The Hector in its facelifted form has been a hit for MG and it is its best-selling car. While the Hector petrol is popular, there is also a diesel and it could make more sense for those who need a frugal SUV than a petrol-sipping one. The Hector facelift continues with the earlier 2.0l Multijet diesel with 170 bhp and 350Nm while a 6-speed manual is standard. There is no automatic on offer and we were hoping for MG to add this considering its rivals do plus automatic is very much desired with SUVs these days.
Anyways, the diesel unit is a familiar one but here it is perhaps more refined than on other cars and at low speeds, there is hardly any loud diesel clatter. Only when pushed that the engine gets audible. In the city at low speeds, the Hector diesel is easy to drive despite its size and that includes the light steering and the light gear shift. The clutch is slightly on the sharper side and you need to be careful at low speeds in the city plus the tall gearing means more shuffling of the gears.
That aside, the Hector is comfortable and easy to live with along with excellent ride quality. Onto the highway, the big Hector becomes a comfortable cruiser and effortlessly goes at big speeds. It is an SUV tuned towards comfort and the suspension is soft but it suits it. High-speed stability is decent while there is body roll due to its size.
In terms of efficiency, the Hector makes more sense than the petrol with figures hovering between 13-14 kmpl- way better than the petrol. Other areas are the same as the petrol which means you have a huge new grille which lends presence and in terms of comfort, you can't get a better SUV at this price with a huge rear seat along with loads of features including a much more improved bigger touchscreen. The Hector diesel really ticks many boxes other than getting an automatic but if you are chauffeur-driven and cover large distances, the Hector diesel makes more sense and it is priced lower than rivals too.
