Launched at a competitive starting price of Rs 12.18 lakh, MG Hector looks promising with its grand looks, big size, ‘connected’ car tag and a range of high-end features. However, before you book your Hector, you will have to finalize the variant that best suits your needs.
Now that’s quite challenging, as Hector comes in four trims and three engine options, adding up to a total of 11 variants. Let’s quickly go through all the options to identify the Hector variant that’s best for you.
Engine options: Hector offers one diesel, one turbo-petrol and one petrol-hybrid engine option. The 2.0-litre diesel engine is the same FCA-sourced unit that can also be seen on Jeep Compass and Tata Harrier.
On Hector, it has been tuned to deliver 170 hp of max power and 350 Nm of max torque. Engine is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission and offers fuel efficiency of 17.41 kmpl. Hector diesel is offered in all four trims – Style, Super, Smart and Sharp.
Hector petrol variant gets its power from a 1.5-litre turbo unit that makes 143hp and 250Nm. Base trims Style and Super get 6-speed manual transmission whereas top-spec Smart and Sharp trims come with 6-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Hector petrol manual has ARAI mileage of 14.16 kmpl whereas automatic variant gives 13.96 kmpl.
Hector petrol-hybrid offers 20 Nm of additional torque, has reduced CO2 emissions, and is rated to deliver fuel efficiency of 15.81 kmpl. Engine is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. Hector petrol hybrid is offered in Super, Smart and Sharp trims.
Based on test drives, many experts have recommended Hector diesel, as it is more responsive and powerful, as compared to petrol and mild-hybrid variants of Hector. This is especially true when driving Hector on highways and in mountainous regions.
Hector trims: Base variant Style comes equipped with most of the essential features such as dual airbags, ESP, hill hold function, ABS with EBD, LED turn indicators, rear AC vents, USB fast-charging ports, and cooled glove box.
Moving up, Super trim comes with LED headlights, a large 10.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system supporting Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, LED headlights, front and rear parking sensors, cruise control and 17-inch alloys.
Next is Smart trim, which offers connected car technologies, four airbags, six-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, and push-button start/stop. Top-spec Sharp trim offers 360° camera, six airbags, powered tailgate, electrically adjustable co-driver’s seat and heated ORVMs.
If you are looking for the perfect balance of price and features, you can choose Hector Super trim. For a premium experience, you can go for diesel variant of top-spec Sharp. From the price and features list, it is the Super trim which makes sense where VFM is concerned.
Both these Hector variants are cheaper or at par with their nearest rivals, but they still offer a lot more features. However, other factors such as durability, overall experience, service quality, etc. are still to be tested for Hector.
Those things can only be known once owner reviews are yet. It is then we will get to know is MG India meeting the claims or not. In order to boost confidence in buyers, MG is not only offering an attractive price, but an all round package.
MG India has offered its customers best in class 5 year warranty with unlimited kms, 5 yr road side assistance free. 3 year buyback with 60% price guarantee. No labour charge on service for 5 years. Lowest in class maintenance cost of just 49 paise per km, fastest spares availability, etc.
At the time of launch, MG India revealed that they already have 10,000 booking orders. These 10,000 customers booked Hector without known the price, the warranty, support platform, maintenance cost, etc.
Now thanks to such overwhelming list of features, aggressive price, and superior support system; more and more buyers are planning book the MG Hector. Some buyers have even cancelled booking of rival SUV, because of Hector’s arrival.
