Morris Garages India has launched its third car in the Indian market in the form of the MG Hector Plus. This after making its India debut with the Hector in June 2019 and following it up with the ZS electric vehicle earlier this year. The Hector Plus is primarily based on the Hector, but the big difference is the presence of an extra row of seats. But that’s not all, when compared to the Hector the new car gets many changes on the exterior as well as the interior. It was first shown at the Delhi Auto Expo in February 2020 and its subsequent launch got delayed owing to the Covid-19 lockdown. Now, the SUV is finally here, so let’s tell you more about it.
LOOKS
Looking at the segment it comes in, the MG Hector was always big on dimensions. So when it added an extra row of seats inside they didn’t even have to increase the wheelbase of the Hector Plus. Yes, the length has gone up slightly, 65 mm to be precise, but that is because of the overhangs in the bumpers on the front and on the rear. The front grille remains the same, though the chrome surrounds have disappeared. Apart from this, the Hector Plus also gets freshly designed headlamps as well as daytime running lights. There’s also a new rear tail light design and revised skid plates. That’s enough to help you differentiate a Hector Plus from its smaller sibling. However, the 17 inch wheels, which used to look small even on the Hector, remain the same, making them look disproportionate to the overall size of the vehicle.
INTERIORS
The first thing you notice once you step inside the Hector Plus, apart from the 3 rows of seats of course, is the presence of captain seats on the second row. This wasn’t seen on the Hector and is a major ‘plus’, on the Hector plus, something that will ensure more comfort for the occupants. This also makes access to the third row easier, which just like most other 6/7 seaters is low on space. The company itself is saying that it is better suited for the children. It has also confirmed that a 7-seater version is on its way, which will have a bench seat on the second row. The other big difference is the new generation of the already popular i-smart touchscreen system, which takes a plethora of voice commands and also gets a chit-chat feature. The boot hatch in the Hector Plus can be opened by swiping your feet under the body of the vehicle.
ENGINE
The MG Hector Plus has been launched in both petrol and diesel engine variants and the engines remain the same when compared to the MG Hector. The 1.5 litre Petrol engine comes in 2 iterations one of which is mild hybrid. It churns out 141 bhp and 250 Nm and comes with 6-speed manual or dual clutch transmission options. The mild hybrid however comes with just a 6-speed manual transmission gearbox. The diesel is a bigger, more powerful mill and also comes with a 6-speed manual gearbox. The 2.0 litre engine delivers 168 bhp along with a peak torque of 350 Nm. But overall the number of trims has reduced when compared to the Hector SUV.
RIDE, HANDLING AND SAFETY
The Hector Plus is slightly heavier than the Hector and that has had a positive effect on the ride quality; it certainly has become better specially on the second row. Technically however the suspension hasn’t really been tinkered with. How it handles too largely remains the same and some bit of body roll is evident. When it comes to safety the car gets a lot of features as standard; this includes traction control, electronic brake force distribution, ABS, tyre pressure monitoring system, dual airbags, ISOFIX child seat anchors, electric parking brake, electronic stability control and hill hold control. 6 airbags and a 360 degree camera are reserved for the top variants.
PRICES
The MG Hector Plus has been launched at a starting price of Rs 13.48 lakh (exshowroom, Delhi) for the Style Petrol manual variant. The DCT here comes in only the top 2 variants called Smart and Sharp which are priced at Rs 16.65 lakh and Rs 18.20 lakh respectively. The Hybrid has been offered only with the top variant and will set you back by Rs 17.29 lakh. The Diesel is available in all 4 trims which are priced between Rs 14.43 lakh and Rs 18.53 lakh. That is around Rs 60,000 more when compared to the Hector across variants. The company has said these prices will increase by up to Rs 50,000 after 13 August, 2020 depending on the trim level.
The writer is Senior Editor at carandbike.com.