2022 MG Hector New Gen Interiors – Dual Tone White And Black

MG Motor India is getting ready to launch Next Gen Hector – With updated infotainment system and tech

MG might not be market leaders in terms of sheer volume, however, they do ensure that they lead the market in terms of number of updates they bring to their vehicles. Hector has been MG’s best selling product since its arrival and now the OEM has decided to bring in a facelifted Hector, sometime around the upcoming festive season.

MG via its social media handles has teased that the 2022 Hector SUV. It will be getting a 14” HD Portrait infotainment system. Interestingly, this infotainment unit is poised to become the largest infotainment system in its class, at least.

2022 MG Hector New Gen Interiors

MG says, Conceptualized as a ‘Symphony of Luxury’, the interior of the Next-Gen Hector is designed to offer a cinematic and immersive experience complemented by handcrafted textures, soft-touch tactile, and versatile ambience on demand. Apart from some additional creature comfort features, we believe that MG will also bring in some cosmetic updates, like an updated front fascia, now alloy wheels and a mildly redesigned interior cabin.

Oak White & Black Interior, along with the rich brushed metal finish, ensure that the cabin of the Next-Gen Hector exudes a sense of luxury, which is amplified by the cockpit-like console. Additionally, coupled with leather covering, the all-new instrument panel is designed with horizontal lines and runs through the door panel to form a front cabin space surrounded by a wingspan. The chrome trim on the AC vents further amplifies the high-end luxury offered in the next-gen Hector.

To further offer an intelligent and personalised interaction, India’s largest 14” HD Portrait Infotainment System is supported with Next-Gen i-SMART technology that promises to deliver a responsive, accurate, and seamless experience. Ensuring a seamless blend of technology and luxurious interior, the Next-Gen Hector will also feature wireless Android Auto and Apple Car Play for added convenience and Full Digital 7” Configurable Cluster offering a wide field of vision and immersive virtual display.

Powertrain

On the powertrain front, we don’t expect MG to bring in any changes. The 2022 model will be offered with 2 engine options, both continuing from the current model. For customers preferring a petrol motor, MG offers two different configuration options. The 1.5 litre naturally aspirated 4 cylinder petrol motor dishes out 140 bhp and 250 Nm of peak torque and comes mated to a 6-speed MT and a CVT. MG also offers a mild hybrid option with the same motor which further gets brake regeneration and a start/stop feature.

For diesel enthusiasts, MG offers a 2 litre turbo diesel motor which it sources from Stellantis. The same motor coincidentally also powers a long list of MG’s rivals like Tata Harrier, Tata Safari, Jeep Compass and Jeep Meridian too. The turbo diesel mill produces 168 bhp and 350 Nm of max torque and comes mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard. However, with the 2022 update, speculations suggest that MG might finally bring in an automatic transmission option for the diesel motor, which has been missing since 2019.

New MG Hector SUV teased again pic.twitter.com/WaQKxC0fyJ

— RushLane (@rushlane) September 7, 2022

Hector has always been a decently loaded product in terms of safety features. For example, the current version gets a 360 degree camera, six airbags and multiple other features. 2022 model is expected to include some active safety features like auto emergency braking along with pedestrian protection, blind spot detection with rear cross traffic alert, adaptive headlights, radar based adaptive cruise control and guided parking assist. The update is as per expectations as even the Astor is equipped with Level 2 ADAS features and Hector, despite being pricier, was missing out on all of these.

Competition

Competition in the mid-sized SUV segment has only been going up. Launch of Mahindra XUV700 has changed the dynamics of this segment. There was a time when Hector was the No 1 SUV in the segment. But that is no longer the case. Mahindra and Tata (Safari + Harrier) lead the segment. An updated model should help MG to arrest any potential market share loss in the upcoming months. Interestingly, like many other OEMs (Honda, Mahindra etc.), MG has decided to sell both Hector models, pre-facelift and 2022 model parallely. This shall help MG to increase its number of offerings at various price-points and cater to a larger universe of potential customers.