MG Hector, the much-anticipated SUV was launched recently in India at an affordable price of Rs.12.18 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The connected mid-size SUV is available in four trim levels - Style, Super, Smart and Sharp in Petrol, Diesel and Hybrid versions. MG Motor offers the Hector with only BS4-compliant engines at the time of launch. Now, the British auto brand plans to introduce the BS6 version of the Hector by January 2020, to comply with the upcoming emission norms scheduled to begin from April 1, 2020.
The BS6-compliant Hector will get powered by the same FCA-sourced 2.0-litre MultiJet II diesel motor that made its debut on the recently launched Jeep Compass Trailhawk SUV. It is the one that is likely to power the Tata Harrier too in the near future. The engine produces 171bhp power at 3750rpm and 350Nm of torque at 1750rpm. In order to meet the more stringent future emission norms, the BS6 engine makes use of an AdBlue dosing agent which is based on the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR).
The engines that currently power the Hector include a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol motor producing 141bhp power and 250Nm of torque and a 48V mild-hybrid version of the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol, offering 12% more fuel-efficiency and additional torque of 20Nm at lower speeds than the standard petrol unit. The diesel engine is an FCA-sourced 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged unit that produces 168bhp peak power and 350Nm of torque, with best-in-class ARAI-certified fuel efficiency of 17.41kmpl.
The SUV is available with two petrol-manual, two petrol-automatic, three petrol-hybrid and four diesel variants. The company claims an ARAI certified mileage of 14.16 kmpl for the petrol manual, 13.96 kmpl for the petrol automatic and 15.81 kmpl for the petrol hybrid variants. Power to the wheels gets transmitted via either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox on the petrol variants and via a 6-speed Manual gearbox on the diesel and the petrol-hybrid versions.
The MG Hector is the first 48V Hybrid SUV of India. It gets 50+ connected features including Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered Voice Assist, i-SMART connected-car tech, Smart Features, pre-loaded apps and an embedded Airtel SIM card. The Hector is equipped with a lot of segment-first features that include a 10.4-inch portrait-oriented Full-HD touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, panoramic sunroof, electric tailgate, 360-degree camera and front parking sensors. It also holds a bag of goodies along with standard safety features like ABS with EBD, ESP, traction control, rear parking sensors and more. In terms of competition, the MG Hector takes on the likes of Tata Harrier, Mahindra XUV500, Jeep Compass and the Hyundai Creta.