MG will its launch its much-anticipated challenger to the Tata Harrier on the 27th of this June. Called the Hector, it is based on the Baojun 530 and will be MG’s debut vehicle in India. As already known, the Hector will come with several segment first features, three engine options along with several other notable specifications that will help it attract customers to MG dealerships. However, there are a few features and points about this British clothed-Chinese DNA SUV that are quite impressive but are not well known. If you are planning to book the Hector or have already done that, here are some of the lesser known but interesting features and facts about the upcoming MG SUV.
Comes with the largest sunroof in the segment
There was a time when a sunroof was considered to be a premium feature on cars. Though it’s still not in the bread-butter category, a lot of cars offer sunroof as an option below Rs. 10 lakh price mark. Panoramic sunroofs, however, are still not that common and are considered as a premium feature. MG has gone an extra mile and is offering the Hector with the biggest panoramic sunroof ever seen in this segment. The Hector will come with a dual-pane panoramic sunroof that is huge, to say the least. It is not a standard feature though and only the top end Sharp variant will come equipped with it.
Reclining rear seats
Electronically adjustable front seats do not raise the eyebrows any more in this price segment as a lot of vehicles come with them. What they don’t offer though is a reclining rear bench/seat, something which the MG Hector offers. The Hector will be the first SUV in its segment to offer a reclining rear seat. To let you know, the rear seats of the Hector can be reclined by about 25 degrees. This makes it a rather unique feature that enhances the rear seat comfort in a big way. Napping on long trips will be a boon with the rear seats reclined to a comfortable angle, something which only the front passengers enjoyed till now. The best part, all variants of the SUV will get this feature.
8 colour Ambient Mood Lightning
Another unique and interesting feature on the MG Hector is Ambient mood lighting, a feature usually found in high-end cars. This again is segment first features which none other car offers in the segment. The Hector will come with up to eight different colour choices for ambient lights along with a random mode. The eight different preset colours for the ambient lighting feature on the Hector are – Red, Pink, Blue, Yellow, Purple, Green, Orange, White. The ambient mood lighting will be available in three different locations of the car – door pads, footwell, and the central cup holder
Biggest Boot and wheelbase in the segment
If you have seen the MG Hector in person, you would have noticed how humongous it actually is. It is the longest vehicle in the segment which results in its having the largest wheelbase too. It has a wheelbase of 2,750mm, which adds space to the interiors. Comparatively, the Tata Harrier has a wheelbase of 2741 mm which means there is a small difference in the wheelbase of both the SUVs. The bigger difference, however, comes in the form of the cavernous boot space of 587 litres on the Hector, which dwarves every other vehicle’s boot capacity by a huge margin in this segment. The Tata Harrier, on the other hand, has a boot space of 425 litres.
Powered Tailgate and a 360-degree camera
The words ‘segment first’ or ‘segment best’ have been used in every point of this article and hence, the last point will them too. The MG Hector comes with a powered tailgate and a 360-degree camera, both of which are segment first features. The powered tailgate on the MG Hector can be opened at the flick of a button which makes for convenient operation when one is carrying heavy loads.
The 360-degree camera gives a bird’s eye view of the car’s surroundings on the infotainment system. It is yet to make an appearance on any car in this segment. It allows the driver to see all around the car at once and a large vehicle like the Hector becomes much easier to manoeuvre with this feature. Till date, only the Nisan Kicks comes with a 360-degree camera option but it sits a segment below the Hector. Both these features will be available only on the top end Sharp variant.