Mark your calendars! The MG Hector is launching in India on June 27, 2019. Bookings for the SUV officially went live on June 4, 2019, and authorised dealerships across the country have been offering test drives for the Hector since June 15, 2019. As we all know, Hector is MG Motor India’s first product and to make a statement in a hotly contested segment, the company will be pricing the SUV competitively.

The Hector has a lot going for itself, especially in the features department. It will be available in four trim levels – Style, Super, Smart and Sharp. The list of features will include LED-powered headlamps, DRLs, front and rear fog lamps and taillamps, 17-inch alloy wheels, iSmart Connected Car technology, a 7.0-inch coloured MID, 8-colour ambient lighting, a dual-pane panoramic sunroof, electrically adjustable front seats, a powered tailgate, auto AC, headlamps and wipers, cruise control and push-button start/stop.

Not impressed? Well, the Hector will also be offered with a cooled glovebox, fast charging USB ports, a 10.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system mated to an Infinity sound system, tilt and telescopic steering adjust, reclining second-row seats, rear AC vents and electrically adjustable, foldable and heated ORVMs. On the safety front, the Hector will offer up to six airbags, a 360 around view camera, a rear-view camera, tyre pressure monitoring system, a rear wiper, washer and defogger, three-point seatbelts for all seats and traction control system.

In the powertrains department, a total of three engine-transmission combinations will be available – petrol-MT, petrol-DCT and diesel-MT. The 1.5-litre, turbo-petrol engine is good for 143PS/250Nm and can return 13.96kmpl when mated to the 6-speed DCT. With the 6-speed manual transmission, the Hector is available with or without a mild-hybrid setup. In the former, the claimed mileage figure is 15.81kmpl, whereas, in the latter configuration, that drops down to 14.16kmpl. Then there’s the 2.0-litre, turbo-diesel engine which produces 170PS/350Nm and is only available with a 6-speed MT. With a claimed mileage of 17.41kmpl, it is the most frugal of the lot.

There is no doubt that the Hector is an enticing package. Expect ex-showroom prices to start around Rs 15 lakh and go up to Rs 20 lakh. Once launched, it will lock horns with the Tata Harrier, Mahindra XUV500 and the Jeep Compass.