[gutsy]

Originally Posted by coolkurt

If you look at their marketing campaign, it's more british, classy and hits the sweet spot.

Yes, indeed awesome marketing strategy and campaign by MG. They have commendable job in giving Hector a classy British appeal, albeit it has nothing British. Yes, their campaign has hit the sweet spot very well, targeting Indians who like to have maximum bling and jazz of per rupee spent over performance and ride quality.

[JagMan]

Originally Posted by coolkurt

But now, MG is owned by the Chinese. They have deep pockets and are much more patient when it comes to results. They're willing to invest and wait. And for them, India is the biggest market which is relatively easy to crack.

General Motors india, was a joint venture between GM and SIAC. The same company that owns the Morris Garage brand. The chevy sail was also an SIAC product and was introduced after GM formed a partnership in India with SIAC.

While no one will question their commitment to India, what with us being such a large market with a lot of potential. How successful they are in their second innings in India depends on a lot more factors.

[coolkurt]

Originally Posted by t2k4

I will share an updated number with the tank-to-tank method. The number shared is based on the FE display of the car (trip computer).

Greetings. Did you find the time to check the efficiency by tankful method? The initial run in of the engine must also be complete so we can hopefully have the best possible figures that this car can give.

Would love to hear about your overall experience till date as well.

[t2k4]

Originally Posted by coolkurt

Greetings. Did you find the time to check the efficiency by tankful method? The initial run in of the engine must also be complete so we can hopefully have the best possible figures that this car can give.

Would love to hear about your overall experience till date as well.

Sorry about the tardy response.

Here's a mini-update on fuel efficiency:

Tankful method: 7.4 Kmpl (90% city driving)

Highway cruise: 8.4 Kmpl (not based on a tankful, based on the trip meter)

Other updates:

1. The car is not wieldy for a quick spin; prefer to take a smaller automobile for short-span errands

2. No tangible improvement in pickup - the petrol motor still takes time to get going

3. All accessories (save the bumper guards) have been provided by the dealer

4. We got the vanity number of our choice through the paper-based filing process

5. OTA update enabled Apple CarPlay

6. Have not figured out how to disable the welcome name-greeting-and-chime when the cart starts

7. Car's posture does not interfere with Fastag scans through tolls - works as intended

8. OTA update has enabled a new split view on the touchscreen when the car is in reverse-mode; the top half displays front parking sensors data and the bottom half is the backing camera. Whether or not the split view is enabled depends on whether the front sensors detect obstruction - if the front of the car is in the clear, full screen reversing camera is displayed

My impressions of the car continue to be a mixed bag; I would love to have the petrol motor kick it up a notch or two. Most overtaking maneuvers require engaging the S mode.

[coolmind]

Originally Posted by t2k4

Extended warranties & service packages

We could have used the points for extended warranty or service packages as well but we decided against it. The car carries 5 years unlimited km warranty. The touchscreen unit carries a 3-year warranty. The battery carries a 1-year warranty.

The transmission is covered for 5 years as well.

We will see how the ownership experience goes.

What is the maximum extended warranty period one can get with the car?
Can it be availed separately after purchase of car i.e. may be after an year or so?
Thanks in advance.

[t2k4]

Originally Posted by coolmind

What is the maximum extended warranty period one can get with the car?
Can it be availed separately after purchase of car i.e. may be after an year or so?

It would be helpful to call a MG dealer. They would have likely changed the paradigm and plans by now, especially with BSVI deliveries.

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by t2k4

Here's a mini-update on fuel efficiency:

Tankful method: 7.4 Kmpl (90% city driving)

Highway cruise: 8.4 Kmpl (not based on a tankful, based on the trip meter)

Thanks for the extremely comprehensive review. Was shocked to see the 5.6 kmpl MID figure in the initial post - especially as you are in Chandigarh, which I presume does not have the insane traffic that Bombay or Bangalore have (please correct me if I am wrong, was last in Chandigarh more than 15 years ago). 7.4 seems like a much more reasonable figure, that is better than the long run average I got on my Superb (albeit in uber crazy traffic heading into and out of BKC).

Am not surprised the car is not a hoot to drive, but it is spacious, well equipped and clearly meets a need that exists in the market. How much have you driven so far? In our obsession with fuel economy, we very often forget that fuel is only a small part of the total running cost for cars in this segment - in over three years, I have spent just ₹ 220,000 on fuel for my car (a diesel) - even with a petrol, I would not have spent more than ₹ 330,000 - which is negligible compared to the depreciation I incur on the car for 3 years.

Best wishes and hope this gives you many miles of trouble free service.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by coolkurt

This is specific to the DCT and hybrid. The diesel is adequately powered and efficient as well. But the manual gearbox will put off a lot of people.

I think the hybrid has adequate power delivery and the E boost from battery really exists. It's not FAST, but fairly quick enough (atleast till 100-120 kph)

The problem with DCT is that it's really slow with the shifts, which impacts the acceleration. That said, the shifts are absolutely seamless.

[mayankk]

How is it holding up? Any changes in the last 4 months? I heard the plus managed to get full screen Android auto. Has that been affected in your Hector?

[t2k4]

Originally Posted by mayankk

How is it holding up? Any changes in the last 4 months? I heard the plus managed to get full screen Android auto. Has that been affected in your Hector?

Sorry about the tardy response.

The Hector continues to do okay. The FE for our Petrol DCT in pure city driving hovers around 6 Kmpl.

The touch screen has had a few updates since we bought it, including Android Auto. The touch screen itself continues to be a little sluggish though.

We have not seen any rattles or creaks so far. The service experience has been good as well.

We haven't figured out how to get rid of the welcome greeting when the car is cold-booted. That greeting, aside from getting boring, is very loud.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by t2k4

Sorry about the tardy response.

The Hector continues to do okay. The FE for our Petrol DCT in pure city driving hovers around 6 Kmpl.

The touch screen has had a few updates since we bought it, including Android Auto. The touch screen itself continues to be a little sluggish though.

We have not seen any rattles or creaks so far. The service experience has been good as well.

We haven't figured out how to get rid of the welcome greeting when the car is cold-booted. That greeting, aside from getting boring, is very loud.

Thanks for your response.
I had another, more subjective query. What's been the perception amongst your peer group/family/even strangers about buying a perceived "Chinese" car?
I have had people pointing out that its Chinese, while they wave their MI/OPPO/One pluses about. And in typical manner, their brains freeze on a "no compute" when its pointed out that its actually being built in india by indians and being sold in indian showrooms by indians.

I have compared the hector to the harrier and the seltos, which are the closest in terms of what I need in my car, and both of them pale in comparison to whats on offer on the hector.

[t2k4]

Originally Posted by mayankk

I had another, more subjective query. What's been the perception amongst your peer group/family/even strangers about buying a perceived "Chinese" car?
I have had people pointing out that its Chinese, while they wave their MI/OPPO/One pluses about. And in typical manner, their brains freeze on a "no compute" when its pointed out that its actually being built in india by indians and being sold in indian showrooms by indians.

I have compared the hector to the harrier and the seltos, which are the closest in terms of what I need in my car, and both of them pale in comparison to whats on offer on the hector.

Perception is subjective and opinions are personal.

A couple of days ago I bought an office chair which proudly advertised Made in India on the website.

When I received the package, on the box it said - Designed in India. Manufactured in P.R.C.

A lot of folks would probably not realize that P.R.C. stands for People's Republic of China.

Good Marketing.

MG's marketing engine did the same when they tried to project a British heritage (historical) on launch as opposed to the current Chinese ownership.

As far as people perception goes - it isn't a very strong criteria for me. If we had bought a car post-Galwan and had verifiable information on the amount of royalties that flow back to the Chinese ownership from local MG sales, our decision would have been different.

As far as a hard product goes, Hector is a good offering. Size-wise, feature-wise, it outcompetes Harrier.

Seltos and Creta are different due to proven reliability and peaceful ownership experience. [not suggesting Hector would be any less reliable]

Took a TD of Seltos (Petrol AT) with a family friend and the test car's FE display said 7 kmpl.

Any Petrol AT SUV would suck with FE - not a huge consideration unless one drives more than a couple of thousand Kms per month.

Petrol DCT's capability (power-wise) is the real downer with Hector. If power on tap is a consideration for you, I'd stay away from Hector Petrol DCT.

[realactivex]

I own a hector sharp DCT that was bought just before the lockdown, and therefore stayed all locked up most of the time. I have done around 3000kms now including a run to chennai on the highway, and return on 6 hours of rain (cyclone nirav)
The mileage (regular petrol) came to around 10.5 tank to tank. max speed was around 100-110. This is more a cruiser and not a racer. You will enjoy the drive and it urges you to slow down and enjoy the road and the music.
performance in rain and the feeling of safety was great. i never felt i lost control despite some runs in 8-10 inches of water.

The throttle is very lazy and if you are overtaking and had to brake- it will be very hard to regain speed and that could be dangerous if you are on the fast lane with another car tailing you (in that case you have to shift to manual and rev up. Your car will not like it and will guzzle gas)

Finally the most inconvenience is the absence of a 12v socket at the rear of the car, to house your vacuum or to put in the rear DVR camera

[sagwal]

Originally Posted by realactivex

The mileage (regular petrol) came to around 10.5 tank to tank. max speed was around 100-110. This is more a cruiser and not a racer.

The throttle is very lazy and if you are overtaking and had to brake- it will be very hard to regain speed and that could be dangerous if you are on the fast lane with another car tailing you (in that case you have to shift to manual and rev up. Your car will not like it and will guzzle gas)

Congrats for MG Hector and completing 3000 KM.
It is very shocking to know that mileage is around 10-11 kmpl on Highway.
I think weight (1.7 ton) is not the only reason for this low fuel economy. Engine tuning with DCT is not good.
I own T Roc and its weight is around 1.4 ton and smaller than MG hector in size.
I usually get 16-17 kmpl on high with little sporty driving while overtaking or around corners. With light foot on pedal I usually get 18-19 kmpl on highway. In city with moderate traffic I get around 12-14 kmpl. I cant comment on bumper to bumper traffic as I have never driven in such traffic.

Jabalpur to Allahabad ( includes half hour drive in Allahabad city) 3 person


Allahabad to Jabalpur ( 3 person)


Morning Solo round trip between Jabalpur to Kundam on state highway



Jabalpur to Karnal ( Haryana)



Engine 1.5 Turbo Petrol with 150 Ps power and 250 Nm torque @ 1500-3500 rpm.

I also use paddle or lever to overtake by shifting down as turbo lag is almost reduced by this method otherwise engine takes 1- 1.5 second to respond even when full pedal is pressed. After turbo lag is over power is very sudden which I feel little unsafe.

Please do not take this otherwise. I have no intention that T Roc is better than MG Hector.

[varman742]

Originally Posted by t2k4

Thank you.

I will share an updated number with the tank-to-tank method.

@t2k4 - Thanks for the detailed ownership review, enjoyed reading every bit of it.

I am looking for my next upgrade from Manza and seriously considering Hector DCT. My requirement is to have automatic and spacious crossover. My annual running will not cross 8k and am a sedate driver. Also my wife will be driving too.

Based on your ownership so far, will you recommend Hector DCT? I find it to be a strong VFM proposition (especially with 2021 upgrade) however i am skeptical about the engine performance, especially on hills and B2B traffic and FE.