Indians are pretty much gaga over the SUV segment, and thankfully, Indians have got some amazing players in this segment. If you compare it with the other segments in the Indian market like the compact SUVs, the hatchbacks or the sedans, you might feel like this segment is lacking in its offerings. Agree or not, the segment had started to show its age. No doubt products like the Endeavour, Fortuner, Alturus G4 etc are really good, but, they are just ‘good’. And we Indians, need something much more than just ‘good’.
MG has revived the SUV segment with the launch of its all new GLOSTER!
Gloster is exactly what we call as ‘a modern SUV’. Be it the looks, interior or the tech, Gloster simply excels in all the criteria. MG has really checked all the boxes when it comes to make a true urban SUV. The Gloster is the biggest in the segment, that too not by a margin. In fact, the Gloster is even bigger than the Toyota Land Cruiser. I can only imagine the amount of on road presence it has to offer. It also weighs whopping 2.5 tons. To make sure that this mammoth SUV does not feel underpowered, MG has given it the most powerful engine in this segment. The Gloster is powered by a 2.0 litre, twin turbo charged, 4 cylinder diesel engine making almost 218 horses and producing 480 NM of torque. For making you understand better, it does 0-60 km/h in 4.67 seconds and 0-100 km/h in 11.21 seconds. These figures makes it the fastest in its segment. Though Endeavour has a plus when it comes to gearshifts as the Endeavour offers a 10 speed automatic while the Gloster comes with an 8 speed automatic transmission. So, if we compare it with its competition in terms of engine specifications, The Gloster beats all of them quite easily.
Enough of what’s under the hood, let’s talk about what’s inside the Gloster. Here, not only does the Gloster simply comes ahead of its rivals, it comes ahead with style. The interior of the Gloster looks far better than any of its rivals. The interiors of its rivals had clearly started showing their age. The segment was in dire need of new and fresh interiors and the Gloster provides it all. The Gloster comes with a load of segment first features. What stands out is its ADAS autonomous drive tech which basically lets the car drive itself by following the road markings and it also has adaptive cruise control which automatically maintains the set distance from the car ahead of it. As you sit in the driver’s position, you are greeted with a massive 12.3 inch infotainment console which by the way, is a segment first(Oof! I am tired of saying “segment first” by now). Have a look at the notable features of the car.
| lane departure warning | powered front seats | 12 speaker music system | ventilated seats |
| blind spot monitoring | semi autopark assist | 60 colour mood lighting | connected car tech |
| panoramic sunroof | powered tailgate | driving modes | electric parking break |
| massage function | 3 zone climate control | driver seat memory | heated wing mirrors |
Though what does seem uncanny is the interior’s resemblance with that the BMW’s X5. If you look it that way, the Hector’s interior also had an uncanny resemblance to that of the Volvo’s XC60. Are all these resemblances mere coincidence or plagiarism? Only MG knows!
MG is expected to release the prices somewhere in October. Though what for sure is that the top variant of the Gloster will be priced less than 40 lakhs which make its pricing quite aggressive.
MY VERDICT
The MG’s Gloster is definitely a very solid product. One of its very strong point is its road presence, which is something that an SUV owner craves for. It leaves its competitors behind in almost every department. The Gloster is going to be product that will really shake its segment. With the current generation of Endeavour and Fortuner, Gloster isn’t going to face a tough time during comparisons. Brands will have to launch their best products to keep up with the MG’s new offering. A facelift of Fortuner is expected to hit the Indian markets in 2021, but according to me, Toyota is going to need much more than a facelift. What is going to be a challenge for MG is the current diplomatic state of India. With the boycott China movement going on, MG might find a hindrance in its sales. Let’s see how that turns out. Though what will be really interesting is the competition’s fight back. So, let’s wait and watch and keep reading the Car Guy.
The CarGuy 