MG Motor India is all set to launch its flagship SUV, the Gloster. It will be the fourth offering from Morris Garages in India (if we consider Hector Plus separately). The British-Chinese maker has recently revealed its specifications, features and various other details and trusts me it will dazzle you with its wide fancy features list, huge size and premium styling. But will it be able to impress you on-road too? Let's find out…
Exterior
The MG Gloster is a rebadged version of the Chinese Maxus D90. It was first showcased at Auto Expo 2020. The Gloster instantly appeal with its large size and massive road presence. Measuring 4.98m in length and a width of over 1.9m, the Gloster is larger than the Ford Endeavour, Toyota Fortuner, and Mahindra Alturas G4.
It sits on a ladder-on-frame (body-on-frame) chassis. The design of this largest SUV is well proportioned with round stocky wheel arches. The front design, however, has a distinctly styled grille than the other MG offerings available in India. It is similar to its Chinese counterpart, having a brushed aluminium silver finishing.
Apart from the grille, there are chrome detailing/silver finishing on various other parts such as the headlamp, fog lamp, window line, bumpers, door handles and tailgate. The quad exhaust tips are also finished in chrome and so the excessive badging are. Overall, the excess chrome won't annoy you and it enhances the appeal of the SUV.
It features LED projector headlamps with integrated DRLs, LED fog lamps and the tail lamps get the LED treatment too.
The Gloster has massive 19-inch alloy wheels, wearing 255/55 radial rubber that perfectly suited for Indian conditions. The rear end looks almost like Ford Endeavour, however, the huge " G L O S T E R" badging adds plenty of drama in overall styling.
Here's how the Gloster compares against its rivals:
| MG Gloster | Ford Endeavour | Mahindra Alturas G4 | Toyota Fortuner |
Length | 4985mm | 4903mm | 4850mm | 4795mm |
Width | 1926mm | 1869mm | 1960mm | 1855mm |
Height | 1867mm | 1837mm | 1845mm | 1835mm |
Wheelbase | 2950mm | 2850mm | 2865mm | 2745mm |
Fuel Tank Capacity | 75 litres | 80 litres | 70 litres | 80 litres |
Tyre Size | 255/55 R19 Alloy | 265/60 R18 Alloy | 255/60 R18 Alloy | 265/60 R18 Alloy |
Interior
The MG Gloster has that wow factor in its interior design and it will surprise you with its pleasant features list. But firstly, to move inside you have to lift your foot high, and climb inside the cabin. To help you with, MG has given side steps. It also gets a smart access feature for easy ingress. It moves the front seats backwards when you open the driver side door.
The cabin of MG Gloster is constructed in a wonderful mix of leather and lovely soft-touch material. It makes a solid first impression. However, the material quality is good but not the top-notch.
The dash looks and feels premium. The large 12.3-inch horizontal touchscreen infotainment system takes the centre stage. The display feels sharp, having rich graphics. Various features of the car can be controlled through this display. However, its operation is not buttery smooth and it lags a little. MG might improve that with a software update. It comes with iSmart connected car technology which incorporates 70+ features.
The centre console has analogue dials below the central AC vents to control the HVAC system. The front seats too get the heating and ventilation function, However, its control switches are given on the centre console tunnel which also houses various other controls of electronic parking brakes, terrain mode selector, parking assist, differential lock, traction control, hill descent control, ESP, lane departure control and the drive selector lever. It also gets a wireless charger, USB port and 12V charging socket on the centre console.
Another nice touch is the leather finished steering wheel which is peppered with buttons and a crispy colour TFT screen placed between the two analogue dials in the instrument cluster.
There is also a massive panoramic sunroof and rear passengers to get aircon controls, USB charging port and a 12V power socket. Other notable features include three-zone climate control, adaptive LED headlamps, paddle shifters, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, remote control, artificial intelligence, voice command, a 12-speaker sound system, ambient lighting, tire pressure monitoring system, powered tailgate with kick-to-open function, smart keyless entry with engine start/stop button, air purifier, auto tilt rearview mirrors, auto-dimming IRVM, rain-sensing wipers, an electronic parking brake with auto-hold function, 7 terrain modes (Auto/Sport/Eco/Mud/Sand/Snow/Rock) and other little feel-good equipment that improves the overall experience.
Cabin Space and Comfort
The Gloster will be available in two seating arrangements: six and seven-seater. The Savvy and Smart trims will only be available with a 6-seat configuration while the Super variant will get a 7-seating arrangement. On the other hand, the Sharp variant will get an option to choose either of the two seating layouts.
As far as cabin space is concerned, it is extremely roomy for all three rows of passengers thanks to its 2950mm of wheelbase. You won't face any issue related to space in any row.
Taking about the first row, there’s more than adequate space even for the larger occupants. The driver’s seat is 12-way electrically adjustable and comes with memory function too, which adds convenience to find your desired driving position. On the other hand, the front passenger seat gets an 8-way power-adjustable functionality. The driving seat also gets a massage function which will help you to relieve fatigue during driving.
Heading into the second row and it's too very spacious. There are enough knee room and legroom that two six-footer can sit behind one another and if one of them is smaller than 6 ft. than you can even sit cross-legged easily. The headroom is adequate too. However, the sunroof has eaten some room but that will only detain you if you’re taller than 6 ft.
Larger occupants can also complain about the lack of under-thigh support as the seats are mounted low. One thing that we found very unique is that you can adjust its headrest according to the height as well as according to your head/neck position. Further, you can also recline the backrest.
To move on the third row, you can choose to slide and recline forward the second-row seat. There is an adequate amount of headroom, knee room, and shoulder room for two occupants. However, the seat height is set too low so you won't get good under-thigh support. The full-sized occupant can sit here on shorter journies but they won't be very comfortable on longer trips with their knees bent at a definite angle. However, the good thing is that the third-row seats can also be reclined. Additionally, the Gloster also offers a dedicated third-row AC vent, large quarter glass panels, cup holders, USB and 12V charging sockets for added convenience.
Performance
In India, the Gloster will be available in diesel version only. Instead of the petrol engine which is available with its international version (Maxus D90), MG has offered it with two diesel engine options: 2.0-liter turbo and a 2.0-litre twin-turbo unit. The former engine will be available with a 2-wheel drive system while the latter comes with an all-wheel-drive unit. These engines are believed to be derived from Fiat’s Multijet II engine that also powers the Hector and Hector Plus SUVs. Both engines are mated to an 8-speed torque converter automatic transmission.
Engine | 2.0-litre turbo diesel | 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel |
Max Power | 163PS | 218PS |
Max Torque | 375Nm | 480Nm |
Transmission | 8-speed torque converter automatic | 8-speed torque converter automatic |
Drivetrain | Rear-wheel drive | All-wheel drive |
Thanks to its 221bhp and 480Nm of torque on paper, it seems capable of hauling any load, and on-road it does its duty well. The engine and gearbox combination feels quick. However, the initial pick up is a little dull. But as soon as the engine wakes, it gives you enough power to tackle your daily commutes. It can sprint on 100kmph as early as around 1800rpm. There’s no denying the fact that Gloster's diesel engine makes a lot of noise and you can hear the engine pretty much all the time. However, the vibrations and harshness levels are well checked.
Do hold an eye out on gaadify for a detailed performance test, as we will soon spend more time with the SUV.
Ride Quality and Handling
The suspensions of MG Gloster has been kept on the softer side, resulting in plush ride quality. It can easily tackle the broken roads and potholes at both city and highway speed. However, you can hear a little suspension and road noise inside the cabin. The side effects of soft suspension make the ride quality a little bouncy. Also, the forward diving under hard braking and body roll is simply unavoidable due to its massive size.
Handling the Gloster is quite easy in city driving despite its bigger size thanks to its light steering and it gains decent weight on highway speed.
Safety Features
MG Gloster is loaded with advanced safety features and some of them are segment first. The main highlight includes forward-collision warning system (alerts when a vehicle in front comes too close), automatic emergency braking (automatically applies brake in case of a possible collision), lane departure warning (warns if the car sailing out of its lane), blind-spot detection system (warns if there is another vehicle in blind spot zone), adaptive cruise control (slow down the vehicle as per requirement and then pick up the set speed), and driver fatigue reminder system (alerts when it senses the driver is fatigued). It also gets the 360-degree camera and autonomous parking assist function that allows the car to do parking automatically. However, you have to operate the brakes and drive selector as the system commands.
The other safety features include 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, front & rear parking sensors, brake assist, ESP, traction control, hill start assist, hill descent, roll movement intervention, all-wheel disc brakes, speed-sensing door locks, ISOFIX mounts, driver and co-driver double stage pre-tightening seatbelts, three-point seatbelts for all passengers, etc.
Ergonomic
Everything is laid out well in MG Gloster. Every control switches fall to hand very easily. However, the position of ORVM controls is odd, but there is nothing to complain about. You will get used to it. One thing, that we found a little strange is the left ORVM tilts upward rather than tilting downward while engaging reverse mode. However, this is offset by the 360-degree surround view. If the image quality from these cameras were better, it would have been more spectacular.
Variants
The MG Gloster is available in four variants: Super, Smart, Sharp, and Savvy. We have already talked about the seating arrangement above. The bookings have already opened for a token amount of Rs 1 lakh.
Pros and Cons
Positives
- Best-in-class safety features
- A plethora of comfort features
- Most spacious in its segment
- Powerful bi-turbo engine
Negatives
- Noisy diesel motor
- Body roll and bouncy ride quality.
- The initial pickup could have been better.
Verdict
The MG Gloster is a good looking, features loaded SUV that appeals on several factors. With powerful engine options, massive presence, and some segment-first feature inclusions, It seems a car to watch out for. However, there is no denying the fact that it has strong competition along its way challenging the segment leaders Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour. Perhaps MG also understood this very well, so the company has adopted a strategy to woo customers through a lot of premium features. However, the pricing will also play an important role.
