New 2023 MG Hector Facelift Review: Not Your Usual Facelift But A Comprehensive Update — IN PICS

The new Hector is not the usual facelift but a more comprehensive update with a lot of changes including a massive new grille. Here are our impressions on the 6 noticeable changes in the new Hector.

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1. Bigger is indeed better and MG has taken that into account with its massive new grille for the Hector. The new Hector's biggest change styling-wise is the new grille which extends much lower down and covers the majority of the front end. The grille itself is premium with a diamond-like pattern. The side view remains the same while the rear gets newly updated tail lamps connected along with new LED lighting. The badging has been changed and now 'ADAS' is added too. It does get a lot more attention because of the grille and looks a lot more purposeful.

2. The cabin quality also has a big jump with a nice blend of materials which is necessary for a car of this class. There are soft-touch materials across the dashboard along with a new design for AC vents. The look of the larger touchscreen is also crucial and elevates the cabin experience. Even the gear selector is all new.

3. Yes, the large 14-inch HD portrait touchscreen is the big highlight of the cabin. The infotainment system is overhauled and is much better to use while the massive touchscreen does feel different from other cars while again adding to the 'wow' factor. The touch interface itself is less laggy now and is crisper to use while the quality is better as well along with a neat layout in terms of not overcomplicating matters. That said, a majority of the functions including climate control are bundled up in the touchscreen and take time to get used to.

4. In terms of sheer tech, the Hector is back with a bang to fight out newer rivals. The massive touch screen has a crisp and much better 360-degree view camera plus a large panoramic sunroof that can be opened/closed via the voice assistant or even smartphone connectivity. There are a lot of connected car features and it also gets a digital key. Rather importantly there are level 2 ADAS features that work very well on our roads with extra features too, while we loved the auto turn indicators which means you do not need to engage the indicators yourself as it does on their own with the steering being turned. The voice assistant takes care of all the features and is intuitive too while a new digital instrument cluster is again much better than the last one. The Infinity audio system sounds nice while it gets front/rear parking sensors amongst other features like 6 airbags, TPMS, and more.

5. Another crucial area where the Hector scores is comfort as the huge size translates to a comfy cabin with a large rear seat along with a flat floor. That means you can comfortably sit three passengers at the rear with ample width/headroom and legroom.

6. The engine options remain with the 1.5l turbo petrol and a 2.0l diesel with the diesel getting a manual gearbox only. The petrol is the big seller and with the CVT the SUV is now a much better cruiser rather than the DCT which was available earlier. The CVT is nice to drive and it feels smooth in stop-go traffic while cruising effortlessly at big speeds. It feels like a big SUV with a focus on comfort and it is nicely suited to that.

Prices start at Rs 14.7 lakh while the top-spec models for the 5-seater version are upwards of Rs 21 lakh. The updated Hector builds on the strength of the previous model by being a large, spacious, feature-packed SUV with loads of technology stuffed in it. It is larger than similarly priced rivals and packs in a lot of features at a good price. In terms of value, the new Hector seems a massive improvement over the earlier one and once again needs to feature highly on your list of SUVs to buy if size, features, and comfort is your priority. (All Photos: Somnath Chatterjee)