MG Motor has launched an updated Hector in India – To take on new XUV700, Scorpio N and the Innova HyCross
Since its debut in India, the Hector has received multiple facelifts. While we haven’t seen a full blown model update yet, every facelift has brought in more tech. The 2023 model is no different. MG calls it the Next-Gen Hector, however, it is more like a facelift. We recently had the opportunity to experience the car for a day, and here is our first impression.
After a first look at the 2023 Hector you will easily be able to identify it correctly. There is still a possibility of getting confused between the Hector and Hector Plus, however, there has been no change in its body or its proportions.
2023 MG Hector Review – The Car
The major change in terms of aesthetics is the new front grille, which houses more chrome than any of its predecessors, or competition. You also get to see components of its ADAS module, if you look closely, however, they have been camouflaged in the design smartly. At the rear, Hector now gets connected LED Tail-lamps, which look good, once they are lit-up. Another noticeable update is the omission of the Internet Inside badge, which was available on the tailgate.
Once you step inside, you get to see a cabin similar to the 2022 model, however it gets a revised dashboard and center console. Highlight here is the all new 14 inch portrait touchscreen infotainment unit, which unquestionably is the largest in the segment. We will get to what all it does in a bit, but to summarize, we can call it the Control Centre of the entire mothership.
Engine Option
Under the hood, powertrain options haven’t changed. You get 3 transmission and 2 engine options to choose from. A 1.5L turbocharged petrol which is offered with a 6 speed MT and a CVT, and a Fiat sourced 2 litre turbocharged diesel motor which comes mated to a 6 speed MT.
We spent time with the petrol CVT model, which didn’t have any noticeable change vs the 2022 model, in terms of its driving dynamics. The engine-CVT combination works well for a relaxed driving experience in urban jungles and overall low NVH levels make the drive pleasurable. However, if you intend to go aggressive in corners/make frequent high-speed lane changes (not recommended), Hector should not be your preferred machine. This car has a tendency to exhibit the “rubber band effect” common with CVT transmissions, and its body design results in noticeable body roll during high-speed maneuvers.
What Hector is really good at is providing you a sedate, calm, luxurious experience while it keeps all external undulations including road and traffic at bay. The experience is equally delightful if you are in the ventilated and well upholstered Driver’s seat or if you are enjoying the Business Class cabin space which the second row offers. The ingress and egress is comfortable for young adults, however for customers with aging parents, installation of a foot-step would land up becoming an absolute necessity. Despite its proportions, Driving the car around the city is easy, however finding a parking spot for it – not so much!
2023 Hector – The Tech
Hector has always had the distinction of bringing multiple segment first technologies, and MG has tried to continue with its streak with the 2023 model. However, post the introduction of XUV700, it feels like Hector is also doing a bit of a catching up! Highlight of the 2023 model are its Autonomous Level 2 ADAS features. It brings in Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, Traffic Jam Assist, Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning, Intelligent Headlamp Control and much more!
While it is always good to know that the car you are driving has features like Forward Collision Warning and Automatic Emergency Braking, in all honesty, we didn’t risk it to test these out. However, we did get to experience some of the other ADAS 2 features like Adaptive Cruise Control and Intelligent Headlamp Control, which worked well. We did make our attempt to try out the Traffic Jam Assist, however, in typical NCR traffic, our inner instincts forced us to take control of the vehicle back in 4-5 seconds. MG claims that the 2023 Hector’s ADAS systems can take care of the car’s maneuvering for a period of ~20 seconds, which should provide Driver the time of relaxing/stretching out.
In our view, while the ADAS features are a great progress in terms of tech, one should not rely on these for regular driving. Features like Automatic Emergency Braking could work out to be life-saving in some extreme scenarios, but ideally, should be left for exploration only in such adverse situations. Focus and safety on the road always shall be in the driver’s hands.
Moving on from ADAS, Hector also offers a lot in terms of creature comfort features. Ventilated Seats and the Infinity Music system still however would rank on top in terms of usability in our opinion. The ‘Hello MG’ voice command can be used to control a ton of features. While MG has been trying to add in new features with every update, we would have been happier if it would have been able to improve its accuracy too.
The 14 inch touchscreen offers compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Apart from offering Navigation updates, vehicle’s status details, it can now also be used to open the sunroof (at the moment, we are not quite sure how useful it would be in day to day use). Other features on offer include Ambient Lights (can be controlled via Voice Commands), Jio Saavn and i-Smart integrations, Digital Key (can be shared between 2 users), wireless phone charging and a powered tailgate. One interesting feature on offer is inclusion of intelligent turn indicators, which start to blink, basis the direction in which the driver turns the vehicle.
Verdict
The 2023 Hector is an interesting attempt from MG to keep its offering competition ready. There is no radical change which will make you miss the 2022 model, however, it would have been great to see some sizeable non-tech updates too on the vehicle. The car continues to offer a superlative tech experience for customers and plush luxury on the inside. The Indonesian market has already received Hector with a Strong Hybrid powertrain, and as past experience suggests, we should be looking at its Indian debut later in 2023 or early 2024.
