[dh.harshal]

Hello experts,

I've been in the market for a mid size SUV, having sold my Vento 1.2 TSI Automatic recently.

Below are some requirements:
- Safe car
- Automatic transmission (Petrol/Diesel)
- Space for 4 adults and child seat for toddler(similar to 5 adults)
- primary vehicle for daily city drive with single occuapant (500 Km/month) and occasional highways drives, once/twice a month with 4 adults and a toddler (500-600 km/month)
- Balanced suspension for family comfort
- essential features for safe & enjoyable family journey (360 camera, TPMS, 3 point seatbelt for all, Good music system)
- doni care much about bling features like voice commands, connected car, etc.

Cars considered

Kushaq/Taigun - waited for the VAG twins launch, but was disappointed on what they offer. Yes, they will satisfy my thirst for driving, coming from superb Vento driving experience. But family won't enjoy them much with cramped space and almost no features

Seltos/Creta - both are good all round family cars, however safety bothers me a lot given we'll mostly travel with our baby

XUV 700 - probably the best for, but the waiting period is beyond imagination and no 3 point seat belt for middle passenger (important for us, because we will travel with 4 adults and a baby).

Safari/Harrier - they have to improve a lot in the interior quality, fit & finish. Also reading horrible stories of after sales services on each of the owners forums.

Jeep compass - excellent product overall. Have cramped space in the rear for 3 people seated. Also, rattling noises are given in the new 2021 model. Another issue is Diesel automatic comes only with 4*4 and Petrol automatic is nothing to brag about.

MG Astor - Another excellent product, rejected only because of cramped rear seats.

Hyundai Tucson - probably the best of the lot for me. But the family vetoed it out only due to dull & ages old interiors.

Mg Hector - nothing extra ordinary in terms of driving pleasure. However, it's a superb all rounder for family.
Good features and tons of space. CVT is little slow, cornering is not good, mileage is poor - but again I guess, I'm not going to test the car's full driving potential given my family & especially our baby will always be in the car

Now, I'm getting Hector delivered in the next 3-4 weeks if I book within this week. Our baby will be 2 month's then and we would want to welcome her back home in a new car.

Question to the experts:
1) Does Hector make sense considering my requirements?
2) Shall we wait for ADAS to be introduced in Hector? No timelines yet and I don't fancy ADAS except the adaptive cruise control. Besides prices will likely go up by around one lakh next year with ADAS.
3) Does it make sense to book in December and get delivery in January? Car is likely to be 2021 manufactured.

Please provide your expert advise.
Thank you!

[Jatin247]

Keeping your requirements in mind I would really suggest you to look at Hyundai Alcazar.
1) Being a fellow owner I definitely feel that the build quality is little better than Creta, you can feel it from the door thud.
2) Feature rich
3) Has adequate space
4) Good petrol engine. Diesel is also good but seeing your running petrol would better suit your needs.
5) Size isn’t huge, at just 4.5M its friendly to drive in city too.

I feel it really fits your needs and would be an option worth considering.
Thankyou.

[abhishek46]

The MG Hector has not been crash tested.
We do not know how safe/un-safe it would be in reality.

The XUV700 should be the best selection from the above.
The Best Engines, Best Safety, Best Features.

You should use a Child restraint system (Baby Seat) and fix it using ISO FIX mounts.
When your child grows up, you should use a booster seat with either 3 point seat belt OR a lap-belt.

Personally, I have observed difficulties with 3-point seat belt when small kids are strapped in, even with booster seat.
The upper belt passes near the neck area in small kids, which I did not like.
This is the reason, I prefer lap-belt with booster seat arrangement for my kid (7y.o).

[mpod11]

I was in the same boat as you 2 months back. Had to replace my ageing VW vento with a feature rich SUV that felt value for money and the big car feel.
After a gazillion test drives, I went ahead and bought the MG hector CVT. I am 1000kms in my ownership journey and mostly it has been a positive experience. The car is a relaxed cruiser and feels good quality for the most part. Mechanically it doesn’t seem to have any problem. Mileage has improved since the first few days and I am getting around 7.5-8 Kmpl. My usage is 100% within the city in bumper to bumper traffic. My only grouse with the car is that the electronics aren’t that great. My key battery has been replaced already once and the voice commands have a mind of their own. It’s also impossible to turn off the navigation voice.
It’s a great car as such and my family loves it. I would have gone with the 5th gen Honda city but got outvoted. Don’t regret it a bit!

[FiatDiesel]

I own Hector diesel 2021 for last 6 months and have driven 12K+ Km. You won’t regret and will look for excuses to go on drives. It’s superb cruiser, high on comfort specially for passengers. My teen boy refuses to join me on front passenger seat as he loves its rear seat comfort. My biggest satisfaction is that my family love drives in it and it’s quality fit & finish leaves the competition behind. The other most important factor is good after sales service. In terms of quality and reliability I don’t have any negative experience, have driven it 5K+ km on week long holidays including 1300 Km non-stop, not a single problem or observation whatsoever.

[SM.Turbo]

This is a perspective from an owner who has no qualms of over close close to one year of ownership experience with Hector Plus DCT. I have mentally prepared on the mileage part and hence, no sweat on getting an 8.8 KMPL average on a 9K odd odometer (Tankful to tankful).

My pervious rides are Ecosport and Linea and both are dream to drive. Now, given a choice of going back and changing the decision, would I opt for something else, well, the answer is NO. Will pick up a Hector again. Its a solid all rounder and good family car (Don't want someone to contest SUV credentials ) with built and service quality being pretty good and a great "price and size proposition". Now, if you are wondering what my previous rides are to do on this post, well, I have a decent understanding on what handling means and I have not been bothered by Hector on my highway stints where I have averaged 80KMPH on a 400KM not stop trips. By the way, one of my previous ride was Thar CRDI (First Gen) and was never comfortable above 90 even on a fabulous 8 Lane expressways and I have driven the new Fortuner which is equally a not so great confidence inspirer around the corners and I did not expect it to behave differently, it being an SUV (Though not a 4 Wheel Drive ). I guess we need to cut some slack for tall bodies.

Well, I own it, drive it and can fairly say am happy about it, including the soft suspension, quite cabin, which is apt for my daily city commute and cocoons from outside city chaos. Not bad on expressways either where I always drive at max legal limit, that's why there is not much difference in my city and highway mileage. In the world of perspectives, this is the perspective of a guy who has been living with it for the last 340 days. All the very best on your new ride, which ever you eventually own. Cheers!

Well, I wish there was a Diesel Auto and would be miserable the day MG launches one...

[Tony2298]

Well I was also in similar shoes a few months ago as you are now, I was also in the market for a premium mid-size SUV with a similar budget as yours and after a lot of contemplation I gifted myself a Phantom Black Hyundai Tucson CRDi 4WD A/T and after driving it for almost 8000kms now I can definitely say I have absolutely no regrets and love my car every bit.

Yes, a similar advise was given to me that why I was buying a so costly car that too a Hyundai that too a model which was going to be replaced soon. Well, first and foremost reason was the design, the newer Hyundais are too radical and oddball for my liking and dare I say the newer lot of Hyundai cars like Creta, Venue etc are ugly IMHO, no offence to any owners and potential customers of the same. For me, the best designed Hyundai cars were the fluidic ones and being the owner of a car which too was based on earlier fluidic design sculpture (see my avatar) I had a sort of weakness on the fluidic 2.0 design of the outgoing Tucson and IMO it looks very nice and handsome without being too much in the face, sorry for going off-topic but you can understand my feelings.

Secondly, regarding the features I don't find it to be lacking in any department and with the 2020 facelift Hyundai has addressed some of the weird omissions too and regarding the design, yeah some may find it to be plain-jane but that's a personal taste and you yourself have to decide that but what I can tell you is you can't find a single quality flaw in the interior department, every materials used reeks of quality, soft-touch materials are used in abundance and even the hard plastics aren't cheap and scratchy, they feel robust and built-to last and dare I say the interior switchgears and leather upholstery are at par with some luxury marquees, also when you gunning down 185PS/400Nm with AWD in Sports mode you'll be so engrossed in driving this machine that you'll forget about interiors
In short it's the Volkswagen Polo/Vento of the SUV segment, old maybe but ain't boring at all. My second choice would be the Citröen C5 or the Volkswagen Tiguan as they do have that premium European feel and the latter in its current facelift looks terrific and is feature loaded.

Still as they say different strokes for different folks and all we can do is suggest from our knowledge and user experience but you know your requirements, wants and expectations and you have to decide which car does it the best for you. Happy shopping

[TSEA]

Originally Posted by mpod11

It’s also impossible to turn off the navigation voice.

Are you referring to the voice for navigation, cause that is straight forward. Or are you referring to the "Speed Breaker Ahead/Left Curve Ahead" annoying announcements

[FiatDiesel]

Originally Posted by SM.Turbo

This is a perspective from an owner who has no qualms of over close close to one year of ownership experience with Hector Plus DCT. I have mentally prepared on the mileage part and hence, no sweat on getting an 8.8 KMPL average on a 9K odd odometer (Tankful to tankful).
========
Well, I wish there was a Diesel Auto and would be miserable the day MG launches one...

Very well summed up SM.Turbo. I can specially relate to your comment of feeling cocooned inside from city chaos. Me and my wife actually enjoy the peace and good quality music while on drive. Despite my Hector being diesel, noise insulation and zero vibrations create very smooth and satisfying experience. There have been times when i missed ( read “forgot”) upshifting as car continued to drive in smooth linear way all till high engine rpms like 3500 in lower gear. And this is when I am nearing 15k service and oil change. Typically in diesels one doesn’t expect this smoothness.

Yes lack of automatic diesel hurts and that’s the reason Harrier was serious contender during my buying decision however my friends from same industry asked me to stay away from it. Well today I don’t regret the decision, I love my drive and look forward for lacs of Kms in it.

[mpod11]

Originally Posted by TSEA

Are you referring to the voice for navigation, cause that is straight forward. Or are you referring to the "Speed Breaker Ahead/Left Curve Ahead" annoying announcements

Yes it is impossible to turn off the annoying left curve/right curve ahead announcements! Talked to a service professional and he asked me to send to the nearest service station for it. The guys there also had no idea on how to turn it off! MG pls give us an option to Turn off this stupid navigation voice !

[mytbhp_turbo]

Originally Posted by dh.harshal

Question to the experts:
1) Does Hector make sense considering my requirements?
2) Shall we wait for ADAS to be introduced in Hector? No timelines yet and I don't fancy ADAS except the adaptive cruise control. Besides prices will likely go up by around one lakh next year with ADAS.
3) Does it make sense to book in December and get delivery in January? Car is likely to be 2021 manufactured.

Please provide your expert advise.
Thank you!

1) I am not sure if you will enjoy it driving as much as Vento TSI otherwise it seems to tick all your boxes.

2) ADAS will be common all across, your hector might feel outdated after ADAS is launched. It's going to be there for sure but with no timelines in-sight i would say only risk you are taking is hit on resale value.

3) You should try for 2022 manufactured and registered car, manufacturing date matters a lot when you actually go for exchange/sell.

I do feel, you should try to get XUV700 Petrol AT, might not be impossible to ask around and get it from some dealer where Diesel us preferred variant.

[manpreetsj]

Originally Posted by dh.harshal

Question to the experts:
1) Does Hector make sense considering my requirements?
2) Shall we wait for ADAS to be introduced in Hector? No timelines yet and I don't fancy ADAS except the adaptive cruise control. Besides prices will likely go up by around one lakh next year with ADAS.
3) Does it make sense to book in December and get delivery in January? Car is likely to be 2021 manufactured.

Please provide your expert advise.
Thank you!

You have very well written down synopsis of my family's take on cars available in this segment. After all the research we did over last 3 months, we zeroed in on Hector CVT, for what it offers at the given price!

1) Yes definitely yes!! Rear bench is the most comfortable place to be in. We booked Astor (with confirmed delivery in Dec), however after back to back test drive in Astor vs. Hector, family members were blown away by leg space and comfort on rear seats. Also, with kids, you will have extra 1-2 bags just for your kid + pram/stroller. Hector offers you that space in boot. No other car in this segment will offer you this (other than XUV700).

2) On ADAS - Continuing our journey, we cancelled Astor and converted it to Hector CVT booking. However, few days back we decided to postpone our purchase, as ADAS is already being tested and most likely will be offered in 2022 facelift.
- ADAS will be in all cars by end of 2022. Any car without it will be outdated and will command lower resale value
- I liked some of the safety features in Astor + ACC in Astor. Would love to see those in Hector
- If concern is of higher price tag of 2022 model - Do FD of 21 Lakhs@5% for 6 months - post tax return of ~3% will give you close to ~30K return. We are expecting price increase of 70-80K. So, its ok to pay slightly more over this FD income for better resale + getting all tech needed for next 4-5 years (before shift to EV takes place)
- We can wait for 6 months, not sure if you can! (In our case, even if we wait for 6 months, choice wouldn't be XUV700, as we didn't like to exterior looks of car, especially rear end. Though petrol engine is much more punchy!)

3) Better wait for 2022 manufactured model (considering above points). In 2021 MG launched facelift on 7th Jan. This time if ADAS is expected, maybe launch will take place by Feb-March. ADAS testing scoops have started flowing in, which is a good sign.

Just like my family, if you assess a car for its capabilities & what it offers for your hard earned money & if it can keep your family safe (most important) & not be bothered by stigma associated with Chinese ownership image (which many people in our surrounding try to rub in and make fuzz about), at the budget of 20-22Lakhs - Hector CVT is the best suited car for your (my) family!

[yuvmudapa]

Mod note: Trimming quoted post and fixing quote tags, please use Preview before submitting post and avoid quoting entire large post.

Originally Posted by dh.harshal

Hello experts,

I've been in the market for a mid size SUV, having sold my Vento 1.2 TSI Automatic recently.
======
Please provide your expert advise.
Thank you!

The XUV 700 is a good car but the long waiting period is a bummer.
The safari I think is set to get an update in 2022, but if you do not want to wait, the hector is a good choice.

[Sagar.Agarwal]

A bit off topic and excuse my suggestion for the same. With your running why don’t you consider EV. Tata Nexon or MG ZS. Most of the issues are sorted by now. Nexon is 5 star rated. I don’t know where you belong but here in Pune there are plenty options to charge including fast chargers. With petrol prices sky rocketing and mileage of 8 kmpl, the petrol guzzling SUVs will even lose more of the resale value once the electric revolution fully kicks in. I am myself planning to give my Seltos D at to my brother and get a new Nexon EV.

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by dh.harshal

Below are some requirements:
- Safe car
- Automatic transmission (Petrol/Diesel)
- Space for 4 adults and child seat for toddler(similar to 5 adults)
- primary vehicle for daily city drive with single occuapant (500 Km/month) and occasional highways drives, once/twice a month with 4 adults and a toddler (500-600 km/month)
- Balanced suspension for family comfort
- essential features for safe & enjoyable family journey (360 camera, TPMS, 3 point seatbelt for all, Good music system)
- doni care much about bling features like voice commands, connected car, etc.

Our baby will be 2 month's then and we would want to welcome her back home in a new car.

Firstly, congratulations, mate

From what I've read on the forum etc, there are many happy owners of the Hector, which inspires confidence. However it has auto only in the petrol motor, which is 1.5 litres. If you are an enthusiast, you might not enjoy it enough as it is not really a sharp handler, and the engine is kind of about sufficient for it's size. It has oodles of legroom though. The petrol motor isn't particularly frugal either. If Auto isn't a priority, consider the Diesel model in Hector.

If Auto is a priority and you are fond of a car which handles well, I'd suggest you to reconsider the Harrier. It's extra width in the rear bench would be appreciated in the rear bench. Now, since about half your usage is on the highway, you really might appreciate the handling of the Harrier a lot. Based on the TDs I have taken, I thought this was the best bet for a highway run.

I too had a strong dislike for some parts of the Harrier (especially the central part of the steering). However, typically, one focuses very little on the finish etc (unless at either extreme) after a few months to a year of ownership. Basic comfort in seating, and driving is what one may often be felt a lot more.

About after sales support, my experience has been that finding the right workshop and person in the workshop, and building a relationship with thm goes a long way in a happy A$$ experience.

Let me not flood the post with more details. I have written extensive reports on my test drives of the above two and much more, which can be found here onwards.