In
India, the Gloster will mainly be pitted against the two popular SUVs in the
country, the Toyota Fortuner and the Ford Endeavour. The MG Gloster is 4885mm in
length, 1926mm in width and 1867mm in height. It has a wheelbase of 2950mm. Thus
it is bigger than its two main competitors in length, width, height and
wheelbase.
The
4x4 Gloster is powered by a 2 litre twin turbo diesel engine with a displacement
of 1996cc and this is mated to an eight speed automatic transmission. The power
and torque produced by the Gloster engine is way ahead of the pack at
215hp@4000rpm and 480Nm @ 1500-2400rpm respectively.
But
the Gloster will also be offered with a choice of a turbo diesel engine with
1996cc displacement that would produce relatively less power at 161hp @4000rpm
and a peak torque of 375Nm @1500-2400 rpm. This will be in 2-wheel drive. The
one we were driving was the more powerful 4 wheel drive model.
The
Gloster also comes with 255/55 R19 alloys, while the other two offer R 18
tyres. As for the spare wheel, this too is a 255/55 R 19 alloys.
Okay
let me stop this brief comparison and go straight to some of the features of
the new Gloster from MG Motor India.
EXTERIORS
The
vehicle is mammoth-sized and has a floating roof design. In front you get to
see the familiar octagon signature grille with the MG logo prominently fixed on
it. It has LED headlamps with auto leveling and fog lamps. It also comes with
steering assist cornering lamps. The bonnet looks muscular and tough. As you
move to the side you get to see the turn indicators on the ORVM. The Outside
Mirror comes with MG Logo Projection. The ORVMs are power adjustable and
foldable. The Outside Mirror tilts automatically while the vehicle moves in
reverse. The ORVM also comes with a memory and has a heating feature.
On
the driver’s side you get a neat ‘Brit Dynamic’ logo with the colours of the
Union Jack, the flag of England. Just next to it is a vertical diffused chrome
strip. It also has chrome painted door handles. The chrome beading around the
windows and the large quarter glass for the 3rd row passengers at the base
level moves up to almost touch the roof rails in an artistic manner. The design
has been inspired by the beauty of the ‘Art of Surfing’.
Since
this vehicle is pretty tall, you get aluminium foot board or running board for
convenience. The Gloster has illuminated scuff plate. It has chrome insert on
side stepper. The prominent wheel arches house the smart looking diamond cut
alloy wheels.
When
you move to the rear you get to see LED tail lamps with diffused light guide in
them which is again inspired by the unique racetrack pattern. The word
‘GLOSTER’ emblem is very prominently displayed at the rear horizontally, and in
tiny letters you have words like 4WD ADAS on the left and ‘Internet Inside’ on
the right, the latter feature which we get to see in the Hector and Hector Plus
too. ADAS stands for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems which we shall talk
about later. At the bottom you get dual barrel twin chrome exhaust which I
found a bit out of sync with the real tail pipes of the vehicle.
INTERIORS
The
moment you step inside you are pleasantly surprised by the roominess the cabin
has to offer along with the premium luxury feel. The seats come with
diamond-style-stitching. The vehicle comes in two seating variant offerings.
You get a 2+2+2 configuration with second row captain seats and you also get a
2 +3+2 configuration. We got the former in our vehicle. You get premium leather
upholstery and soft touch material.
Coming
to the 2+2+2 configuration, it is interesting to note though all the seats get
decent sized comfortable head rests, the captain seats get headrests which can
be adjusted not just for height, but for reach too. Thus, if you want it a bit
in front so that it takes the shape behind your neck, you can do so. The second
row captain seats have decent sized arm rests. The 2nd row seat has a tumble
operation. But the best seat, I presume, is the driver’s seat. No, not because
he gets to drive this vehicle, but because it has 12 Way Power Adjust with two
memory settings, and more importantly it has a massage function which is a first
in segment feature.
Both
the driver & co-driver seats have heating, again a first in segment. But I
wonder why anyone would require heating in India’s largely hot climes? The co
driver seat too has memory settings for its 8 way power adjust. The second row
can be pushed in front to get to the third row while the third row can be
folded completely in a 60:40 split.
While
the front two rows have more than adequate space and comfort, surprisingly the
third row too can seat adults with ease though there may not be too much of
under thigh support.
The
Gloster comes with leather wrapped steering wheel with buttons on the right for
volume control, channel search, mute, hands free phone etc. On the left you get
buttons for cruise control and settings. The steering wheel is telescopic and can be
adjusted for tilt.
Open a flap on the floor console and you get
12V charging socket, USB charging and also wireless charging. Unlike in many
models where the phone is kept flat for charging, here you need to slide it
sideways into a slot. Though it saves space, the only problem to this you may
forget picking up your phone once you close the flap.
The
car gets three-zone climate control--Two zones for front and one zone for the
back starting at the second row. You can adjust the temperature in front for
the two zones and for the rear from the second row seats. There are plenty of
air vents all around the cabin to ensure you enjoy the right temperature.
There
is a tiny storage space in front next to steering wheel. The vehicle has plenty
of storage spaces like in front it has a dual glove box with cooling,
illumination and locking, inside the front arm rest, inner door panels, etc. The
driver armrest also comes with storage space.
Then
you have roof mounted button for panoramic sunroof, rear hatch door. There is a
button to close it too. The hatch door can be opened with kick gesture from
outside and closed with a button mounted on the top. Then you have sunglass holder for the driver
and vanity mirrors with light.
Floor
console with electric parking brakes, Auto hold, Knob for choosing from seven
drive modes: Auto, Eco, Sport, Snow, Mud, Sand and Rock. The vehicle has on
demand four wheel drive with rear differential. The vehicle comes with six
airbags including driver knee airbag.
The
Gloster has a 12.3” HD Touchscreen infotainment system which is connected to an
audio system with 12 speakers, which in turn has a whole host of functions. Functions
include voice activated navigation, iSMART / Hello MG, Apple Carplay, Android
Auto, Shortpedia News App, Gaana Song Search Via Voice Commands and a whole
host of vehicle settings. It also has a 360 degree view camera
It
has an 8 inches multi information display cluster and the TFT screen displays a
wide range of functions. It has a 64 colour ambient lighting and LED cabin
lighting.
PERFORMANCE
To
begin with, this car as mentioned earlier has ADAS technology which means it
has Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, Front Collision Warning, Autonomous
Emergency Braking and Auto Park Assist. The vehicle also has a function of Fatigue
Reminder System which is a safety feature.
For
its bulk, the vehicle took the rough terrains we drove on rather easily. Yes,
there was a bit of body roll and I am assuming it would be more prominent for
those at the rear seats. But as for power, I was not complaining. In the auto
mode, the vehicle moves with adequate speed and the power too is dispensed
intelligently. But with the use of paddle shifts and even manual settings on
the floor console with the gear, you can get that extra juice from the engine.
With disc brakes on all four wheels, the braking is very confident. The
suspension too is a fair mix of soft and hard, so driving it, you do not let
the pot holes and bad surfaces affect your mood and comfort. With on demand
four-wheel drive with rear differential, it’s like a cake walk over any of the
tough terrains.
VERDICT
The
Gloster is a great SUV to drive and has a bucket load of comfort features. And
when it comes to safety, technologies like ADAS provide a considerable amount
of hi-tech safety features. It is definitely the Next Big Change in the SUV
segment in India. It’s an SUV with No Compromises!