MG Hector +

from September-October 2020

MRF at ERC 2020

THE NEW MG HECTOR PLUS

PHOTO BY: MANJUNATH K / GHANSHYAM A TIWARI / SRI HARSHA NADIGER

TEXT: GOKUL A TIWARI

MG Motors entered India with its first product, Hector in 2019. With its macho look and other features, it was well received by the customers in India and became a successful product for the car maker. Taking the success story forward, the company recently introduced Hector Plus with more space, premium look and plenty of features.

To celebrate Auto Track's anniversary issue, we got an opportunity to drive this SUV and came back impressed with its performance in all areas. Here is our take on the new Hector Plus.

All four wheels have been fitted with disc brakes. It does have a dual pane Panoramic sun roof which can be opened or closed through the key itself and a remote key less entry as well. It comes with a inbuilt parking sensor and a 360 degree view during reversing and while in low speeds to help you navigate through the tight Indian roads.

However, the 17 inch machined dual tone alloy wheels are no match for the robust body and look too tiny in spite of the plastic cladding reducing the huge wheel arch gap.

The rear end has few smooth curves and patterns with split floating type indicators. The electrically operated tail gate has a smart swipe opening and closing option by waving your leg under the boot. The opening position of the tail gate can be set to suit your needs through the infotainment unit. The closing also has a switch provision. But the third row is only meant for children or teens and it eats away into the boot space. For a four person travel when the final row is folded it gives up to 530lts of boot space.

On the design front, the nose has no heavy pattern and nil flashy material, the broad grille in the front has the chrome finish on the visible portion, as the Hector. The head lamp and the floating type indicators along with fog light with integrated cornering lamps make the design pop out, the LED DRL imparts a distinctive look to the vehicle.

When we talk of interiors of the vehicle, the front row of the car has two seats with high rise head rest while the driver seat has a six way adjustment, the co-driver seat comes with a four way adjustment ,in between the two comes with a fixed arm rest above a storage box. All the passenger seats have three point seat belts. The second or the middle row comes with two captain seats and a good enough leg space for an average adult, the seats are reclinable and can also be moved further back to create more leg room, the folding type arm rest is also adjustable with enough shoulder space. sufficient space between the two captain seats are ensured for the easy enough entry and exit for the third row which is recommended for children. It has USB charging ports in all the three rows It also has AC vents in the middle seat as well as the last row with independent fan speed controls. The flat floor surface in the center of the middle row makes the row very specious without a pronounced central tunnel gives easy access to the rear seats.

The increase in length from the earlier version is clearly visible on the sides.

The seats have a smoked sepia brown leather and leather inserts can also be found on the dashboard. It has two ISOFIX child seat anchors in the middle row. The instrument cluster is a 7 inch coloured digital multi informant display which has various display modes.. It also has navigation, phone book, music information and avg. fuel consumption.

The hector plus is equipped with a premium 4+4 infinity sound system with a sub woofer and an amplifier. It also features a cooled glove box. The AVN touch screen infotainment is internet connected via an E-sim and comes with android auto and apple carplay. The voice command can be used to operate the dual pane panoramic sun roof. The hector plus has an eight colour ambient lighting which can be controlled through the infotainment unit. MG has partnered with Gaana to provide unlimited music with the premium account. It also comes with an in-built navigation system. The chit chat feature that MG is also worth mentioning.

HECTOR PLUS DIESEL

Price: 18.50 Lakhs

Max Power: 170@3750Max Torque:Transmission:Wheel base:350@1750-2500

Ground clearance: 192mm

Fuel Tank:Tyre:60L

The 2 litre diesel engine comes with turbocharged 1956cc motor which puts a 168 horsepower to the wheel with 350 nm of torque at the optimum rpm range. Talking fuel capacity, it is only capable of 60 litres. The fuel tank actually is located in a rather unusual spot just under the floor board of the rear boot. The vehicle feels more stable on highway at moderate and high speeds, but external sound infilterates into the cabin. When travelled on rough roads, the impact on the inside is minimum. Else the inner cabin experience is awesome and the price tag of about 18.5lakhs exshowroom is justified..

The vehicle is loaded with electronics. It has the common features such as hill hold assist, electronic stability control, traction control and ABS with brake assist.