MG Hector Plus - Definitely Plush

Even sillier is the fact that some people call MG Motor India products “Chinese products”. To set the record straight, MG Motor India has a British lineage through UK based Morris Garages, has the backing of China’s largest auto company SAIC and operates completely as an Indian company. It has its own manufacturing plant in Halol in Gujarat and empowers almost an equal number of Indian men and women at its plant. It has its own corporate office in Gurugram in North India. That, I guess makes the company 100 per cent Indian.

Exteriors

Compared to the Hector, the Hector Plus is as tall and as wide and even has a similar wheelbase. But what has changed is the length of the vehicle. The Plus is 65mm more than the Hector and this is because of the changes in the front bumper.  A lot of chrome that surrounded the grille area and the headlamp cluster etc has been done away with. Instead, the Hector Plus gets a chrome studded front grille now. Then there are now stylish new headlamps, new front and rear bumpers, new rear tail light design, and revised skid plates.

The new Hector Plus has floating light turn indicators, LED headlamps, LED DRLs, LED front and rear fog lamps, LED tail lamps, turn indicators on ORVMs. It also has heated ORVMs, auto headlamps, rain sensing wipers and shark fin antenna. Thus, despite the vehicle have a 65mm extension, it still looks elegant and smart. It stands tall on 215/60 R 17 alloy wheels.

Interiors

The vehicle comes with six-way power adjustable driver seat and 4 way power adjustable co-driver seat for top variant except in hybrid variant. Not to be missed is the dual panel panoramic sunroof. But what is really plus in the new Hector Plus are the two captain seats in the second row and two seats for kids at the third row. But because the company has carved out an extra row of seats in the Hector Plus, the boot space is compromised and it’s only 155 litres. But if you were to bring down the last row seats you get a massive 530 litres of boot space. The captain seats, I feel, could have better (broader) arm rests. The third row for children gets dedicated aircon vents and blower control. The seats are made of faux leather, with a sepia brown colour. The same material is used sparingly on the dash as well as the door trims. 

The vehicle has 8 colour ambient lighting10.4 inches touch screen, 7 inches coloured MID with navigation, music, calling and TPMS inputs. The new MG Hector Plus comes with the latest version of the i-Smart that offers on the go connectivity. It has 55+ connected features. The 10.4 inches touch screen remains the one that was in the Hector. Remember it has over 100 + voice commands activated by saying “Hello MG” for hand free control.

Now the Hector Plus comes with a chit chat feature that allows you to have pleasant conversation with your MG.  I personally felt it was a bit juvenile in nature. This chit chat feature involved a handful of questions and a set of answers that are permanent in style and content.  Thus, if you want to chit chat beyond the preset questions, you will find no answers. This is a feature that makes not sense.

The Hector Plus also gets what is known as a smart swipe where the tailgate can be opened with a single swipe of your foot.

Engine & Performance

The Hector Plus is being offered in both petrol as well as diesel models. The petrol engine is a 1.5 litre turbocharged intercooled machine while the diesel engine is a 2 litre turbocharged machine. There is also a petrol hybrid model that again has the same 1.5 litre turbocharged intercooled with belt engine. This model is powered by a 48V hybrid system that works in combination of petrol and electric drive. This battery powered system increases fuel efficiency and reduces co2 emissions has functions like regenerative braking, e-boost for great driving experience, engine idle auto start/stop system.  While the hybrid engine and the diesel come with 6 speed manual transmission, the non hybrid petrol model which we were driving comes with DCT. Besides, the models come in four variants: Style, Super, Smart and Sharp, the Sharp being the top variant. We got to drive the Petrol model that is mated to an automatic DCT transmission.

What is almost perfect about the Hector Plus is the cabin comfort it offers. While on the move you get to appreciate is suspension which is perfectly tuned for the rough and the smooth. The NVH levels are well under control and you get a very quiet cabin when you are driving. Premium sound by Infinity, android auto and apple car play, 8 speakers and tweeters, steering mounted audio controls, steering wheel that can be adjusted for tilt and reach, add to the joy of being in the vehicle.

When you are driving the vehicle you do notice the very apparent turbo lag in the vehicle. You notice it when you accelerate at lower speeds, trying to pick up speed. But the transition to higher speeds happens almost immediately and it’s really not a negative point against the vehicle.  Of course, for those really impatient drivers, there is always the Sport Mode to shift to where you can manually control your gear changes to a certain extent.

There is no compromise too on the safety front for the Hector Plus. It comes with 6 airbags, disc brakes on all four wheels, auto headlamps and wipers, front and rear parking sensors, 360 deg camera, electronic stability programme (ESP) traction control system (TCS), hill hold control, tyre pressure monitoring system, ABS + EBD +Brake Assist, Electronic Parking Brake. Priced at Rs 13.49 lakh to Rs 18.54 lakh, The Hector Plus is around Rs 65000 more than regular Hector. 

Verdict

The Hector Plus is very much a plush version of the Hector. Though the wheelbase of the Hector and the Hector Plus are identical, what MG Motor India has managed to do is to rearrange the cabin space and make it more practical. The choice is yours now, you want those captain seats and the third row, then the Hector Plus is your only choice.