MG Motor has released the first teaser of the updated Hector, previewing a huge 14-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen on the interior. As we've reported earlier, the 2022 MG Hector will see major upgrades on both equipment and cosmetic fronts, and will be launched in the festive season this year.
- 2022 Hector to come with redesigned interior
- Exterior cosmetic updates expected on front and rear fascia
2022 MG Hector: to get segment's largest touchscreen
Back when the Hector was launched in 2019, one of the biggest talking points was its large 10.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system. With the new Hector, MG is taking it a notch higher with an even larger 14-inch screen, which is not only the largest in its segment, but also the largest of all cars sold in India.
The new Hector will come with a floating touchscreen unit as against the current model where it's well integrated within the dashboard. Speaking of the dashboard, it too seems to have been redesigned in the 2022 Hector – the vertical AC vents flanking the touchscreen have been replaced with new horizontal units. Plus, the centre console gets a new flowing design, along with a new gear lever.
What’s more, the horizontal stack of physical buttons (volume controls, defogger and power button) below the touchscreen on the current Hector has been completely done away with. Instead, it now seems to get new touch-sensitive buttons for volume controls and power button. The defogger function will likely be relegated to the touchscreen.
The 10.4-inch screen on the current model isn’t the most intuitive to use as it's slow to respond. So, it remains to be seen if the usability of the screen improves with this larger touchscreen on the updated Hector.
2022 MG Hector: to get ADAS tech
Another major update on the 2022 Hector will be the addition of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) features like in the Astor. It will get active safety features such as lane keep assist, blind spot detection, rear cross traffic alert, forward collision warning and lane departure warning. The teaser image also hints at a new instrument cluster with updated graphics.
As far as exterior cosmetic updates are concerned, the 2022 Hector will come with revised front and rear fascia. Up front, the grille is expected to grow even larger and there will be tweaks to headlamp and bumper design as well. At the rear, it's expected to get sleeker tail lamps and a revised rear bumper.
Mechanically, however, the 2022 Hector will remain unchanged and will carry on with the 143hp, 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engines – one equipped with mild-hybrid tech – and the 170hp, 2.0-litre turbo-diesel unit.
2022 MG Hector: to be positioned above the current model
Sources tell us that the current MG Hector will continue to be on sale – most likely in all its existing variants – and the 2022 model will be positioned slightly above the current model. Expect the updated Hector to be priced about Rs 1.5 lakh-2 lakh more than the current model, and a similar update will also likely be eventually rolled out to the Hector Plus as well.
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