my wife indulges me the way you indulge your pets.

[ike]

I'm just curious, where would all the luggage go if most of the available space is taken up by dogs, given that you will be travelling long distances? An aftermarket rooftop luggage carrier from Thule or something?

[torquecurve]

A friend is a farmer (modern farmer) and has 3 large dogs that regularly do a Pune to Farm run (300 odd km). He used to drive a Skoda L&K Kombi (Yes rare!) which he purchased when he was working with, Ahem! Skoda!. The Kombi served him well except that he never took it to the farm as the roads were non-existent. He used to drive to a friend's place then use a trusty old Sumo as a last-mile connection. After the Kombi came a Nissan Sunny (again rare!) which serves him to this day. Recently, he wanted to change the car as the dogs had grown up (2 Germans and one Golden).

One of the things that he considered were the ease of getting the dogs in the car. Resistance to scratches (dog nails on plastic) and ability to easily block the cars from the driver seat when required.
A top choice was Ertiga (ease of driving in city, decent highway manners) but what went against is the bad road ability
The other choices were MG Hector (not Plus), Tata Harrier Auto, Innova Crysta (G version IIRC), Isuzu Mu-X.

He actually paid the dealerships for test driving the cars with the dogs (interior cleaning at 3M/ detailers) and took about 100 kms drives on highways and ghats. Spent a good 15K odd on these test drives. Most dealerships wont allow this initially but if the intent is there they do relent.

Finally what he bought was - wait for it - a sparingly used Hexa XMA 2018. Honestly he is super happy with it. He wasn't worried for resale as he keeps his vehicles till they fall apart! (Also do look at his previous choices). He has removed the last row. Adapted a ramp using a metal tray - somewhat like an offroad ladder which he also intends to use if the vehicle gets stuck in farm trail. He paid XL6 money for the Hexa.

His final shortlist was the Harrier, Hector, MU-X, Crysta. Do try testing it with your dogs and let your wife drive them. Some of these drive like cars and wrap around you in traffic.

[paperweight]

Wonderful requirement, temperament and all. Just to stroll down memory lane, we had three largish labradors back in 1979 or so and a truly horrible Mahindra Jeep with an International Tractor engine and a fibre glass body. The choices were very limited in those days and the jeep seemed a natural choice given the state of the roads where we lived. But the three best friends found the back to be fine and spent their time romping around and occasionally augmenting the horn when they saw a poodle on the road. You could also consider a caravan that might be quite homely though it does seem that you have practically chosen the Hector.

[torquecurve]

Question to the OP and sorry for my ignorance.

Does the Hector Plus / Hector come with electric tailgate. If yes, does UT have sensors to avoid auto closing. Asking because I remember a TopGear/GrandTour episode where they try putting dogs in cars with automatic tailgates and the electric gate doesn’t close as it senses movement!

Edit: Found the link. It was Grand Tour!

https://youtu.be/WMCdE62oLuw