[psbali]

Originally Posted by yuv

Hi All,

Happy to report that my Celestial Beauty, a.k.a Turquoise Green, has landed at the yard.
Now the anticipation starts, I'm told by the dealer that this will be their first essence delivery.

There is of course a lot to share, shall do so shortly. Fingers crossed for the Shubh Muhurat :-)

Did you receive that email from MG about vehicle allotment timeline? What did it say?

[SlowDough]

I drove the Windsor this weekend. My observations:

Pros:
- Very, very easy to drive.
- Driving modes have a realistic effect on the experience. Eco + is reduces accelerator sensitivity a lot, while Sports is ballistic. Normal mode + Light regeneration feels almost like driving a normal car.
- Steering is nicely weighted and well-calibrated.
- Extremely airy car. We joked about being able to convert the front seat into a remote office while it is parked - the dash is like a table that you can put small plants, a lamp and laptop on, and it will still have space. The rear seat felt like just what you'd need to take your family on a vacation to the mountains - the height of the seat, the size of the windows and your view outside are just perfect.

Cons
- Suspension is strong. I'd stepped out of a Seltos before I jumped into a Windsor. The driving route was Bangalore's ORR at Mahadevapura. My pregnant friend who was on the test drive with us complained equally in both cars and her husband mentioned that their experience in the Honda City was much more comfortable.
- The screen and all the touch-less interactions are an absolute disaster and the biggest deal-breaker. Adjusting the rear-view mirror requires this: Find the setting > Click left/right tab on the screen > Change horizontal setting from steering wheel's left side buttons > Get confused about the vertical setting and go to the screen to read the 100-word paragraph on how to adjust this > Change vertical setting from the same group of buttons, and feel dumb, because it is so unintuitive. Must also mention, it took us 1 min to connect to Bluetooth to experience the sound system, but 10 minutes to find the volume buttons. All of us in the car were designers who've work on such interfaces everyday, and still we couldn't figure it out.
- The seats look great but are not ergonomic. Front seats felt narrow and I could barely feel the side bolstering, which felt like they were hidden deep inside. There was something weird touching me on my back (might be the upholstery's detailing). In comparison, I felt much more at home in the Astor. The rear seat, though very nice in the way it reclines, had the typical cheap office chair feeling, wherein after you recline, the base and the back feels absolutely disconnected and your lower back keeps sliding down.

Price
- Great! No doubt that the price is a no-brainer.
- However, this car felt more suited to a long-distance touring purpose rather than office commutes, and for that matter, the range is too less. I'd rather buy a cheaper, electric hatchback.

[Speedme]

Originally Posted by electric.O

Does anyone have an idea, when will delhi ev policy be extended and will road tax waiver be still there?

My car is ready for delivery and I dont want to pay more if I can wait a few days and reap the benifits

TIA

I too received a call from the the dealership today as I had booked on 27 Sep'23, sharing they will have the vehicles in a day or two and would be ready for delivery on Dhanterras.

I too like you; would not like to pay additional since the policy has already been extended till Mar'25. There is no clarity on the fact whether the RTO registration waiver remains at 0% or another number.

This makes it highly confusing as the dealership wants an answer today and they themselves have said that any update from the Delhi govt. is not expected before mid Nov. Then I guess I would push my buy till 2025 for chronological purposes.

[shubhank008]

Originally Posted by Speedme

I too received a call from the the dealership today as I had booked on 27 Sep'23, sharing they will have the vehicles in a day or two and would be ready for delivery on Dhanterras.

I too like you; would not like to pay additional since the policy has already been extended till Mar'25. There is no clarity on the fact whether the RTO registration waiver remains at 0% or another number.

This makes it highly confusing as the dealership wants an answer today and they themselves have said that any update from the Delhi govt. is not expected before mid Nov. Then I guess I would push my buy till 2025 for chronological purposes.

Without RTO waiver there is not much in EV policy so its expected to be waived for sure but again confirmation pending and most probably it will be used as a election topic and confirmed after or before election.

Others in Delhi i know are holding off buying any EV till dec/jan, just visit any tata showroom very rare ev deliveries

[ngoenka]

Congratulations!!

I'm also taking delivery of my White - Exlcusive variant on Thursday! Trying to pick the accessories now.

This will be my first EV so really need to see how the charging routine will work out. My apt complex has 1 shared public charger and doesn't allow personal chargers to be installed.

Originally Posted by abburiaditya

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Presenting to you our "Beluga". Got the delivery a couple of hours back! Had to chase the dealer quite a bit to get it today. Apparently, this is the first delivery in Hyderabad and Telangana. Thanks to all for a very productive discussion. Looking forward to many miles and lots of discussion with the group here.

[abburiaditya]

Originally Posted by ngoenka

Congratulations!!

I'm also taking delivery of my White - Exlcusive variant on Thursday! Trying to pick the accessories now.

This will be my first EV so really need to see how the charging routine will work out. My apt complex has 1 shared public charger and doesn't allow personal chargers to be installed.

Congratulations! My first EV as well. I must tell you just from a day and a half of driving, it is quite a pleasant experience. I am glad I jumped into the EV bandwagon. All of my family/friends/guests who have taken a ride with me are amazed at the space and the quality of material and finish provided in the Windsor for the price. Feels good when there is validation from all.

A lot of accessories are not in stock yet. I only picked the mud flaps and the floor mats.

We have about 4 shared public slow chargers currently and I was able to get one and charged it overnight to 100% SoC.

Will make a post in a day or two with my initial driving experience. I drive close to 100km a day with a mix of highway and city 60:40. A couple of charging cycles should give me a good idea about the range while driving with varied speeds.

Originally Posted by UrbanRider

You got a white car instead? Or did I mix it up somehow.

I have booked a Turquoise green Essence variant on Oct 2. Word from dealer is that a November delivery is expected.

Apologies! I booked white and typed black in the previous post. Wifey said definite no-no to the black.

[shubhank008]

Originally Posted by Speedme

I too received a call from the the dealership today as I had booked on 27 Sep'23, sharing they will have the vehicles in a day or two and would be ready for delivery on Dhanterras.

I too like you; would not like to pay additional since the policy has already been extended till Mar'25. There is no clarity on the fact whether the RTO registration waiver remains at 0% or another number.

This makes it highly confusing as the dealership wants an answer today and they themselves have said that any update from the Delhi govt. is not expected before mid Nov. Then I guess I would push my buy till 2025 for chronological purposes.

Out of curiosity and for data points, which dealership, variant and color ?
And booked when ?

[UrbanRider]

Originally Posted by abburiaditya

Apologies! I booked white and typed black in the previous post. Wifey said definite no-no to the black.

Thanks for clarifying.

Please keep giving your feedback on the vehicle as much as possible. Happy driving!

On another note, how does the Free 1 year e-hub charging working for you? Also I am getting conflicting opinions about the lifetime free battery warranty for the first owner. Is it applicable to only BAAS customers or anyone who buys it - is there a specific number of vehicles that are eligible or we can get one next year and still have lifetime battery warranty?

Note: One dealer in my town stated that lifetime battery warranty is only for people opting for BAAS. Another dealer said it is available for everyone who buys a car within 31st of December.

Thanks in advance to any and all who can shed some light on this topic.

[realactivex]

Originally Posted by UrbanRider

Thanks for clarifying.

Please keep giving your feedback on the vehicle as much as possible. Happy driving!

On another note, how does the Free 1 year e-hub charging working for you? Also I am getting conflicting opinions about the lifetime free battery warranty for the first owner. Is it applicable to only BAAS customers or anyone who buys it - is there a specific number of vehicles that are eligible or we can get one next year and still have lifetime battery warranty?

Note: One dealer in my town stated that lifetime battery warranty is only for people opting for BAAS. Another dealer said it is available for everyone who buys a car within 31st of December.

Thanks in advance to any and all who can shed some light on this topic.

Lifetime free battery for the 1st user is a "Manufacturer feature" and therefore independent of the "financing feature" (Baas/full finance/ full loan etc)
These were the exact words of my MG dealer.

[250Nm]

Originally Posted by realactivex

Lifetime free battery for the 1st user is a "Manufacturer feature" and therefore independent of the "financing feature" (Baas/full finance/ full loan etc)

Speaking of which, the owners manual adds a clause about lifetime warranty ending along with the first registration certificate of the vehicle (15 years):

Page #226 of the PDF manual:

[yuv]

Originally Posted by psbali

Did you receive that email from MG about vehicle allotment timeline? What did it say?

Yes I got the email and it mentioned the same timeline of Oct-24.

Aside, as far as the accessories are concerned, I have finalized the Rear Bull bar (5K) and Body cover (2K). This is apart from the essential kit (30K) which was finalized earlier.

I'm on the fence with Spoiler (4K) and I think the Sun shades (4.5K) and Door visors (3.5K) are overpriced.

[realactivex]

Originally Posted by yuv

Yes I got the email and it mentioned the same timeline of Oct-24.

Aside, as far as the accessories are concerned, I have finalized the Rear Bull bar (5K) and Body cover (2K). This is apart from the essential kit (30K) which was finalized earlier.

I'm on the fence with Spoiler (4K) and I think the Sun shades (4.5K) and Door visors (3.5K) are overpriced.

Is a bull-bar even legal in India?
Does it adversely affect the impact-energy dissipation in case of a rear collision?

[ashutoshb]

The base variant has started reaching dealerships.

Source:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOwgnWejccU

[qaqa]

Originally Posted by SlowDough

Cons
- Suspension is strong. I'd stepped out of a Seltos before I jumped into a Windsor. The driving route was Bangalore's ORR at Mahadevapura. My pregnant friend who was on the test drive with us complained equally in both cars and her husband mentioned that their experience in the Honda City was much more comfortable.

I second that. In fact, I think the suspension is harder than the Seltos old-gen. I did a back to back test drive of Windsor and my 2020 Seltos on the same pot-holed road. While the ride in the front seats is comparable between the two, the rear seat ride quality is significantly worse in the Windsor. Not only are the bumps sharper, there is also excessive side-to-side movement on bumpy stretches. The ride continues to be somewhat harsh at speed and the side-to-side movement continues even at reasonably high speeds.

While my car is scheduled to be delivered shortly, I am getting last minute second thoughts with this issue especially since the car is being purchased for my 83 year old father who would exclusively use the rear seat. This weekend, I intend to do a long test drive on broken roads to see how the ride feels.

[Arsenic]

Checked out the Windsor recently at an MG dealership in Navi Mumbai - and my observations were as follows:


The front end of the Windsor is VERY Multipla-like - but somehow it works for me. In my opinion, the lack of ugly accessorising near the front end makes the car look a lot cleaner (for reference, the Team-BHP review unit had an ugly black strip here).

NOTE: The dealership was incredibly busy so I missed out on clicking a side profile photo, but IMO despite its people carrier stance the Windsor still has a decently attractive side profile and I love the absence of sharp cuts.


The rear end of the Windsor isn’t as attractive to me - it just seems too visually bulky. Nonetheless, I maintain that the Windsor is still a decently designed car overall. The rear looks definitely aren’t helped by the awful bullbar-esque rear attachment.


Clean and simple, yet elegant alloy design fits the Windsor well. This example had CEAT SecuraDrive 215/55 R18 tyres on.


At front, despite the passenger seat being moved quite far ahead, I had a decent amount of legroom for myself. For reference, I’m a 5’ 7” 15-year-old - and I didn’t mind this seating position.


Simple, minimalist design for the front AC vents - and they diffuse air fairly well.


Here’s the star of the show at front - this H-U-G-E infotainment screen was quite smooth and responsive. I remain firm in believing that MG designs the best mass-market infotainment systems - partially because Chinese automakers lead in this area globally.


As an MG Hector owner, I’m used to adjusting the climate controls via the screen already - the Windsor’s climate control UI is definitely less minimalist than the Hector’s, but feels extremely premium and is still incredibly easy to use. The ventilated seats are also controlled from here and made me forget that outside lay a burning hot Bombay afternoon .


The valet mode is a very cool addition to the Windsor - an underrated convenience and security feature.


The very well-designed 360° parking camera functions quite well on the Windsor.


Here’s how the flat-screen TV looks in proportion to the rest of the dashboard. Jokes aside, it is genuinely incredibly large - and for a Hector owner, you know that it has to be genuinely massive to receive that distinction.


View from the driver’s seat. The digital instrument cluster, although thankfully not clustered, is rather small and could definitely be hard to read for some. The steering wheel felt very premium in its heft and material quality.


The door was padded with extremely good-quality material and was comfortable to rest my arm on. MG’s interior finishes on their more affordable EVs continue to amaze me, after the Comet’s interior which punched quite above its weight.


A better look at the complete door. The extremely sturdy build and heft of the door was also noted.


Easy-to-access controls for the powered driver’s seat.


The rear legroom, despite the driver’s seat being set quite ahead, was absolutely mind-blowing. Versus the Hector, I found that the overall fit and finish of the seats (including the lovely upholstery) as well as the general rear cabin experience were ahead of the more expensive brother - however, the under-thigh support of the Windsor’s seats and some of the little things that can add up to a lot (such as the singular AC vent) were definitely inferior to the Hector.


Potential disasterclass in design. The singular rear AC vent doesn’t diffuse cold air that efficiently, meaning that the cabin could definitely heat up on a summer drive when the glass roof is also factored in. On top of that - who wants to fight over an AC vent!!!


Thankfully, almost all is forgiven with this massive boot. It can definitely swallow up all of your airport luggage - and the rigid bottom lining of the hatch is another appreciated detail.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:
- This is a F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C product - and coupled with the excellent pricing strategy, MG definitely has a winner on their hands.
- I am a bit confused about MG’s consumer base however. There is a niche that exists for a large, comfortable urban cruiser (Toyota reference not intended) - and this is quite precisely my Hector’s use case. Unfortunately, this delta is surrounded by two massive moats - the people who may consider it as a more premium commuter may find it too large to drive in comparison with a sub-4m SUV or too MPV-esque in nature for it to be an attractive city runabout, while the potential highway cruising comfort that this car could offer is struck down by its range and (according to the Team-BHP review) its strictly average rear ride quality.
- BaaS doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for private owners IMO, but I could see companies like BluSmart and Shoffr capitalising on it for sure.
- I somehow get massive London Taxi vibes from this car - it’s a car that’s large enough to have oodles of space, but small enough to still make sense in urban areas.
- The dealership experience at Tejpal Motor was incredibly smooth - and I would like to thank them greatly for allowing me to check the Windsor out on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
- The JSW partnership has clearly revitalised MG, and I can only hope for more amazing launches from them in the future. IMO, if there is one manufacturer that has TONS of potential in India, it has to be MG (perhaps along with BYD).