MG Experience Drive | To Himachal Pradesh in a MG Hector

Barely 5 minutes later we found a trail that was inviting and we went ahead for some photography and views. The bridge that we crossed, a right would take us to Jalori pass (which we would later go) and a left here took us to the unexplored area.

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MG Motor India invited Team BHP for a 4-day drive to Himachal Pradesh, with Chitkul being the highlight as the destination to go to. I packed my woolens and was off to Delhi. Reached on 25th June and was at MG Motor dealership located in Moti Nagar, Najafgarh. We were supposed to leave by 07:00 hrs, but some delays later, we finally managed to push off by 08:00 hours. I had to kill time so shot a few pictures of the display area of the showroom.

Interestingly, found this cut section of the shock absorber of the MG Hector:

Also on display was one panel to showcase the structural strength of sheet metal:

With some chatter with other journos while the cars were being ready, almost an hour passed, and we were ready to roll. Delhi’s humidity level was apparent as once you exited the climate-controlled areas, you could sense the spike in sweltering. I was glad that by late evening today, I would be hitting the curvy roads, which would also mean a dip in temperature and a respite from the heat and humidity.

All the MG Hectors lined up:

I was allotted car number 5 on a sharing basis with another publication:

The boot accommodated our luggage with ease:

Once I got inside the MG Hector, the massive 14-inch screen (too large for my liking) greeted me. The absence of physical buttons to control AC is irritating:

Day 1: NCR - Jibhi

Delhi’s traffic was kind towards us and we reached the famous Amrik Sukhdev Dhaba at around 9 AM. Despite the heritage and everything, IMO the food’s taste was bland:

Other food items were either average or just above average. Later learned and tasted (some other day, Gulshan dhaba just nearby had better food).

Approximately an hour later and, to be precise, at 10:21 hours, we left the dhaba for our destination of the day. Jibhi, located in Tirthan Valley, the distance from the start point to our destination was 466 kilometers, which took us close to 10 hours. The roads from Sonipat to Ambala were wide, had good surfaces and one could maintain 90 km/h (the speed limit) without much hassle. Have to appreciate the Hector’s ride quality at slow speeds and highway speeds as well. It’s only the big potholes and uneven bridge approaches that unsettle it. Traffic was thick though, but still, we were averaging ~50 kilometres an hour. Considering traffic and speed limits, it was fair.

Highway driving can get monotonous and sometimes irritating especially with high traffic and queues at toll booths sap your energy out. Approximately 2 hours later, took a small break for black coffee at Regenta Central City Vilas Palace, Ambala for ~20 minutes. From there, Google diverted us towards Heritage Haveli, Roopnagar for that day’s lunch stop. Route had guided us via Aerocity road, Zirakpur to Roopnagar, and the wide open roads and the infrastructure development taking place impressed us all. I was in the passenger seat during this stint and the front seats were quite comfortable. All in all, the ergonomics seem sorted and the large sunroof helped bring in plenty of light in the cabin. The seat ventilation though, felt quite meek. I could barely feel it.

Almost everyone was hungry by the time we reached our lunch stop, Heritage Haveli. Everyone placed their orders and we waited. Food was coming as per orders, so everyone tasted whatever everyone ordered and all the ordered items were good. Especially, the North Indian food items such as dal, shahi paneer, and Indian bread items. By now, the camaraderie had become good and we all were having a good time. The food was good, and service was okay, messing up orders, making faces / not being proactive if someone requested a kulfi. If they did everything with courtesy (at least as a payback), the experience would have been great.

The Heritage Haveli, Roopnagar:

The food spread out :

The Team (media people & the MG team)

Post lunch, which lasted just over an hour, we resumed our journey. We had put the coordinates for Bradhi - Echor Riverside Resort Jibhi (Ghiyagi, Himachal Pradesh 175123) in Hector’s massive infotainment screen. Some distance later, we all were asked to visit the (only) MG dealership at Mandi for a general check-up of all the Hectors.

Some pictures of us entering the hills:

We crossed into Himachal from Punjab and seeing the hilly roads; I requested for the wheels of the Hector. A 2.0 diesel engine with a 6-speed MT and with revs playing between 1,800 to 3,000 revs, the Hector was quite fun. The ESP kept a tight leash on the Hector in the rains which started as soon as we crossed the Sutlej river. One annoying bit about the Hector that I found was the auto-turn indicator function. It got activated on the hills and the indicator noise was annoying as well which kept ruining the music played over the nice system.

We covered the distance of 111 kilometres from our lunch stop to the MG dealership at Mandi in 2 hours and 13 minutes. It was still daylight when we reached the MG dealership Mandi at 18:42 hours.

Mandi in Himachal Pradesh is a nice sleepy town. As is the norm in the hills, half of the town had downed their shutter post 18:00 hours. Essential services were functional though. The town had dealerships for major brands (VW, Toyota & of course MG Motors) and you can go to any scenic place in an hour and rejuvenate. I love this part.

The MG Dealership in Mandi:

Clicked some pictures of our red Hector

Massive front grille covers almost the entire face:

We started from Mandi at 19:33 hours. We still did not need to switch on the headlamps, as there was still daylight. After a brief fuel stop at Sambal, Pandoh at 20:14 hours we resumed the drive. It had gotten sufficiently dark for Hector’s LEDs to show us the way.

Roads continued to be good till Aut tunnel, Kullu gate, post which we had to take a right turn for Tirthan alongside river Beas and Sainj and follow Tirthan river. The roads were very narrow post the turn and the sides had stones. We had to be careful here and watch out for sharp stones. MG’s Gloster might have been a more apt SUV for this kind of terrain, nevertheless, Hector kept us comfortable, guiding us via Google Maps and streaming music from our phone. Since it had gotten dark, we were on the hills, the roads were bad and narrow, couldn’t click any more photos.

A distance of 56 kilometres took 2 hours and 10 minutes (the road was that bad) and we arrived at the destination Bradhi - Echor Riverside Resort Jibhi, at 22:34 hours. A quick dinner later, I retired for the night.

Some random pictures of the day:

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