We first laid eyes on the MG Majestor at the Auto Expo in January – not this Jan, the one in 2025. Why has it taken over a year to bring what first appears to be a heavy facelift of the Gloster to market? Well, there is more to the Majestor than what meets the eye – its off-road ability has received a big boost via more hardware and software, it looks tougher outside, it’s plusher inside and packs even more features. Is it enough to finally dethrone the venerable Toyota Fortuner? We found out with a brief drive on and off-road.
Majestor Exterior Design and Engineering –
Exterior gets a more rugged appearance while the ladder-frame chassis sees subtle revisions.
One look at the silhouette of the Majestor and it’s quite clear what it’s based on. Up front though, MG has done a good job of giving it more visual brawn. Gone is the Gloster’s rounded treatment, replaced by an upright front fascia and flat bonnet. Eyebrow-like DRLs sit where the headlights did on the Gloster, augmented by vertical DRLs in the massive grille for a unique light signature. The headlights are stacked tri-beam units embedded in the bumper, but fog lights have been given a miss. The bumper adds to the squared-jawed look with chunky black cladding and an aggressive faux skid plate element.
The black cladding continues around the wheel arches and the lower portion of the doors, while the window trim, mirror caps and roof are gloss black. Wheel size is the same 19 inches as the Gloster, but they have a new design and are shod with fatter all-terrain rubber – on our test cars. That said, they still look a tad small in the context of this massive SUV. The rear end is well executed with a neat LED light bar spanning the width, though the badging is a bit much. The bumper lower down protrudes a fair bit and has rectangular exhaust finishers.
These chunkier bumpers add to the overall length, which is now quoted at 5,046mm – up from the Gloster’s 4,985mm. Meanwhile, width and height have also gone up slightly to 2,016mm and 1,870mm respectively, while wheelbase is unchanged at 2,950mm – all segment-best figures. MG says it has revised the ladder-frame chassis, which now allows for a wider track at both the front and rear, while the ground clearance is also slightly higher at 219mm.
Majestor Interior Space and Comfort –
The spacious cabin can genuinely carry seven adults in comfort and is more premium than before.
Inside the Majestor, material quality has taken a step up, particularly on the new dashboard with its soft-touch materials, contrast stitching and aluminium-look trim. That treatment continues on the new door cards that feature a fairly convincing-looking carbon fibre trim piece with ambient lighting within. The gear selector has found a new home on the steering column, and the space it vacated is now occupied by large rotary dials to control the 4×4 system, along with twin wireless chargers. This also allows the centre console to have a lower pass-through shelf with USB ports and a 12V socket. Storage includes cupholders with a sliding cover, a large bin under the armrest, large door bins and a big glovebox.
The steering wheel is carried over from the Gloster and while it is nice to hold, the buttons don’t feel very upmarket. Some other elements, like the grab handles and parts of the centre console, still feel a bit plasticky, but overall it’s an improvement over the Gloster. The seats are new too, electrically-operated, with heating, ventilation and massage functions for both the driver and passenger – unlike the Gloster, where only the driver got the latter two. Even in their lowest position, you sit up high with a great view over the bonnet and while cushioning is firmer than the Gloster’s, they are quite comfortable.
What strikes you the most is the sense of space, particularly in the second row. Buyers can opt for a bench seat here or our test car’s captain’s chairs. These slide and recline and even have individual armrests, but lack ventilation, boss mode controls and even sunblinds – the last being something MG says it is working on. What you do get – in addition to acres of room – is a third climate control zone, AC vents on the roof, USB ports, a 220W household socket and a massive panoramic sunroof.
The captain’s chairs are wide enough apart that you can quite easily walk into the third row, which itself is one of the best in the business. With the middle row pushed slightly forward, there is plenty of kneeroom and headroom, though space for large feet is a bit limited. You do sit knees-up like most third rows, but still, the average adult wouldn’t be too displeased back here even on longer journeys.
Majestor Features and Safety –
Packed with tech and features, but several functions rely on the touchscreen.
Central to all the functions in the Majestor is the updated 12.3-inch infotainment system. MG has retained a row of physical buttons for basic HVAC functions, but for almost everything else you will need to dive into the screen. While it is snappy to use with an improved UI, having to navigate menus for things like headlight controls, seat memory and ventilation is not ideal. The screen is also your display for the 360-degree camera, which is quick to respond but not the sharpest in resolution. There are the usual built-in apps, wireless phone connectivity and connected features, but one particularly useful feature is the vehicle status tab that shows the health of the DPF. It prompts you to clean the DPF and can even cut power if warnings are ignored. Thankfully, the system can be purged while stationary, requiring no unnecessary highway trips.
Instrumentation is handled by another 12.3-inch screen, replacing the digi-analogue setup of the Gloster. It is logically laid out and easy to read for the most part, but some tiny icons might make you squint. Other carry-overs from the Gloster include the 12-speaker JBL audio system, 64-colour ambient lighting and a PM 2.5 cabin filter. There are three drive modes – Sport, Eco and Normal – and a claimed 10 off-road modes that we will get into later.
The ADAS suite has been upgraded from Level 1 to Level 2, adding Lane Keep Assist and Lane Departure Prevention to the Gloster’s suite that already included Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic Emergency Braking, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Auto Park Assist and more. We didn’t get the chance to test how it functions on our drive, so will reserve judgement until a full road test. Further, a comprehensive safety suite includes six airbags, hill hold, hill descent control, disc brakes on all four corners, ISOFIX mounts and a full gamut of electronic aids. At the time of writing, the Majestor hasn’t yet received an official crash test rating.
Majestor Performance and Refinement –
Powerful and refined diesel let down by turbo lag and slow transmission.
Under the hood, the Majestor packs the same 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel engine as the Gloster, with identical outputs of 215hp and 479Nm. The single-turbo diesel available on lower trims of the Gloster is not offered here. An 8-speed automatic transmission is carried over, but here it is hooked up to a low-ratio transfer case. Its default Auto mode sends up to 80 percent of available power to the rear and, if it detects slip, it can divert up to 40 percent to the front axle. The Majestor can also drive purely in rear-wheel drive – something the Gloster 4WD can’t do – that could help eke out maximum efficiency on the highway.
Outright performance for a vehicle this large is actually rather strong. Mat the right pedal and the Majestor lunges forward, getting to 100kph in a shade under 12 seconds. The issue is that in regular driving, you need to get past noticeable turbo lag to reach the meaty part of the powerband. Not much happens until 2,000rpm, when the turbo comes in and hits you with a big wave of torque, which means driving it smoothly requires some care. Things are slightly better in Sport mode, but the differences are marginal at best.
The 8-speed torque converter automatic exacerbates this character. It is very smooth shifting – you barely feel the shifts – but it is rather slow to respond. When driving uphill, for instance, it waits long enough for the engine to fall out of the powerband before downshifting and then surging forward. After a while, it is easier to pre-emptively use the paddle shifters to drop it into the right gear.
Refinement, on the other hand, is very good. You won’t fool anyone into thinking it is a petrol, but as far as oil burners go, it is smooth, largely vibration-free and fairly muted inside the cabin. We didn’t get to experience it on the highway, but going by the Gloster’s long-legged nature, this should be more of the same.
Majestor Mileage and Efficiency –
This heavy SUV will be thirsty, but a big tank gives it a decent cruising range.
MG hasn’t quoted any official fuel efficiency figures yet and we didn’t test it on our short drive. However, given that the powertrain hasn’t changed much, we don’t expect it to be too far from the 8.4kpl city and 10.8kpl highway efficiency we recorded in the Gloster. These are modest figures for a 2.0-litre diesel, but remember it is hauling a 2.5-tonne behemoth. At least the 75-litre fuel tank will give it a good cruising range.
Majestor Ride Comfort and Handling –
Remarkably good on-road for a ladder-frame SUV with newfound off-road ability.
For such a large SUV, the Majestor is surprisingly easy to pilot. You are always aware of its size, but visibility is good and the steering is disarmingly light. Even as speeds rise, you get some feedback through the wheel, which helps with confidence, and the 265-section tyres – 10mm wider than those on the Gloster – provide a decent amount of grip. Naturally, a ladder-frame SUV isn’t going to be the sharpest handler, but the wider track means it feels a touch more stable. The soft suspension exhibits considerable body roll, so you don’t want to be chucking it into corners with abandon, but keep its limitations in mind and it does pleasantly surprise.
The plus side of the soft setup is a cushy, absorbent ride quality. There is some kickback, which is to be expected of a ladder-frame, but it smooths out as you pick up the pace. The independent front and 5-link rear ensure you don’t get tossed around the cabin like you would in a Fortuner. Quad-disc brakes bring this heavy SUV to a confident stop, but not before pointing its nose to the ground. Overall, this is the ride and handling benchmark among ladder-frame SUVs in this price range – taking over from the Gloster.
The other area it betters the Gloster is off-road ability. MG is really pushing this, and let us loose on some pretty serious trails around Aamby Valley. Left in Auto, the 4WD system does a good job of detecting slip and diverting power quickly, but for more serious inclines, 4H is needed, splitting power evenly between the front and rear axles. The upgrade over the Gloster is the low-range transfer case, engaged by locking the centre differential. It also has a mechanical locking diff on the rear axle – replacing the electromechanical one on the Gloster – and a locking diff up front, both of which are best reserved for extreme scenarios.
MG says the Majestor has 10 off-road modes, but really it’s five main modes – Normal, Sand, Rock, Mud and Snow – that can then be paired with Auto, 4H or 4L, allowing different permutations. Essentially, these tailor the traction and throttle maps for different terrains, but for the most part, you can just leave it in Normal. That speaks to how capable the Majestor actually is. Everything we threw at it was tackled in an almost effortless manner. If you want an even lazier off-roading experience, Crawl Control (CCO) is for you. It works like an off-road cruise control, letting it crawl along at the pace you choose. In 4L with CCO on, it calmly crawled over rocks and boulders with smoother throttle inputs than most could manage manually. Off-road ability, then, has taken a massive leap forward and, importantly, it doesn’t compromise on-road dynamics, which is what matters most to buyers.
Majestor Value for Money –
A family-friendly alternative to a Fortuner.
All things considered, the Majestor feels like a marked step up from the Gloster. The exterior has more of that big, brawny SUV appeal, the cabin feels more premium while remaining the most spacious in this class, and the feature set sees some useful additions. The enhanced off-road ability, though, isn’t something many will fully utilise. Instead, the effort would be better spent addressing the turbo lag and transmission responsiveness that carry over from the Gloster.
Prices for the Majestor are yet to be announced, but given that the Gloster is set to be phased out, we expect it to be priced between Rs 40 lakh and Rs 45 lakh. At that price point, it will continue to directly rival the Fortuner, but also monocoque SUVs like the Volkswagen Tayron, Skoda Kodiaq and Jeep Meridian. It is now objectively better than the Fortuner in every measurable way, including off-road ability, but it can’t match the brand pull of a Toyota. As a family hauler, though, with genuine three-row usability, the Majestor makes a pretty strong case for itself.
