MG Hector Diesel - Our Behind The Scenes Partner To India Bike Week 2023

We chose the MG Hector Diesel for our recent trip to India Bike Week 2024. The decision was simple and clear – a car with enough boot space to accommodate the luggage of 5 people while providing comfortable seating throughout the 574 km journey to Goa. Starting our journey early in the morning gave us plenty of time to check things that you should usually inspect before undertaking such a long journey. These include tyre pressure, coolant level, DPF level, and oil. Thanks to the tyre pressure monitoring system, we were able to relax on the tyre front, a task that was challenging in the morning as none of the petrol stations had air check stations operational.

As we began our journey on a cold morning in Mumbai, the roads were empty, and Hector's 2.0-litre diesel engine could stretch its legs, showcasing the power of 168 horses and taking us across Pune, where we took our first halt to catch up with the rest of the team. Driving in the dark, one thing was clear – the road in front of us. The bright LEDs were adequate, and the high beam was just the right amount to complement the visibility provided by the commanding driving position.

We fueled up a full tank of diesel in Mumbai, costing us roughly ₹5000, indicating that there might be 10 litres of fuel in the tank already. With a full tank, the indicated range on the car was 700 km, which did drop as we drove on the highway, pacing at an uneven average speed to cover scenic locations for our travel video.

The driving experience was quite pleasant as the diesel had low NVH levels. It did have some startup noise, but that is the bare minimum you expect from a diesel engine. Even when the engine was under load in the twisties, there was a quiet minimal sound entering the cabin, and whatever did was just adding to the drama of climbing up the ghats.

The body roll on this SUV was not super evident, but the steering and its buttery smooth feel did invite some jerky movements if there was a sudden approach by a state transport bus speeding in the opposite direction. The gear shifts were smooth, but the clutch had a hard biting point. This resulted in a few stalls in traffic, which we encountered while crossing the ghats of Malkapur.

On the smooth tarmac of Anuskura ghats, the car flowed from corner to corner. Also, an advantage of the Hector is that, although it feels like a large car, it does not have the wide track that you expect from an SUV. This makes it easy to drive in the ghats, which are usually a squeeze at certain times.

Talking about road presence, which it has in abundance, the MG Hector with its big grille up front does intimidate oncoming traffic to quite some extent.

Although we started the journey in the cool wintery temperature of Mumbai and there was cloud cover till we crossed Pune, the sun started to shine on us as soon as the afternoon set in. Temperatures rose beyond 30, but the car’s max cool feature was keeping us cool. Also, for the front passengers, there were ventilated seats that made sure we were cool throughout the journey. One annoying part of the ventilated seats was that they used to turn off every time the car was turned off. This came to our attention as we were taking quite some breaks to shoot the bikes that were accompanying us on this trip.

The storage compartments inside the car were more than sufficient. The door bottle holders looked like they could hold one bottle, but they did have the provision to hold 2 if needed.

The second row of seats was spacious, but even after the recline, they felt a bit upright for the long journey that we took. The charging sockets at the rear are a blessing, and so is the voice command feature, as the rear passengers do not have to trouble the front passengers for their requests with the AC or the music. One thing to note is that if there were physical buttons for the AC, then it would have been really nice, as changing certain parameters on the AC while driving becomes cumbersome on a touchscreen panel.

I would like to conclude this review by complimenting the only thing that was keeping us glued to the road – the tyres. These 215/60 R17 were perfect companions for this journey, which consisted of certain broken patches and long smooth patches of tarmac and concrete. Also, the suspension was quite compliant and did not make any concerning noises even when pushed through sudden rough patches in the road. The biggest highlight of the car is the panoramic sunroof that lets us enjoy the beautiful view of the night sky as well as the breathtaking views of the Anuskura Ghats.