MG Motor India started its innings in
India with a bang, entering the market with the most popular type of vehicle in
the country - an SUV. MG Gloster is on the verge of being launched and the latter has now
finally been officially teased on the company’s website. The Gloster has
already been spied multiple times while going through developmental testing,
now it comes one step closer to its launch. Similar to how the MG Hector is
based on the China-only Baojun 530, the MG Gloster will be based on the Maxus
D90. The Gloster will be made in India but will enter the market via the CKD
route, with final assembly carried out at the company’s Halol manufacturing
plant.
In terms of design, the Gloster has all
the right components to make it appeal to its Indian customers. At the front,
it features a large, chrome-finished trapezoidal grille, flanked by sleek,
wrap-around LED headlamps, silver-finished skid plate and LED fog lights. Other
design highlights include 6-spoke alloy wheels, gloss-black rear diffuser,
chrome-plated trim all around, roof-mounted spoiler and quad exhaust tips.
Overall, the MG Gloster has been designed to be a butch, full-size SUV that
will appeal to adventure-lovers and business-executives, alike. In terms of
dimensions, the MG Gloster measures 5,005 mm in length, 1,932 mm wide, 1,875 mm
tall and gets a wheelbase which measures 2,950 mm.
In order to disrupt the luxury SUV market,
MG Motor India will endow the Gloster’s cabin with loads of features as well.
The highlights here include a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, an
8.0-inch digital instrument cluster, heated & cooled seats, three-zone
climate control, large panoramic sunroof, ventilation & messaging front
seats and even a 360-degree camera system for easy navigation through tight
spots. If we talk about safety, the MG Gloster boasts a whole host of advanced
systems here too. In its India-specific version, the large SUV is likely to
feature six airbags, ABS with EBS, ESP and Isofix child-safety mounts.
In order to power this SUV, MG’s parent
company SAIC has been working on a re-designed version of the FCA Multijet II
engine, specifically for India. The engine in question is the 2.0-litre diesel
unit which could get a twin-turbo configuration, with the ability to produce
218 Bhp and 480 Nm of peak torque. The job of sending power to the wheels is
likely to be taken care of by an 8-speed torque converter, coupled to a
part-time 4WD system. The international versions of the SUV get a 2.0-litre
turbocharged petrol engine producing 221 Bhp and 360 Nm of peak torque.
