My 2023 MG Hector Plus comes home: 15 key observations after 600 km

Overall, in the city, expect a fuel efficiency of 6-8.5 km/l when driving through bumper-to-bumper traffic.

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Got the delivery of my Hector Plus 7str on 28th April. Have driven approx 600 km to date. 90% drive has been Delhi-Gurugram-Delhi during peak office hours. Sharing my initial quick observations. Will start a more detailed ownership thread in a week or 2 after clocking another couple of 100 km and the second tank’s full fuel efficiency reading for a more comprehensive understanding.

The points below are in no specific order:

1. The excellent driving dynamic within city limits, bumper-to-bumper traffic and also picks up speed well on those open stretches. Power delivery is linear and does not feel underpowered at any point. But the pickup is not explosive if you want to compare it to XUV700. Stand alone, you will not be disappointed with Hector. It’s a smooth daily driver.
2. Ride and handling too wouldn’t give you any reason to complain. Feels planted on those long stretches and handles well over easy corners as long as you realize it’s a large SUV and not a sports car.
3. Big on space and comfort. The protruding lumber positioning that few complained for front seats didn’t feel uncomfortable at least to me. Large windows help with the sense of space and all-around visibility.
4. Excellent Infinity audio system. I use both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Quality of output is fantastic as long as you have opted for ‘High Quality’ output in the specific app over data use.
5. I initially booked the black colour but changed it to dual tone later. Super happy with my decision. In dual tone, the Hector stands out within a crowd and looks classy and butch. For me, the lit-up connected tail lamp looks the best on the dual tone.
6. The touch sensitivity of the infotainment screen is vastly improved from when I first tested it in February this year. MG has worked well on improving the user experience and reducing the overall lag. However, I do feel the overall UI (especially the AC) has major scope for improvement. Will elaborate further on my ownership thread.
7. The interior design with the smoke sepia brown leather looks classy and premium. Everyone, who has either sat in the car and seen it, says the interior looks like one from a BMW machine.
8. AC is excellent. Cools real quick. However, navigating through the AC controls on the screen while driving is not the best user experience, especially when using Android Auto and CarPlay as reaching the AC controls is a minimum 2-step affair. However, you can use the voice command to skip through the process. The same works seamlessly.
9. Apparently, MG has removed the steering adjustment for reach and now it’s only adjustable for height. Got to know about this only when I took the delivery. Hated this cost-cutting as it took me 2 days to get the right driving position, or rather get used to the ‘not my preferred’ driving position for the steering. Yet to figure out what has been removed.
10. The first tank-to-tank full fuel efficiency is at 6.93km/l. This included a ride back home from Gurgaon on a rainy evening with a crazy traffic jam that took me 3hr 15mins to cover 20kms. Will get the second tank full over the weekend. Overall, within the city, expect 6-8.5km/l when driving through bumper-to-bumper traffic.
11. Trip information on the app is not very accurate. Fuel efficiency is definitely not correct, have also noticed the top speed not getting captured accurately.
12. Most connected features work well. Will try to detail out further in my ownership thread.
13. Booking, the waiting period, delivery and the post-delivery experience have been very average. The team at MG’s flagship store in Gurugram has been shockingly unresponsive. Overall, disappointed with the experience. Even contemplated cancelling my booking in between. But the product is good, so went ahead with the purchase. Keeping figures crossed for the ASS.
14. The SUV has been mostly self-driven with just a couple of short trips within the city with 5 on board. Passengers in the second row had nothing to complain about and found the ride very comfortable. My mom is 75+ and average height, getting in and out for her wasn’t a challenge.
15. As a ‘gadgets on wheels’ car, the SUV definitely lacks enough USB/Type-C ports. Second-row seats should have had at least 2 USB/Type-C ports, currently offered only 1 USB port. My 2013 Honda City has 2 12V sockets, which I find very handy.

Sharing a few pictures.

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