MG Hector Plus vs Toyota Innova Crysta – The Battle of Big & Badass

1. MG Hector Plus vs Toyota Innova Crysta: An Introduction

MG Motor India started its Indian innings with a bang last year as its maiden Hector SUV is a huge success. Aimed to imitate the five-seater SUV’s success, MG has burnt its mid-night lamps to develop the 6-seater version of the Hector, dubbed the MG Hector Plus. However, there’s no easy game for Hector Plus. Aside from the crowded and highly-competitive mid-size SUV department, the Hector Plus will also go up against the country’s unrivalled 15-year-long MPV king – the Toyota Innova Crysta.

IndianAuto recently got on its hands on a brand-spanking new Hector Plus. In this article, we compare MG Hector Plus vs Toyota Innova Crysta to see how these cars can fare against each other in terms of design, dimensions, features, engine specifications and price details.

2. MG Hector Plus vs Toyota Innova Crysta Dimensions: Which is bigger?

Speaking only about the dimensions, it's clear that the new three-row SUV isn't small to the Innova Crysta in terms of proportions.

For every buyer of the go-to family movers in India, the sizes of the cars are usually what they are concerned about the most. With the added third row of seats, the MG Hector Plus measures 4,720 mm long, 1,835 mm wide and 1,760 mm high. That said, except for the 65 mm longer body, the Hector Plus retains the width and height from its regular MG Hector five-seater sibling which is already the biggest SUV of its class.

Compared with the Innova Crysta, the Hector Plus seems to get a smaller foot sprint but only by slight margins. The new SUV offers 15 mm-shorter length and 35-mm-shorter height than the Japanese offering while the SUV is slightly wider than the MPV by 5 mm. Both MG Hector Plus and Toyota Innova Crysta share the same wheelbase of 2,750 mm. From the look of it, the MG Hector Plus is really a proportionate SUV that promises no less intimidating road street presence than the Innova Crysta.

3. MG Hector Plus vs Toyota Innova Crysta Design: Which is better-looking?

If you’ve been always following Indianauto.com, you must have seen how the Hector Plus looks like in the full flesh, thanks to our video from the Auto Expo 2020. In my personal feeling, the MG Hector Plus gets a more aggressive and modern design than the Toyota Innova Crysta.

Exterior Comparison

It becomes a matter of looks between an SUV and an MPV. You know, MPVs, in general, seem never score high in terms of look. Since Toyota puts much attention on the practicality and usability rather than its aesthetics, it makes sense that the Innova Crysta looks a bit dull and ageing when standing alongside the MG car.

If you’ve been in love with the Hector, there’s no reason for hating the Hector Plus when it comes to the outer look. At the front, the Hector Plus attains all the best design credentials needed for a modern 6-seater. The blacked-out front grille looks prominent and same as the set of headlamps with black inserts. The triangular design for the foglamp clusters also makes the Hector Plus’s face more appealing to look at. Black body claddings, skid plates with diamond-cut alloys further enhance its SUV styles. At the rear, the premium-looking LED taillamps, well-sculpted tailgate and bumper, etc. also contributes to the head-turning design of the Hector Plus.

While the Innova Crysta was introduced with greater aesthetics compared to its successor Innova in 2016, the Innova Crysta starts showing its age now. The MPV is not ugly. It is a looker in its own right. However, compared with the Hector Plus, the Innova Crysta seems to lack some instant flairs.

The Innova Crysta gets a large grille with large swept-back headlamps that brings a dose of style at the front. However, the wheels look intriguingly small with the Innova’s huge body and the overall silhouette of the Toyota Innova Crysta are traditional MPV and nothing much has been done to spruce up things around the MPV’s exterior. That said, if there’s a reason for the success of the Toyota Innova Crysta, it’s certainly not the exterior styling.

Interior Comparison

The MG Hector gets a large and upmarket cabin, that’s what the 6-seater sibling has to offer, too. MG Hector Plus will share a lot of things in common with the original Hector regarding the interior.

If the MG Hector Plus interior will get you interested in the first place, the cabin of the Toyota Innova Crysta is rather elegant without being too ostentatious.

MG Hector Plus carries over a lot of interior design cues from the MG Hector, barring some mild cosmetic tweaks. It gets a massive vertically-placed 10.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system planked by two AC vents at both ends, a nicely-looking digital instrument cluster along with the brighter dual-tone interior colour option to deliver an excitement-filled driving experience.

Toyota Innova Crysta, on the other hand, makes do with a smaller 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system. However, the level of materials quality and fit-finish is extremely good for an MPV of sorts. The dark interior theme gives the cabin a premium look. I really like the wooden finish interior panels with the unique curvy dashboard of the Toyota Innova Crysta. Plastics are meticulously adopted at some corners that further enhances the cabin’s upmarket feel. So, it is now a matter of choice. We let you decide between an SUV with a gorgeous-looking feature-rich cabin and a practical MPV that, albeit looking a bit ageing, comes with a well-built interior.

4. MG Hector Plus vs Toyota Innova Crysta Features: Which is safer and more convenient?

Comfort Features Comparison

Just like the Hector, MG will also cash in the comfort features to lure in more customers towards the Hector Plus. Apart from being feature-rich, the MG Hector Plus will be one of the highly-connected SUVs in India. That said, in terms of comfort features, the Hector Plus towers over the Toyota Innova Crysta by quite a margin.

MG Hector Plus advantages over Innova Crysta

As said earlier, the MG Hector Plus will be offered with a huge portrait-styled 10.4-inch HD touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, which is much larger than the Toyota Innova’s 7.0-inch unit. There’s a panoramic sunroof on the Hector Plus that is yet to make it to the Toyota Innova Crysta. Being a connected people carrier, the MG Hector Plus comes with i-Smart Internet car tech that is, again, unavailable in the Innova Crysta.

Other major comfort features on the MG Hector Plus include a 7.0-inch MID, Infinity sound system with subwoofer, “Leg Swipe” tailgate opening by foot, 6-way power-adjustable driver seat or 4-way power-adjustable co-driver seat, cruise control, 360-degree camera view, USB charging ports for third-row, heated ORVM among others.

Meanwhile, Toyota Innova Crysta does manage to deliver the most basic comfort essentials for your long drive including manual and automatic AC, driver seat height adjust with separate seats with slid & recline, 8-way power-adjustable driver seat, second-row armrest, tilt and telescopic steering, power window along with plenty of storage spaces. The MG Hector Plus will be available with a 6-seat layout with captain seats for the middle row. Toyota Innova Crysta is offered with captain seats as well as bench seats for the second row, depending on the variant. Both SUV and MPV come with split-folding for the third row.

Safety Features Comparison

As far as safety is concerned, the Toyota Innova Crysta has scored a four-star rating from the ASEAN NCAP crash test, making it one of the safest cars in India.

The Toyota Innova Crysta is equipped with 7 airbags, 3-seatbelts for all seats, emergency brake signal, engine immobilizer, ABS with EBD and BA, height-adjustable seatbelts with pre-tensioners and load limiters, ISOFIX child seat mounts, seatbelt warning, vehicle stability control along with hill start assist.

As for the MG Hector Plus, the full safety features list of the car includes dual airbags, ABS, EBD, ESC, front parking sensors, speed alert, traction control, hill hold control to name a few.

5. MG Hector Plus vs Toyota Innova Crysta Engine Specs: Which is better in terms of performance?

MG Hector Plus is sharing its powertrain system with the 5-seater MG Hector, which means the SUV comes with one petrol and one diesel engine option. There is a Fiat-sourced 2.0-litre MJD II turbocharged diesel motor that’s tuned to produce 170 PS of max power and 350 Nm of peak torque. In comparison with the diesel-powered Innova Crysta, the Hector Plus gets a smaller yet peppier engine option. The Toyota comes with a bigger 2.4-litre turbo-diesel mill but delivering 150 PS of power and 343 Nm of peak torque merely.

As far as the petrol configurations go, the MG Hector Plus will pack a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine option under the bonnet that is ways smaller than the 2.7-litre 4-cyl DOHC petrol mill of the Toyota Innova Crysta in terms of displacement. However, the power and torque discrepancy between the MG Hector Plus vs Toyota Innova Crysta is too little. The Hector Plus churns out 23 PS less power but 5 Nm more torque compared with the Toyota Innova Crysta counterpart.

Furthermore, MG Hector Plus endears itself with a mild-hybrid system for the 1.5-litre petrol mill that is skipped out in MPV rival. Transmission choices for the Hector Plus include a 6-speed MT and a DCT while the Toyota Innova Crysta can be had with either a 5-speed MT or a 6-speed AT.

6. MG Hector Plus vs Toyota Innova Crysta Top Speed: Which is faster?

The Toyota Innova Crysta can reach the top speed of 149 kmph (for the diesel) and up to 179 kmph (for the petrol variants). The top speed of the MG Hector Plus is yet to be confirmed. 

7. MG Hector Plus vs Toyota Innova Crysta Mileage: Which is more fuel-efficient?

8. MG Hector Plus vs Toyota Innova Crysta Price: Which is cheaper?

MG Hector Plus is cheaper than the Toyota Innova Crysta by a huge edge. The MG Hector Plus price sits in the range of around Rs 13.5-18.5 Lakh (ex-showroom), while the Toyota Innova Crysta’s price point is much higher in a range of Rs 15.66-24.67 lakh (ex-showroom). The top-end Innova Crysta can get quite costly, almost around Rs 30 Lakh on the road.

9. MG Hector Plus: Other Competitors

MG Hector Plus will fight tooth and nails with the models like Toyota Innova Crysta, new-gen Mahindra XUV500 or upcoming Tata Gravitas. Our comparisons of MG Hector Plus with the same will be released soon.

10. Toyota Innova Crysta: Other Competitors

Toyota Innova Crysta is competing with some models of both MPVs and mid-size SUVs segment such as Kia Carnival, Mahindra Marazzo, Tata Hexa, Maruti Ertiga, Maruti XL6 and many upcoming rivals.

11. MG Hector Plus vs Toyota Innova Crysta Verdict: Which Car is Worth Buying?

For a sub Rs 30 Lakh price point, you get the Toyota Innova Crysta. Yes, it’s true. The Toyota Innova Crysta has been a long-time jewel of the MPV land. It’s comfortable for a huge Indian family with six people and great to spend hours in. It has practicality all around with reliable engines and finally, a strong reputation built for many years of presence.

So in conclusion, it’s up to you. Unless you dislike the old spirits that belong to a generation gone by, unless you dislike MPVs or can’t afford to buy one, the Toyota Innova Crysta is for you. On the other hand, if you like more entertainment for a cheaper price, the MG Hector Plus is coming to you.

Performance of the MG Hector Plus should be at par with that of the Innova. It even offers a handful of top-notch in-car features and a conneced-cars system that the Toyota Innova Crysta misses out on. In all, it all comes down to the pricing game and MG Motor has been known to keep things quite tight and aggressive. While the Hector Plus is on sale in a price range of Rs 13.48-18.53 lakh, the Toyota Innova Crysta costs Rs 15.66-24.67 lakh (ex-showroom).