MG Hector Facelift – What to Expect? » MotorOctane

When launched in 2019, the MG Hector was a breath of fresh air. It was MG’s first project in India, and it turned out to be fruitful. It had great looks and a long list of features, which its customers appreciated. The Hector has been MG’s most successful product in India, but sales have dried up recently. It failed to record 300 sales in the month of October.

MG is now looking to refresh the Hector. It was recently spotted testing in camouflaged form, indicating an imminent facelift. Hector received a minor facelift in 2023, including a slightly altered exterior and a few feature updates. Here is all the information you need to know about the upcoming Hector facelift.

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Exterior

MG made quite an intriguing decision with the camouflage. It isn’t the ordinary black-and-white livery; MG decided to just put a green tarp on it and call it a day. You can see a lot of the design elements thanks to this makeshift wrap. However, you would need a magnifying glass to spot the differences.

After a few glances, you can see a modified rear bumper with tweaked skid plates. The facelift also sported newer alloy wheel designs. It is challenging to find updates to the front fascia, but a newer grille and minor changes to the lights are expected. Overall, the design language remained identical to the outgoing model.

The Hector has not been tested for NCAP yet. To get a good score, the facelift would need to make changes to safety features. The outgoing Hector comes with just 2 airbags as standard, and 4 airbags on middle trims. You only get 6 airbags on the top variant. This is particularly shocking because now six 6-airbags have become the norm for entry-level cars. Even the Maruti Suzuki WagonR comes with 6 as standard.

Cabin

When the Hector was first revealed, people were in awe of its interior. You get a ginormous infotainment screen and a plush leather-wrapped dashboard. The wooden accents, dual-tone theme, and panoramic sunroof give the cabin an airy, lively feel. MG would maintain the cabin’s overall essence in the upcoming model.

Morris Garages introduced more seating options for the Hector in 2020, available as a 5-, 6-, or 7-seater. The Hector Plus gets a 45mm length advantage over the classic one, but the space in the 3rd row is still tragic. At worst, you get a larger boot when the last row falls flat.

The equipment list remains extensive with the outgoing model. You get a 360-degree camera, Level-2 ADAS, a panoramic sunroof, an electronic parking brake, and a premium Infinity sound system. A few niggles would be that you only get 2 airbags as standard, passenger sun blinds and an auto-tailgate swipe sensor (which was available in the original Hector)

Powertrain

You get a very straightforward range of options to choose from. One petrol and one diesel option. Both engines pack a serious punch and have one of the best performances in their segment. The 1.5L turbo-petrol produces 140-horsepower and 250 Nm of torque, while the 2.0L turbo-diesel churns out a pleasing 167 horsepower and 350 Nm of torque.

You get CVT and 6-speed manual options on the petrol, and no automatic options with the diesel. The 2.0L diesel, mated to the 6-speed manual, is a driver’s delight. MG Hector will adopt the same powertrain in the upcoming facelift but this time around equip the diesel variants with the CVT.

Its competitors have made good use of hybrid technologies, with some planning to launch it in the upcoming year. There are no reports that suggest that a Hector hybrid is in the works for the facelift. MG plans to release the next-gen Hector as a hybrid, since its competitors have fully leveraged improved fuel efficiency and tax benefits.

Rivals

The Hectors sit in the mid-sized SUV segment. This segment comprises the Hyundai Creta, Hyundai Alcazar, Toyota Hyryder, Tata Harrier, Tata Sierra, Honda Elevate, Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, Mahindra XUV700, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and the Kia Seltos. There are a lot of big names for one segment.

This competition is only set to get tougher with the upcoming launches of the Renault Duster, Renault Bigster and the Nissan Tekton.

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Expected Launch and Price

The launch is set for mid-2026. By then, we would see many of its rivals getting updates and facelifts as well. At the moment, the Windsor is MG’s top-selling car (with 4445 units sold last month), which is particularly impressive given it is an EV. The China-based manufacturer would like to ensure that the rest of its range also garners sales. And with the Hector facelift, they can get back into the race of best-selling SUV

To remain competitive in this segment, MG would need to price it aggressively while providing more features on the standard trim. The facelift is expected to get a minor price surge of 5,000 to 15,000 rupees over the current model. You can get your hands on the outgoing Hector for 16.5 lakh rupees, with the top trim touching 25 lakh rupees (on-road, Mumbai).

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