2020 MG Gloster Review: Biggest Tech-laden 7-Seater SUV Ever!

MG Gloster Overview: What is MG Gloster all about?

Sourced from MG’s sister brand Maxus, the MG Gloster is a three-row body-on-frame SUV that may steal the limelight the like of Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour and Mahindra Alturas G4. Essentially, the MG Gloster is the Maxus D90 in China or the LDV D90 in Australia that has been rebranded under the house of MG Motor along with a British-sounding name – the Gloster.

First showcased at the Auto Expo 2020, the MG Gloster has come into the spotlight as a burly SUV that is packed with some one-of-a-kind features in its class. In fact, the MG Gloster will offer more comfort and luxe that it will position itself as a notch above the Fortuner and Endeavour. Will the MG Gloster be able to spook the stalwarts of the big SUV segment where the Toyota and Ford cars stay as legends? Let’s find out the answer in our detailed MG Gloster review.

MG Gloster Dimensions: Length, Width, Height & More

Well, we were not joking. The all-new MG Gloster is literally a badass 7-seater SUV.  As far as the dimensions go, the MG Gloster is essentially the best in the class. With 4,985 mm in length, 1,867 mm in height and 1,926 mm in width along with a wheelbase of 2950 mm, the MG Gloster totally towers over the Fortuner and Endeavour by quite a margin. Even when compared to the Alturas G4, the Gloster is just being slightly narrower than the former. With this size, the MG Gloster is truly a massive SUV with a commanding road presence that can make any other vehicles rubbing shoulders with less daunting.

MG Gloster 360 view: Exterior Review

Despite having the imposing sizes, the MG Gloster lacks a bit of flair when the distinctive design is mentioned. It is quite interesting that there’s no visual link between the new MG Gloster with other MG cars on sale in India. It’s understandable, given that each car is derived from different brand under the house of SAIC: the MG Hector is based on the Baojun 530 while the Gloster is sourced from the Maxus D90.

Front View

Still, the MG Gloster obtains quite an imposing look. It gets a bold and muscular front face that features a chiselled bonnet along with a massive brushed-metal front grille flanked by slim LED projector headlamps setup. Frankly, we’d better change the lanes if you see that face on your rearview mirror since we’re afraid of being eaten up or stomped down easily.

Side View

This is where the massive length of the Gloster shows off the most. The way the chrome window garnish bends upwards at the C-pillar to “merge” with the roof rails is quite distinctive. The highly-placed brushed beltline further accentuates the length of the vehicle. Other visual highlights on the side of the Gloster include a set of tastefully-designed 19-inch alloy wheels that gets dual-tone treatment as well as large-size window convertible to the decent proportions of the model.

Interesting enough, MG has cried out to flaunt the Gloster’s identity to the Indian enthusiasts by an overdose of badges all around, especially a “Brit Dynamic” badge with UK’s flag on both sides of the vehicle.

Rear View

Things get a bit busy at the rear of the MG Gloster and it turns out to carry a mixed bag of emotions. The “Gloster” lettering embossed on the boot of the SUV looks flashy while the quad chrome-tipped exhaust pipes stand out at the centre of the attention.

The carmaker seems to fancy anything related to the term “big” and the Gloster looks totally intimidating with all those big elements. Overall, the MG Gloster may stand out from the crowd in terms of its size but it seems to lack some interesting cues compared to other cars of its segment.

MG Gloster Interior: How’s it like on the inside?

If the MG Gloster exterior doesn’t excite you, let’s step inside the cabin of the SUV. It would have been surprised if the massive dimensions on the outside of the car didn’t translate into a lot of space inside the vehicle but MG doesn’t give me a chance.

Interior Design

Right after opening the front doors, you will notice how the German design feels on the inside of the MG Gloster. That’s also the best thing we like about the new MG car, not the butch stance it has on offer. The dashboard is incorporated with a fair share of sophistication, in the forms of tan leather with double-stitching, brushed aluminium trims alongside a lot of layers  - a great reminiscent of newer BMW models accordingly. We think that the biggest trump card of the MG Gloster SUV is its interior. Let’s find out how’s it like and what’s it offering inside.

Comfort Features

The major highlight on the inside of the MG Gloster is a large 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system that offers a plethora of functions and driving assistance. The screen is bright and colourful and cleverly uses a wide-screen aspect ratio and reasonably high resolution. Like the Hector sibling, the Gloster’s infotainment is compatible with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and MG i-SMART tech that will surely make the Gloster a driver’s centric SUV thanks to 70+ features, some are first in the business. Intelligent Voice Commands, an embedded e-SIM, Critical Tyre Pressure Voice Alert, Shortpedia App for short news summaries, Anti-Theft Immobilization and MapMyIndia-sourced navigation are to name some of the impressive connected features.

The Gloster also offers the feed for the 360-degree cameras, which can be considered a basic version of the 3D external augmented reality view first seen on the BMW 7-Series. Other prominent comfort features offered in the Gloster include a panoramic sunroof, 12-speaker audio system, 12-colour ambient lighting system, 12-way electrically-adjustable driver seat, 8-way power-adjust co-driver seat, driver & co-driver heated seats, PM 2.5 filter, electronic gearshift with auto park, wireless charging, driver seat massage, driver seat ventilation and memory, ORVM memory, power adjust and foldable ORVM, intelligent start-stop among others.

Safety and Autonomous Features

MG has been advertising the Gloster as the level-1 autonomous car that has been the talk of the town since MG first hinted at the imminent launch of the Gloster. The upcoming 7-seater SUV comes with segment-first ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System), bringing in adaptive cruise control that helps adjust the speed of the vehicle to maintain a safe distance with other vehicles. Also, the Automatic Parking assist, Forward-collision warning, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and Lane departure warning system (LDW) are some other autonomous aids offered on the Gloster.

That said, the MG Gloster scores very big on the safety front as apart from these aforementioned, it is equipped with 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC, traction control, 360-around camera view, hill hold control, hill descent control, automatic vehicle hold, driver fatigue reminder system, cameras and sensors with Blind Spot Detection among many others.

Seating Capacity

Like I’ve said above, it would have been a stunt if the massive length, width, height and wheelbase of the Gloster SUV didn’t translate into more cabin space on the vehicle but there’s no sort of surprise here. The Gloster offers ample interior space for both the first, second and third rows. There’s so much knee room for the passengers that it even offers seatback pockets for them to store stuff.

The seats here are, to say the least, among the best in the segment. The front seats give us a good first impression. The driving position is so commanding that, combined with the upright A-pillars and fairly low-set dash, it will give you better visibility and uber-cool feeling like you are owning the roads. The front seats are draped in quilted tan leather upholstery, heated and generously cushioned while the sculpted captain seats at the second row are also very welcoming.

At the third row, this is where the MG Gloster gets the best shot and the longest wheelbase in the segment pays off. That said, the Gloster jumps ahead of the competition for the third row which can comfortably accommodate fully-grown adults without receiving any complaints on the go. Sure, you will sit a bit low. The rear visibility is hampered by the headrest restraints as well. These seats are not powered too. But all these shortcomings will be ignored for the amount of comfort, headroom and legroom it offers.

MG Gloster Engine Review: Engine Details and Performance

Under the hood of the MG Gloster lies an in-house developed 1966 cc twin-turbo diesel engine option that can punch out 218 HP of max power and 480 Nm of peak torque, making the Gloster the most powerful SUV of its class. The mill comes mated to an 8-speed ZF-sourced AT that is smooth and slick but is not as quick as we want it to be. However, we are pretty sure that this engine-transmission combination is the best for relaxed highway commutes.

Ride and Handling

The ride quality of the MG Gloster is impressive. There’s a good level of refinement both from the engine and the running gear. The suspension setup helps tackle the pothole-ridden surfaces brilliantly. The NVH levels are very well-contained while the cabin is well insulated at the same time. The light steering also makes it easier to manoeuvre in tight spaces. For such a humongous piece of machinery like this, it comes as no surprise that the body roll is present and its heavyweight is quite pronounced when the car is crossing the corners.

While the MG Gloster performs well on the roads, it looks so good on paper that will, combined with an on-demand 4-wheel-drive system, give the SUV excellent capabilities off the roads as well. While we’ve got a chance to see how the MG Gloster behaves in off-road driving conditions, we think it would be really nice with a separate locking e-diff that can be engaged with a button, Borg Warner Transfer Case, Five Link Integral Rear Suspension along with multi-drive modes: Sand, Snow, Rock and Mud.

MG Gloster Mileage: Is The Gloster Fuel Efficient?

The official fuel mileage figures of the Gloster are yet to be revealed. However, we do expect the Gloster to deliver around 10 kmpl in the high way and 7-8 kmpl in the city.

MG Gloster Price: Is MG Gloster Affordable To Buy?

MG hasn’t revealed the price of the MG Gloster since it’s still a while away from the official launch of the Gloster in India. We expect it to sit at around Rs 40 – 45 lakh (estimated, on-road) which will slot it into a segment above the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour.

Verdict: Is MG Gloster Worth Buying in India?

Certainly, except for the price, the MG Gloster 2020 comes off as a pleasant buy for the Indian customers.  There’s no denying that the car seems to deliver sluggish response at low speeds, not to mention the gigantic dimensions, will make it pretty taxing to drive in city traffic. Also, some certain interior bits of the Gloster could have been better at this price point. We aren’t sure if the Indian buyers could see value in the big size, space, comfort features, performance over the decent price that the Gloster would hover in above the established players. Let’s wait to see if the upcoming MG Gloster hogs the limelight of its rivals as what the Hector has been doing. If can, the Chinese-owned British brand would write another success story on its profile for sure.