The all-new MG Hector has been officially launched in India and is the first model from the British car-maker.
Hector is about to battle yet again, this time not a Trojan war, but a tarmac war, that too in India. MG have rolled out their first SUV for the Indian roads, with pricing that starts from Rs 12.18 lakh for the base petrol and going up to Rs 16.88 lakh for the top-end diesel manual; all prices are ex-showroom. The MG Hector will compete directly with the likes of the Jeep Compass, Tata Harrier, Mahindra XUV500, and the Hyundai Creta among others.
Made in India
The MG Hector is being manufactured in their state-of-the-art facility in Halol, Gujarat, with a production capacity of 80,000 cars annually. MG India have rolled out their first production Hector from this facility. The Hector has now gone into commercial production after one million kilometres of testing, seeing the diverse road and climatic conditions all across India. With the extensive localisation, the Hector has seen more than 300 India-specific changes to suit customer preferences and road conditions here.
Design
The MG Hector, as the pictures suggest, is a fairly large SUV. Equipped with MG’s signature design cues including the famous star-rider grille, the MG Hector heralds a new era for the much-revered octagonal badge in India. Its character lines are defined by geometric shapes, horizontal flow and symmetry. Various sections of Hector’s interiors are inspired by modern dance forms. The MG Hector is all about the phrase “Size Matters” and is very well set to be the biggest in its segment dimensionally. With a length of 4,655 mm, a width of 1,835 mm and a height of 1,760 mm, the Hector certainly packs a punch in that regard.
Engine Options
Petrol: On to the engine options that are being offered, the MG Hector is available in both petrol and diesel engines. The 1.5-litre turbo-charged petrol engine delivers 143 PS and a peak torque of 250 Nm and is available in both manual and automatic transmissions. This is the first car in its segment to offer a Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) option for the petrol variant. The manufacturer claims the manual variant returns 14.16 km/l while the automatic gives up to 13.96 km/l.
Petrol-Hybrid: There’s even a petrol-hybrid version which is available with a six-speed manual gearbox. The Hybrid variants gets the same 1.5-litre petrol engine in addition to a 48 Volt mild-hybrid system but makes extra 20 Nm torque. The lithium-ion battery that claims to be four times more capable than the current offerings in the Indian mass market segment. The Hector Petrol Hybrid comes with Engine Auto Start-Stop, Regenerative Braking and E-Boost which will help reduces emissions by up to 12 per cent. MG are claiming a fuel-efficiency of 15.81 km/l.
Diesel: The diesel engine is being sourced from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and is the same motor seen on the Jeep Compass. It’s a 2.0-litre diesel engine delivering 170 PS and a maximum torque of 350 Nm, which is similar to the power output figures of the Compass. The Tata Harrier also uses the same engine but at a slightly lower state of tune. The MG Hector diesel, for now, is only available with a six-speed manual transmission. MG say that we can expect a fuel-efficiency of 17.41 km/l.
Variants and Features
The MG Hector is finally out and we have all the details about the launch of the car. MG Hector will be offered in four trim levels which will be Style, Super, Smart, Sharp and thirteen variants. The base end model of the MG Hector will be the Style while Sharp will be the highest spec variant.
Style: The new MG Hector will compete with some established cars, it is going to be feature-rich from the base Style variant which is offered only with the petrol, six-speed manual version. Features included in the Style variant are 4-speakers, dual front airbags, rear armrest with cup holders, fabric seats, driver armrest, cooled glove box, ISOFIX seat mounts, 60:40-second row seats, central armrest, rear AC vent, fast charging USB port, rear seat recline, reverse parking sensors, all four disc brakes, ESP. TCS, VSM, Hill Hold Control, ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, LED turn indicator on the outer rear view mirror and roof rails.
Super: The additional features which will be on the Super variant of the MG Hector will be a 10.4-inch full-HD infotainment system, which, by the way, is going to be the segment’s largest. This will give the infotainment system the advantage of getting software updates whenever available via Over-The-Air (OTA) downloads. Other features in this variant will be cruise control, LED tail lamps, chrome door handles in the cabin, rear parking camera and LED rear fog lamps.
Smart: Going onto the Smart variant, the additional features include internet connectivity through eSIM, 8-speaker system with subwoofer, online real-time navigation, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, 7-inch MID, 6-airbags, push-button start-stop with smart key, remote car operation through a smartphone, PU leather seats, electrically 6-way adjustable driver seat, electric hand brake with the Automatic version and power adjustable and foldable outer rear view mirror.
Sharp: The top end Sharp variant boasts of a panoramic sunroof and voice command system which will allow the driver to use voice commands to access many in-car functions. Other features in this top-spec variant include a sunglass holder, heated outer rear view mirrors, rain sensing wipers, automatic headlamps, 4-way electrically adjustable co-driver seat, mood lighting in 8 colours and a 360-degree camera, all giving the car a futuristic touch.
Colours
There will be five different colour options. The two colour options available for all four trim levels will be Candy White and Aurora Silver. Starry Black and Burgundy Red will only be the two colour options available with the Super, Smart and Sharp variants. The top end Smart and Sharp trims will be available with their flagship Glaze Red colour. Let’s take a look into the four trim levels that are being offered by MG Hector.
Pricing
The Hector will initially be available across an impressive 120 centres.
Petrol Manual Style – Rs 12.18 lakh
Petrol Manual Super – Rs 12.98 lakh
Petrol Hybrid Manual Super – Rs 13.58 lakh
Petrol Hybrid Manual Smart – Rs 14.68 lakh
Petrol Hybrid Manual Sharp – Rs 15.88 lakh
Petrol DCT Smart – Rs 15.28 lakh
Petrol DCT Sharp – Rs 16.78 lakh
Diesel Manual Style – Rs 13.18 lakh
Diesel Manual Super – Rs 14.18 lakh
Diesel Manual Smart – Rs 15.48 lakh
Diesel Manual Sharp – Rs 16.88 lakh
Story: Azaman Chothia
