[adimicra]

Super impressive effort by MG.
Unless they mess up the pricing, the Astor is going to be a big winner for them. I wonder what this means to Skoda and VW.

Apart from the segment-first ADAS features which are great to have, some of the features which stands out -

• Soft touch materials and dual tone leatherette layered dashboard.
• Choice of three interior colours - Dual tone Sangria red, dual done iconic ivory and Tuxedo black
• Intelligent headlamp control for high and low beam
• All wheel disc brakes with red brake callers front and rear
• Electric parking brake.
• Segment first - 3 steering modes. (Normal, Urban, Dynamic)

I did not find any mention of TPMS and paddle shifters. I hope those are not missed. . Also, any information about NCAP rating for the Astor?

This seems to be the best package in this segment, assuming the crash safety rating to be good. Obviously, the final conclusion can only be drawn after driving the car but so far, full marks to MG so far.

This is exactly what VW/Skoda needed to do with their Kushaq/Taigun but they failed miserably.
With the Korean twins on one side and the Astor/XUV on the other, I wonder how VW India would survive.

[crazyro]

I have booked the Taigun and also looking at Astor as an alternative
This one looks and feels good but for me the engine, gearbox and driving dynamics still takes precedent over the other luxuries
So have to wait and watch how this one drives and then will decide

[chittybang]

This will surely be a package that garners an initial interest simply because MG can afford to price it better than competition. It is not just VW and Skoda, I feel everyone in this segment will feel the heat. I am curious about how much the Hector top end will be impacted.

TATA will need to look into ADAS if they hope to keep up the good fight. Hyundai Creta is too strong a product and can sustain this onslaught but Seltos will take a hit for sure. If by any chance MG gets too ambitious in the pricing this may not make much of an impact. After all MG now is clearly looked upon as a Chinese product despite all the Brit logos and campaigns.

[arunramaswamy]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Features summarized -

Is there a confirmation on cruise control? That is one feature that I do not want to miss out on my next car.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by arunramaswamy

Is there a confirmation on cruise control? That is one feature that I do not want to miss out on my next car.

There is a segment-first adaptive cruise control, which can not only maintain the speed, but also follow a vehicle by itself if needed.

These are part of the ADAS features -

[JayPrashanth]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Super impressive effort by MG.
Unless they mess up the pricing, the Astor is going to be a big winner for them. I wonder what this means to Skoda and VW.

Apart from the segment-first ADAS features which are great to have, some of the features which stands out -

• Soft touch materials and dual tone leatherette layered dashboard.
• Choice of three interior colours - Dual tone Sangria red, dual done iconic ivory and Tuxedo black
• Intelligent headlamp control for high and low beam
• All wheel disc brakes with red brake callers front and rear
• Electric parking brake.
• Segment first - 3 steering modes. (Normal, Urban, Dynamic)

I did not find any mention of TPMS and paddle shifters. I hope those are not missed. . Also, any information about NCAP rating for the Astor?

This seems to be the best package in this segment, assuming the crash safety rating to be good. Obviously, the final conclusion can only be drawn after driving the car but so far, full marks to MG so far.

This is exactly what VW/Skoda needed to do with their Kushaq/Taigun but they failed miserably.
With the Korean twins on one side and the Astor/XUV on the other, I wonder how VW India would survive.

VW, Skoda may become Ford 5 years down the line if they don't learn very fast and course correct. A LOT is riding on their MQB A0 platform, and if this project performs sub-optimally, it's going to be curtains. India is no longer a growing market, and the expansion is unlikely to happen in the next 3 years unless something dramatic happens.

Cheers.

Jay

[headbanger]

If there are variants of Astor below 15L in automatic, this will create enough demand. Right now, the likes of Creta, Seltos are above 15L mark if one wishes to buy an automatic.

[Aviator_guy]

It's good to see so many segment first feautres being launched with Astor. I'm sure these will create lot of excitement and provide novelty factor for potential customers. I just wonder about the long term reliability and longetivity of such brand new and relatively untested (extensively in Indian conditions) features. Personally i would like see how things pan out and give the car sometime on the road before considering it. That's just my thought process

[Sidban85]

Anything on ground clearance? TPMS?

[pannags]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Features summarized -

Engines -

• 1.3 L Turbo petrol with 140ps, 220Nm with 6 speed AT. No manual.
• 1.5 VTi with MT and CVT - 110ps, 144 Nm.

Safety

• 27 standard safety features. ESP from Bosch is standard. Traction control tested for ICE and Snow.
• Hill Descent Control
• Electric parking brake
• Automatic emergency braking
• 6 airbags
• 360 camera

Impressive engine options, well kitted with lots of useful features. Wondering if this will dent Kushaq/Taigun volumes more than Creta/Seltos.

As for safety, irrespective of the features they offer, we will still ask MG what the NCAP ratings are

[Kiran Joshi]

Looks like good product from MG. It has perfect size for both city and highway commute. Hector and XUV 700 are too big for day today driving. Many people in congested metro cities and female drivers may not opt for XUV 700 for its size. Astor scores well here.

For common man, price will be the deciding factor now. If MG does not mess up with pricing they have winner. Worthy competitor to Korean's monopoly.

For enthusiasts, engine tuning will matter. If it has enough punch with minimal turbo lag at low end and strong mid range with nicely calibrated steering, it would be real fun to drive car. I would expect at least 4 star safety rating. Fingers crossed.

[sierrabravo98]

The Astor is a very well proportioned car albeit lacking the somewhat SUVish muscle that the Creta/Seltos offers. The Astor seems to be more similar to the S-Cross in terms of design and dimensions. The features offered are segment leading (as is expected from MG). From the Hector experience, I would not be too worried about the feature distribution across variants.

However, the only downer for me is the engine. After the 200ps whopper that Mahindra has delivered with the XUV 7OO, every other car in the 10-30L segment seems to be stale and boring. MG should have given the 160ps tune available in the Astor elsewhere. Not only would this have been a segment leading figure (even more powerful than the Duster 1.3), but with a lower weight than the 7OO, the power to weight ratio would have been similar resulting in excellent oomph too. If FE was the primary concern, then selectable drive modes which reduce power in ECO (like in the Harrier/Safari) could have been provided.

[UltraViolence]

When XUV700 was lunched with ADAS, some of the Auto journalists were calling it as Level 1 system. Now MG has unveiled the Astor with the same features calling it Level 2 system.

What's the catch here?

All the features in the pic below are present in XUV700 too. Aren't they?

[RD150]

Originally Posted by dh.harshal

Yikes! What an eye sore of seat colors
Hope they also provide plain black interiors.

Yes, the dual tone red interiors are looking too gaudy. All black and dual tone ivory are decent, IMHO.

The car is looking stunning in black shade. Great effort from MG and happy hunting for prospective buyers with so much options now. Creta/Seltos, Kushaq/Taigun or Astor ? On paper atleast, Astor is a clear winner. Let's hope it's fun to drive too.

[nitinsagar22]

If this is fun to drive, I have no reason to continue with Taigun booking as I m scared the same issues kushaq owners are facing could be seen on Taigun as well. If priced right, will go for Astor, apart from feature list my priority is drive quality. Fingers crossed !