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Old 24th September 2024, 09:26   #46
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Re: MG Windsor EV Review

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Originally Posted by Contrapunto View Post
My use-case is almost 80% driver driven and almost 200 Km on weekdays (~5,000 Km a month). I showed a few YouTube test drive videos to my driver and he was almost in tears, worried stiff of screwing up something by mistake. He was also worried about the safety of fiddling with the screen while he is driving.

A bouncy and unsettled rear seat is not good news either.

We are a planning a long test drive once its available. But both of these negatives may weigh heavily on our decision. Our driver has of course, already voted for the XUV400.
For long life/ low degradation of the EV's battery, it is best that your daily run is about 60% of the full charge range. From 80% charge to 20%. Daily charging to 100% or discharge to 0-10% degrades EV batteries much faster. You will see a larger reduction in range in 2-3 years than other buyers of the same car.

I'll suggest you look for an EV with ~50KWH battery/ about 350km+ of real-life range, for a long anxiety free ownership experience. Yes, the 50KWH Windsor would have been perfect for you, for about 1-1.2L more. But MG did not want to risk their ZS EV sales.
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Old 24th September 2024, 10:06   #47
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Re: MG Windsor EV Review

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Originally Posted by guptad42 View Post
For long life/ low degradation of the EV's battery, it is best that your daily run is about 60% of the full charge range.
If the daily commute is to your workplace (a factory or an office) please do consider getting a charging setup there as well. My friends who have industrial units outside the city have all setup a charging point for EVs. Since sanctioned load is generally not an issue in these places, even an AC fast charger can be considered.
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Old 24th September 2024, 10:08   #48
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Re: MG Windsor EV Review

This could be the defining moment for EVs to gain further adoption in the mass market segment. This segment will chart how India moves in terms of the EV revolution. MG, when they launched in India, showed a lot of hope, but their offerings didn't shake the market. Their cars didn't excel in any one aspect nor were they good all-rounders. The Chinese sheen continued to be cast on them but I feel with the JSW JV, this will change. But in my opinion, there is nothing wrong with the Chinese sheen regarding EVs. They are the world's biggest EV market and their tech is far superior to anything that we can dream of at this point. This goes for the fit and finish as well. I am surprised how a new company like MG could get their fit and finish on point with the Windsor but our own Tata and Mahindra lag behind in this aspect. No disrespect to Tata and Mahindra owners, but there is no one single product from them that feels it was made to class-leading standards be it with the panel gaps or the fit and finish of the interiors.

The windsor is the perfect second car for city dwellers. Their gateway to EV, has plenty of space for shopping, school, and airport runs. The ones who are buying this are not going to look at its negatives. They will know that the positives outweigh them. This probably is going to be for the nonenthusiast who looks at this as a pure commuter and for that person, this car offers way more than what the segment offers.

As far as the looks go, it is quirky but it's functional. It looks like a grown-up evolved Matiz. The interiors are on point and are perfect for city commute. Lack of physical control is an issue that people will have to live with. I see a world where sensors taking over. It is a matter of time, before the ORVMs will have sensors that track your head or eye and move accordingly in real-time so the whole point of adjusting them might be gone. same with regards to wipers, lights and even turn indicators for all you know. There will be fewer and fewer controls and that is something one has to live with. it has happened to phones, cameras, TVs, and a lot of electronic devices.

I am cheering for this car to do well because that will push the competition to do more and in the end, the true winner is the us the consumer.
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Old 24th September 2024, 10:46   #49
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Re: MG Windsor EV Review

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Originally Posted by BRZRKR View Post
The ZS EV is sold with a 70+ KWH battery in some markets. MG could even target the BYD E6/M6 with such a setup.

They really have to cover all bases with this car before the competition catches up.
That is with NMC battery (higher packing density compared to LFP). The NMC batteries can malfunction in Indian climate, MG will not take a hit on its reputation with introduction of NMC batteries in India.
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Old 24th September 2024, 10:49   #50
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Re: MG Windsor EV Review

My family and I visited the Lavelle Road showroom over the weekend to check out the Windsor EV.

We’ve been in the market to replace our Honda Jazz, which we sold last week, with an EV commuter. Since both my wife and I work from home, our primary need is a chauffeur-driven car for school runs—about 40 kilometers per day with a minimum of 2 hours of travel time. We also need it for the occasional trip into central Bangalore. Our top priorities are operating costs and rear passenger comfort.

The Windsor EV seems to check both boxes perfectly. We liked the car on paper, booked it last week, and this showroom visit confirmed our decision. The only thing left is a test drive to assess the ride comfort.

Here are our initial thoughts on the car:
  • It’s larger in person than it appears in pictures.
  • There’s ample space in both the front and rear seats.
  • The seats are extremely comfortable, with a plush, premium feel.
  • Three adults can fit comfortably in the back. While it’s not as spacious as the XUV700 in terms of width, it offers more room than any other mini SUV on the market.
  • The lack of buttons doesn’t bother me since most settings are “set and forget,” but I hope MG provides a robust remote app for controlling settings from the back seat.
  • The glass roof is a big selling point for my wife, and it’s heavily tinted, which should help with the summer heat. We don’t mind a bit of Bangalore sun and usually drive with the shade off most of the time.
  • The car looks premium in pearl white, even without any added external accessories.
  • The Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) option seems gimmicky to me. The price of the car is reasonable enough to consider purchasing it outright rather than dealing with battery rental.
  • I’m a bit concerned about home charging equipment, power loads, and BESCOM approvals since this is my first EV experience, and I’m new to all of this.

Some pictures to close out the post.
Attached Thumbnails
MG Windsor EV Review-pxl_20240922_1319323523.jpg  

MG Windsor EV Review-pxl_20240922_132302281.jpg  

MG Windsor EV Review-pxl_20240922_130426759.jpg  

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Old 24th September 2024, 11:02   #51
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Re: MG Windsor EV Review

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Originally Posted by i74js View Post
That is with NMC battery (higher packing density compared to LFP). The NMC batteries can malfunction in Indian climate, MG will not take a hit on its reputation with introduction of NMC batteries in India.
The SAIC group has products with 70KWH LFP batteries too. Engineering challenges aside, especially for the indian entity considering the cloud EV is limited to 50 KWH globally, MG India should look to leverage this class of vehicle and milk it for all it is worth. Our market is devoid of MPVs and the competition in this segment seems to be focused on form rather than function for their offerings.
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Old 24th September 2024, 11:08   #52
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Re: MG Windsor EV Review

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Originally Posted by astro_adi7 View Post
My family and I visited the Lavelle Road showroom over the weekend to check out the Windsor EV.

We’ve been in the market to replace our Honda Jazz, which we sold last week, with an EV commuter. Since both my wife and I work from home, our primary need is a chauffeur-driven car for school runs—about 40 kilometers per day with a minimum of 2 hours of travel time. We also need it for the occasional trip into central Bangalore. Our top priorities are operating costs and rear passenger comfort.

The Windsor EV seems to check both boxes perfectly. We liked the car on paper, booked it last week, and this showroom visit confirmed our decision. The only thing left is a test drive to assess the ride comfort.

Here are our initial thoughts on the car:
Exactly my sentiment. The pearl white looks dashing. This will be our first EV and will be used primarily for work commute. We will be traveling about 90 kms a day. Loved almost everything about it. Thank you for pointing out the tinted glass roof.

I am still debating if I should go for BaaS since my monthly commute will be a little over 2000 kms. Am waiting to see the detailed T&C before making a decision. I loved the white, missus wants to visit another showroom to checkout the green and most reviews say it looks good in black. Good problem to have I guess!

Last edited by KarthikK : 24th September 2024 at 11:48. Reason: Trimmed the quoted post to the relevant portions for better readability. Thanks!
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Old 24th September 2024, 11:43   #53
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Re: MG Windsor EV Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by astro_adi7 View Post
Our top priorities are operating costs and rear passenger comfort. The Windsor EV seems to check both boxes perfectly.
...
The lack of buttons doesn’t bother me since most settings are “set and forget,” but I hope MG provides a robust remote app for controlling settings from the back seat.
...
The glass roof is a big selling point for my wife, and it’s heavily tinted, which should help with the summer heat. We don’t mind a bit of Bangalore sun and usually drive with the shade off most of the time.
Passenger comfort looks good in a Windsor EV standing still, but multiple reviewers have reported the rear seat ride is rather bouncy when the car is running. Perhaps, the suspension was designed to be stiffer for the heavier 50KWH battery. The ride might be better with smaller 17" R60 wheels on the base variant (larger tyre sidewalls than 18R55 alloys). Or, you can try running it with a lower tyre pressure.

Windsor has:
The glass roof +
large glass area for windows and windshield +
a weak AC.

It is end-Sep. Even with the roof cover closed, many reviewers have commented the cabin gets too warm and AC cooling is not good. Sitting inside a glass enclosure under the sun is quite different from enjoying a bit of sun outside. I hope it does not turn into a light baking oven in the summer. MG could have provided solar cut glass in mid and top variants. Or at least retractable window sunshades.

Does Bengaluru allow 70% VLT tints on the windows and windscreen? If yes, please get the best quality ones. Makes a big difference in such cars with large glass area.

And get the spare tyre!
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Old 24th September 2024, 11:47   #54
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Re: MG Windsor EV Review

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Originally Posted by guptad42 View Post
For long life/ low degradation of the EV's battery, it is best that your daily run is about 60% of the full charge range. From 80% charge to 20%. Daily charging to 100% or discharge to 0-10% degrades EV batteries much faster. You will see a larger reduction in range in 2-3 years than other buyers of the same car.
This is more applicable to NMC batteries. LFP batteries are ok to charged to 100% percent. It is better to charge them to 100 due to their low discharge curve. My friend who has driven his MG ZS for 60,000 kms is seeing 2.8% SoH decrease with charging to 100% every time.


For everyone who is still confused about BaaS, you can check out this post - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/elect...ml#post5847255 (MG launches Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) for all their electric cars - Comet and ZS get BaaS as well)

Last edited by ferrarirules : 24th September 2024 at 11:52.
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Old 24th September 2024, 12:54   #55
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Re: MG Windsor EV Review

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Originally Posted by abburiaditya View Post
Exactly my sentiment. The pearl white looks dashing. This will be our first EV and will be used primarily for work commute. We will be traveling about 90 kms a day. Loved almost everything about it. Thank you for pointing out the tinted glass roof.

I am still debating if I should go for BaaS since my monthly commute will be a little over 2000 kms. Am waiting to see the detailed T&C before making a decision. I loved the white, missus wants to visit another showroom to checkout the green and most reviews say it looks good in black. Good problem to have I guess!
I’m concerned that the terms for BaaS might be too restrictive. Even though I would own the car, I’m not keen on having limits on battery usage. Additionally, the MG buyback offer requires closing out the battery rental, which makes that option less appealing to me. As you mentioned, it really comes down to the terms and conditions. I plan to keep the option open to sell the car back to MG after 3 years or 45,000 kilometers (or earlier) if it doesn’t meet my expectations. On the other hand, if I do end up liking the car, the lifetime battery warranty is a significant advantage. Either way, it seems like a win-win.

As for the color, black would have been great, but I already own a Midnight Black XUV700, so I’m opting for white this time. I also know how challenging it can be to maintain a dark car, especially for one that’s going to be a city commuter.

Quote:
Originally Posted by guptad42 View Post
Passenger comfort looks good in a Windsor EV standing still, but multiple reviewers have reported the rear seat ride is rather bouncy when the car is running. Perhaps, the suspension was designed to be stiffer for the heavier 50KWH battery. The ride might be better with smaller 17" R60 wheels on the base variant (larger tyre sidewalls than 18R55 alloys). Or, you can try running it with a lower tyre pressure.

Windsor has:
The glass roof +
large glass area for windows and windshield +
a weak AC.

It is end-Sep. Even with the roof cover closed, many reviewers have commented the cabin gets too warm and AC cooling is not good. Sitting inside a glass enclosure under the sun is quite different from enjoying a bit of sun outside. I hope it does not turn into a light baking oven in the summer. MG could have provided solar cut glass in mid and top variants. Or at least retractable window sunshades.

Does Bengaluru allow 70% VLT tints on the windows and windscreen? If yes, please get the best quality ones. Makes a big difference in such cars with large glass area.

And get the spare tyre!
Since there are no restrictions on applying film to the roof in Bangalore, I currently have 3M CR70 film on the sunroof of my XUV700, and it’s been quite effective. I plan to do the same for this car as well. While solar-cut glass would have been beneficial, I prefer the added safety of having a film to hold the glass in place, so I would apply it regardless.

Reports of the bouncy ride does concern me quite a bit. It would throw a large wrench into the plan. I plan to do a detailed test drive over the worst stretch of road that I travel daily with the recommended and reduced tyre pressures. Fingers crossed.

Thanks for the tip about the spare tyre.
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Old 24th September 2024, 13:33   #56
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Re: MG Windsor EV Review

I was inquisitive about the Windsor and went to see it at the showroom.
  • Externally it looks much bigger in person
  • The wheels look gigantic. Almost makes it look like a Mars Rover.
  • The instrument cluster is smaller than some large cell phones. It gets completely lost at some angles.
  • The quilt look finish black seats are overdone and make things look very cramped. Not to mention that huge obstruction between the 2 seats. Felt very claustrophobic.
  • Having a battery below means thigh support is compromised.
  • Not a good idea to omit power seats on the passenger side.
  • Fit and finish was excellent.
  • Interior materials seem hard wearing although tastes of design and color are subjective.
  • The boot space is usable and good. Despite the battery it has some depth to it as well.
  • No spare in the boot as there is a subwoofer. A spare can be bought as an accessory.
  • Slightly larger battery MG? Even if the use case is a city car, who wants to be charging it all the time. Real world 300 km is not enough for a day trip to Poona and back.

Best usage:
  • Home chores within the city
  • Kids to school & activities
  • An executive being driven to work in the city would perhaps prefer something a little more let me say "executive"

NOTE - This introductory pricing for battery usage does not sit well. They are not contractually obligating themselves to that pricing for a fixed period like 2 years or 5 years. I specifically asked and they sheepishly told me that this would see an increase. Perhaps they decided to take a leaf out of the book of one of India's leading business houses that employs the same strategy,
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Old 24th September 2024, 16:26   #57
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Re: MG Windsor EV Review

If one opts for the spare wheel, where do we store it? Does it fit in the well along with the subwoofer?
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Old 24th September 2024, 16:30   #58
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Re: MG Windsor EV Review

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Originally Posted by santosh.s View Post
If one opts for the spare wheel, where do we store it? Does it fit in the well along with the subwoofer?
I was told by the MG salesperson you can store both the spare wheel and the subwoofer together.

Something like this in this sample image.
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Old 24th September 2024, 17:02   #59
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Re: MG Windsor EV Review

Is the spare a space saver or full sized?
Has anyone come across the charging curve for the Windsor? 45 KW peak with a 0 to 80% charge time of 55 minutes would mean an average of just over 30 KW. The updated Nexon seems to have a significant advantage in charging speed now.
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Old 24th September 2024, 19:43   #60
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Re: MG Windsor EV Review

Visited Delhi (Patparganj) MG Showroom today, primarily to clarify some doubts on BaaS.
I think the below points will clear some questions/confusion/doubts others might have too.

One thing to note is, a lot of fine print and details are currently not provided to dealerships by MG, yet. They are expected to receive all the details, T&C, Test Drive cars, etc. on 2nd of October, with deliveries starting 11th of October.

0. 4 Financiers for BaaS, but only 2 of them are worth looking at. VidyuTech is true Pay as you Go where you pay Rs. 3.5/KM you drive, no minimum.
Second is Bajaj where you pay FIXED 1500KM (Rs. 5200~ including GST). The advantage with Bajaj is, you DONOT PAY ANYTHING above 1500kms. So you can drive 5000 KM but still pay for 1500KM i.e. Rs. 5200~
With Hero, you pay extra above and over 1500KM.
4th financier is for people with low Cibil, not worth mentioning or taking.

1. BaaS is a fancy way to look at what is basically a second loan for the battery.
2. If going for BaaS, your car loan will also be with same financier. You cannot take car loan from your fav. bank and BaaS from MG financiers, both will be same.
3. Unlimited Battery Warranty, 1 year free public charging and free 3-60 plan is included ONLY WITH BaaS.
4. Both BaaS and Car loan will be at 9% (except 4th one which will be at 14% for low cibil). Battery loan will be for 8 years.
So 96 x 5200 = Rs. 4.9L~
Considering battery cost is Rs. 3.5L, you pay Rs. 1.5L interest over 8 years. Not too bad, considering 3-60 plan being provided for free can be assumed for 40-50k itself.

5. For VidyuTech, think of it as taking a OD of 3.5L @9% interest.
You pay for what you use, but interest still keeps piling up for principal amount which eventually needs to be cleared at end of 8 years or when you want to sell the car or anything. Good for low usage, but interest accumulating can be a gamechanger, needs to be calculated to draw some examples.

6. Free Public Charging is not just for MG Chargers but almost ALL Well Known charging stations, including ChargeZone, Fortrum, MG and even TATA, this was confirmed by the dealership Senior Sales Manager that MG has tied up with every major charging station and everything will be handled by their own app now, no different apps/accounts needed.
He implied there is some joint venture happening where Tata will probably launch something similar as well (single app for all chargers)

Personally, for me BaaS seems a great choice depending on your usage or planning.
I thought the interest rate was higher/14% but they clarified its 9% only

There were some more talks too, can't remember right away. Will update if remember it.
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