MG Hector Petrol DCT - Ownership Review

t2k4 · 22nd February 2021, 10:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by varman742

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.

1. It's a big vehicle, so I would definitely recommend taking a TD, especially of the 2021 version. Make sure you let your family (those who plan to drive it) test it out as well. It has a big turning radius and you feel the bulk of the car when driving/turning the beast.

2. Engine performance with the Petrol DCT is a disappointment. Again, make sure you TD the vehicle. Auto companies, at some point, used to tune the performance of the TD vehicle to make them (more) responsive than the to-be-delivered vehicle by playing with the fuel configuration - more fuel burning means better throttle response. Not sure if they still indulge in this behavior or if it's even possible with modern-day chip-controller engines but something to be mindful of in case the TD vehicle feels too responsive or rev-happy to you. Maybe, TD a friend's or acquaintance's car.

3. Consider Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, the new Tata Safari and Tata Harrier as well.

4. Creta is supposed to arrive in a 7-seat avatar by the name Alcazar (presumably) this year.

We have both a Creta (Diesel AT) and Hector (Petrol DCT) at home. I pick the Creta keys every time I have a choice.

Hector is more spacious, yes, but the driving characteristics of the Petrol DCT make it very hard for this variant to be recommended over similar spec'ed cars in this segment.

varman742 · 22nd February 2021, 10:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by t2k4

1. It's a big vehicle, so I would definitely recommend taking a TD, especially of the 2021 version. .

Thanks for a quick response & recommendation and yes have taken the TD of the DCT variant recently and found it to be just average. Not tried hills and slopes though. It might also be the tuning of the TD vehicle as you highlighted.

We did consider Creta and Seltos but found to be smaller for our requirement.

Safari is definitely on the wish list (in fact I have pre-booked too), however the missing feature list (compared to Hector) and higher price tag making me think twice.

Awaiting price reveal for Safari and fingers crossed that it doesn't go too high for our budget!

Joey90210 · 18th July 2021, 10:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by varman742

Awaiting price reveal for Safari and fingers crossed that it doesn't go too high for our budget!

So what was your final decision? Safari or Hector?

varman742 · 19th July 2021, 14:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joey90210

So what was your final decision? Safari or Hector?

Hi, I went ahead with Safari XZA+ Adventure edition and got the delivery on 2nd April. I looked at all the pros and cons for Hector Vs Safari and finally settled for Safari as I preferred 7 seater Automatic option which was not available in Hector (Plus).