I will begin this article by addressing the Fortuner in the room. Toyota’s full-sized, 7-seat SUV has held sway over its segment for years now. People line up to buy it because they know it gives them road presence, ruggedness, reliability, and great resale value; they also know it’ll likely outlast them. Several other contenders have tried to take the Fortuner on, and have quickly learnt that on-paper specs and ability mean absolutely zilch when it comes to actual sales. It is in this context that MG has decided to take another shot at the big Toyota, with the new Majestor. How does it hold up? Read on.
The Majestor is about sheer, unapologetic real estate and blunt-force trauma. MG has essentially taken the outgoing Gloster, sent it to a gruelling, mud-soaked off-road finishing school, pumped it full of protein (and perhaps some steroids), and brought it back to India to challenge the reigning monarch of the segment, the Fortuner. It’s a bold, borderline audacious move, but if there is one thing the Indian car buyer respects as much as reliability, it is physical dominance.
Visually, the Majestor is colossal, dwarfing almost everything else on the road. At over five metres in length, two metres wide, and standing tall enough to require genuine athletic effort to board, it has the kind of towering road presence that will force autorickshaws into submission and make mid-size crossovers look like scaled-down toys. The front fascia is entirely new and unapologetically aggressive, dominated by what MG’s marketing literature refers to as a ‘mosaic matrix’ grille. It’s an expansive, intimidating swath of gloss black, flanked by slim, high-mounted vertical LED daytime running lights and a split headlamp setup that gives the front end an imposing, albeit slightly busy, scowl.
Chunky, utilitarian black cladding runs heavily along the lower profile, punctuated by 19-inch dual-tone alloy wheels that, despite their size, look almost proportionately modest against the massive, squared-off wheel arches. Faux silver skid plates at both ends attempt to break up the sheer slab-sided mass of the vehicle, adding a touch of rugged flair. At the rear, you get connected LED tail lights that span the width of the tailgate, a heavily reworked bumper, and twin (actual) exhaust tips. Make no mistake, this is a vehicle designed to be seen, predominantly filling the rear-view mirrors of terrified hatchbacks, and demanding right of way simply by existing.
Climb inside (and it’s a literal climb; thank heavens for the sturdy, wide side steps and grab handles) and the narrative shifts from utilitarian brute to surprisingly plush lounge. MG has opted for a ‘smoked ebony’ leatherette theme that brightens up the cabin, offering a contrast to the dreary, all-black plastic caverns we’ve grown painfully accustomed to in this specific segment. From the driver’s seat, you’re greeted by a dashboard housing a 12.3-inch digital instrument screen and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen. The touchscreen infotainment system is snappy, with crisp resolution and fluid transitions. However, burying functions like the headlamp settings deep within digital sub-menus is a modern automotive sin I still struggle to forgive; when you are navigating chaotic traffic, you want a physical dial, not a touchscreen scavenger hunt. That said, there are some well-constructed physical switches for the AC, which is a good thing.
MG has thrown the proverbial kitchen sink at the Majestor when it comes to equipment. You get seamless wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a genuinely punchy 12-speaker JBL sound system, three-zone climate control with dedicated vents for all three rows, an air filter, a 220V power outlet for the 2nd row, hands-free tailgate opening, and a panoramic sunroof large enough to moonlight as a helipad. The feature that will undoubtedly seal the deal for many buyers lies in the front seats. Not only are they power-adjustable with memory functions and ventilated to combat summer, but they also feature an 8-mode massage function. There is something amusing and deeply relaxing about traversing a heavily rutted arterial road, while a mechanical knuckle vigorously kneads your lumbar spine.
Space in the second row — whether you opt for the six-seater’s captain chairs or the seven-seater’s practical bench — is plentiful without being palatial. Knee and head room are the plus points; on the debit side, there’s a lack of under-thigh support. The third row remains best suited for agile adults on shorter journeys, or growing children, but it’s more accommodating than its chief rival. Practicality hasn’t been sacrificed at the altar of passenger comfort; fold both the rear rows flat, and you unlock over 2,300 litres of cargo space, with 343 litres available with all rows up. The Majestor could genuinely transport a small apartment’s worth of furniture without breaking a sweat.
Safety is handled by a robust suite of six airbags, electronic stability control, hill descent control, and a high-definition 360-degree camera that is vital for parking this leviathan. It also features a Level-2 ADAS suite. The adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring work flawlessly on well-marked highways; however, the lane-keep assist and emergency braking can occasionally be a bit too enthusiastic and panicked by the chaotic realities of Indian traffic, requiring a firm hand to override the system before it drops anchor unnecessarily.
Under that expansive, high-riding bonnet lies a familiar heart. MG has retained the 2-litre twin-turbo diesel engine from the Gloster, and it pushes out 215 bhp and a very healthy, stump-pulling 49 kgm of torque. It’s mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox sourced from ZF, a transmission renowned for its smooth shifts.
Prod the throttle, and there’s a momentary pause, a kind of deep, mechanical breath before the immense kerb weight is overcome by the surging wave of torque. The power delivery is more of a 12-bar blues shuffle than a frantic, high-strung pop song; it’s steady, and carries a rhythmic undertow of grunt that you can feel right in your chest. It won’t win any traffic light drag races, but it gathers momentum with an unstoppable, locomotive-like quality.
Once on the move, the Majestor wafts. The NVH levels are very well-managed; heavy insulation and acoustic glass work in tandem to reduce the typical, clattery diesel thrum to a distant, muffled hum, even when pushing past triple-digit speeds on the highway. The ZF gearbox shifts smoothly and intuitively, prioritising seamless progression and fuel efficiency over rapid, neck-snapping kick-downs. It suits the relaxed, long-legged character of the Majestor perfectly.
Handling, as you might expect from a towering body-on-frame vehicle tipping the scales at over two tonnes, is a decidedly nautical affair. There is noticeable body roll through tight corners, and the steering, while light enough to make city manoeuvring and parking remarkably stress-free, offers all the tactile feedback of a disconnected video game controller. You certainly won’t hustle the Majestor down a winding ghat section, for example; it’ll require respect for its mass, braking early, and managing its high centre of gravity.
But point it down a straight stretch of broken, dilapidated tarmac, and it simply obliterates imperfections. The soft suspension setup absolutely pummels craters and speed breakers into submission, isolating the cabin from the chaos unfolding beneath the tyres. It rides with a plushness that is a little too plush, if I’m honest; there’s a gentle pitching motion that can be felt in most driving conditions, and a little more stiffness in the suspension would have been welcome.
MG does not want you to think this is just a bloated, soft-roading mall-crawler. This is where the Majestor justifies its new, aggressive nameplate and separates itself from the softer, road-biased Gloster. MG has equipped this behemoth with what it calls the ‘M-Hub’ terrain management system, a sophisticated brain offering up to 10 selectable drive modes covering everything from loose sand and deep mud to jagged rocks and snow.
The real headline is the mechanical hardware. The Majestor comes equipped with a segment-first triple differential lock setup: front, centre, and rear. This is serious, unadulterated off-road artillery, the kind of heavy-duty hardware usually reserved for hardcore mud-pluggers like the Mercedes G-Class. Throw in 219 mm of ground clearance, 810 mm water-wading capacity, and the new ‘M-Crawl’ function (which acts as a low-speed off-road cruise control, managing throttle inputs and individual wheel braking while the driver simply steers) and the Majestor becomes <I>very<I> capable when the tarmac abruptly ends.
We took it up and down a hardcore off-road course in Gurugram to test these claims. The terrain was serious, but with the differentials locked, low-range engaged, and M-Crawl taking over the pedal work, this giant practically idled its way to the summit. It crawled over steep inclines and through ditches without breaking a sweat, the suspension articulating superbly, never spinning a wheel out of turn, all while the driver’s seat, absurdly, continued to massage my back. I estimate that less than 2 per cent of Majestor buyers will ever come close to exploiting its off-road capabilities, but this is one of those ‘at least I can if I want to’ factors.
Set to launch with an estimated price tag ranging between Rs 40 lakh and Rs 45 lakh (ex-showroom), the MG Majestor lands squarely in the hostile, deeply loyal territory of the undisputed king. Realistically, the Toyota will likely remain the default, unquestioned choice for the traditional Indian buyer who values bulletproof long-term reliability, almost mythical resale value, and a badge that guarantees absolute peace of mind. Toyota has built an empire on trust, and that is a difficult mountain for any competitor to climb.
As an actual, tangible product, however, the Majestor makes a compelling case for itself. It is larger and more imposing on the road, more luxurious and spacious inside, and packed to the brim with technology and creature comforts. It also has the hardcore, triple-locked off-road chops to authentically back up its rugged, intimidating styling.
It’s certainly not a flawless machine. It remains a heavy, relatively thirsty diesel in an increasingly electrified and emissions-conscious world, and its sheer size will make urban parking and tight city navigation a genuine logistical nightmare. Still, if you’re looking for a full-size SUV that can conquer a boulder-strewn mountain trail on Sunday and ferry you to a high-stakes boardroom meeting in absolute, massaging comfort on Monday, the Majestor is a commendable achievement in engineering and packaging. And frankly, in this specific, fiercely contested corner of the automotive world, bigger usually is better.
