After four years of driving an electric vehicle every day, getting behind the wheel of the brand new MG Hector EV was both familiar and thrilling. The Starry Black five-seater variant, my personal preference from the colour palette, waited for me on the flag-off point with 99 percent battery and a displayed range of 485 kilometres. The drive from the hotel to Plantation Valley in Kochi and back took in a mix of city, hilly, bumpy and some highways over 190 kilometres in total. The first leg of 125.5 kilometres brought the battery down to 71 percent. Calculations on the screen suggested around 430 kilometres of range but the consumption of about 15.5 kWh for the 69.2 kWh battery pack suggested 460 kilometres. Variability was due to brief stops with the air-con on and some experimentation with the acceleration and suspension. On the downhill leg of 64 kilometres on the way back the efficiency improved and suggested that a real-world range of 430 to 450 kilometres would be achievable in two to four pax with mixed driving. With careful cruising on the highways at between 70 and 80 kph, 450 or even 480 km would be possible. With a full load of six or seven pax and bags, 400 to 420 km looks more achievable.
Inside the cabin the split black and beige theme sets a premium feel. The driver’s seat is well-cushioned and offers power-adjustment, memory function but less support for tall pax in the thigh area. Seat roominess is good with generous shoulder space. The side bolsters are good too. The seat-ventilation function is adequate but does not have the cooling effect of some of the competition. The five-seater misses out on sliding rear seats and roof-mounted air vents with controls found on the seven-seater. The latter is easier to navigate for families with the slight premium. Driving dynamics are better than expected for such a large front-wheel drive electric SUV. The suspension is nicely balanced and takes the odd pot-hole or bump in the road without complaint. Body-roll is well-controlled, even on tight hairpin bends. Ground clearance of 230 mm gave me confidence on the rougher roads and during the clearances test. Steering is generally good. The wheel has enough weight without being heavy in the city. At speed the car is stable and planted but there is the odd feeling of floating on the undulations of the road. It also gets a bit snatchy when accelerating from standstill or using the adaptive cruise control. Braking is strong without too much nose dive, but the front-wheel drive and weight distribution sees the nose pitch forward too far.
Refinement is one of the strengths of the Hector EV. Road noise is well suppressed with the help of the acoustic windscreen and side glasses and the 18-inch alloy wheels. The ten-speaker Infinity audio system is powerful and clear, easily trumping the competition in this segment. Physical climate controls and gesture controls add to convenience. The air-con is powerful too, even after the black vehicle spent some time in the strong sun of Kerala. Visibility is excellent with an expansive windscreen and larger-than-average mirrors with few blind spots. The 360-degree camera is good, working night and day but is a little grainy compared with the best-in-class. The headlamps have a good throw.
Minor niggles include a short accelerator-pedal travel that makes light-footed throttle control less intuitive for some EV drivers. The seven-seater is the preferred option for the improved rear-packaging. The adaptive cruise control is responsive and the overall ADAS suite is well developed for safety. Hector EV gave me an impression of capability and comfort with its real-world range and efficiency. With an on-the-road price of around ₹23 lakh for the five-seater and a little more for the seven-seater, the combination of what’s on offer makes it an appealing choice for those buying a large electric SUV. Anyone looking for a practical, comfortable and capable large electric vehicle should consider the MG Hector EV, in particular the seven-seat variant