BBC Top Gear India – July 2019

054 JULY 2019 →TOPGEAR.COM

were priv y to. The engineers demonstrate how

you can control some features from a mobile

phone, from a distance. Even from another city.

For example, if your car is in Mumbai and you

happen to take the keys to Delhi but someone

at home now needs to open the car to pick up a

document, well, you can do it from your phone,

sitting in Delhi. You can open the sun roof,

unlock doors, unwind the sun roof – cool stuff

that once only the Teslas did. Yes, the tech is

sort of benchmark here for roominess. Of course,

it helps that it also has the largest footprint. But

still, it has been well executed. Plus, they have

given it some real nice touches like three-pointed

seatbelts for all three rear passengers and a

panoramic sunroof – bits that you will enjoy if

being driven in this car.

At the front, what strikes you first is the

10 -inch plus touchscreen multimedia system.

This is where most of the action is. Key to

accessing the internet. While Coimbatore is a

great automotive-savvy city, it doesn’t exactly

have comparable mobile network ever y where

which is a chink in the Hector’s armour. A lot

of the unique features are network dependent

and unless we get to the point where it becomes

seamless and faultless, hiccups will be given.

For example, when we tried to command

the navigation to a certain place, after a few

attempts, the system just hung on us.

But maybe I am nitpicking here. Because for

most of the day-long drive, the system worked

just fine. To be honest, driving the car from

Coimbatore to Conoor and back was a typical

Indian driving experience. Picturesque at

places, some smooth stretches too, but erratic

and sometimes suicidal fellow motorists, and

vanishing lane markings. It was time to focus on

the dynamic ability of the Hector.

At launch, which would have happened by

here, real and more importantly, working.

Now, if you are not impressed already, step

inside to what is one of the most spacious

and functional cabins you could find in this

segment (provided MG prices it close to the

Harrier/Compass range and not higher). It’s not

spaceship kind of fancy stuff here, but MG has

done enough to keep each of the five passengers

in amazing comfort. Be it the plush seats,

legroom at the rear or a flat floor, it has set some

Engine variants include a 1.5L

petrol (with a mild hybrid

option) and a 2.0L diesel