MG Hector: Which Variant to buy

Within months of its launch, MG Hector has managed to jump to number 1 spot on the sales charts in its segment. In doing so, it has left behind establish SUV brands like the Jeep and the Mahindra [XUV500].

While the “Internet Inside” surely has helped, we suspect the pricing too would have played a big role in putting MG Hector on the podium. So which variant of Hector is our favourite?

Let’s see how the variants are stacked:

The line-up is simple. Entry level variants start at Rs. 12.18 lakh for petrol and Rs. 13.18 lakh for diesel, respectively. The base Style has quite a lot of kit with all-around disc brakes, dual airbags, ABS with EBD, ESP and hill-hold function. You also get ORVMs with integrated LED turn indicators, a cooled glove box, two fast-charging USB ports and rear AC vents.

But, and it’s a big BUT, the Style variant misses out on the much-vaunted 10.4-inch infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple Car Play. For that, you will need to move to the Super variant, which also adds 17-inch alloys, LED headlights, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and a rear parking camera.

But the MG Hector Super is still not the variant that MG pitches to all with its “Internet Inside” campaign. It’s the appropriately named Hector Smart variant that comes with Internet connectivity via a SIM card. Other add-ons include two additional airbags, 17-inch machined alloy wheels, , a tyre-pressure monitoring system, a 7.0-inch multi-information display, push-button start/stop and six-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat.

The top-end Sharp variant adds a panoramic sunroof, a powered tailgate, 360-degree camera, heated mirrors, electrically adjustable co-driver’s seat and six airbags in total.

Which MG Hector Variant To Buy

It’s the two variants in the middle, the Super and Smart, that represent best value. If you are not fussy about having “Internet Inside”, the Super variant is pretty well equipped. And it’s very attractively priced at under Rs. 13 lakh for petrol manual and just a shade over Rs. 14 lakh for the diesel version.

The diesel Hector is powered by the Fiat-sourced 2-litre, 170 bhp engine that also powers Jeep Compass and Tata Harrier. It is an excel powertrain. There is no auto option in diesel but we still recommend it as petrol can be a bit thirsty.