[msksalman]

Originally Posted by daf23

After owning the Astor turbo for two months, I feel that my car is plagued with issues and rattles.

As of now, I'm experiencing the following:

1) Screeching noise from the engine bay when the car is turned on - this happens at every start (like every morning, evening etc.) the noise is a scratching kind of a noise as if some belt is worn out, was dislocated and came back in its position. This feels scary.

This is a KNOWN issue. Even i was scared in the beginning when i bought the Car. But the Service Team informed that, "its not an issue". its been 1.5 years now, i still get the same sound everyday and No major issue observed regarding that till now.

Apart from this, all the other Rattling noise you can raise the complaint with the service team (and escalate if needed) and they will sort it out.

[sgoyal9]

Originally Posted by daf23

After owning the Astor turbo for two months, I feel that my car is plagued with issues and rattles.

MG surely has provided an underwhelming experience and these issues in a brand new car add to the frustration on a daily basis

As of now, I'm experiencing the following:

1) Screeching noise from the engine bay when the car is turned on - this happens at every start (like every morning, evening etc.) the noise is a scratching kind of a noise as if some belt is worn out, was dislocated and came back in its position. This feels scary.

2) Rattling noise at idle at cold start and subsequent starts after a gap of few hours - there is a continuous rattling noise heard from the dashboard (behind the ac vents) and it appears as if some part is touching with the engine/body or the AC pipes are touching somewhere, this goes away at a slight press of the accelerator and after `~15 minutes of driving. The noise is annoying and frustrating to the extent that I feel that I should not drive this car.

3) Constant rattle from the sunroof controls/interior light assembly - this is the latest rattle and the most irritating one, on a normal road there is a constant rattle as if something is loose, even on pressing the overhead area this will not go away. Also, there is a screeching noise at times from the sunroof as if there is no lubrication on the parts to move.

4) Rattles and noises from the back seat - there is a constant rattle from the back seat, I've failed to identify the source but my guess is that the door seals and/or the headliner is the culprit, this is again unbearable.

5) Rattle from the right side AC vent- There is an intermittent rattle from the right side AC vent which is annoying.

6) Rattles from AI Robot - the robot rattles like a guitar when you pass through the rubble strips on the road and while crossing potholes.

Experienced members, please let me know if you have gone through any of these issues during your ownership.

Also, is there a way I can escalate it to some higher authorities where the voice can be heard? The MGpulse contact is useless to say the least.

I have not faced any these issues in my 2+years of ownership.
I would suggest you to take it up strongly with the service center and central helpline. Remind them this is a new car and ask for replacement not refitting/repair of any and all defective parts.
Another small advice would be to take video of any rattles/sounds you can. I am currently facing an issue of the air conditioner making a psshhhing sound like air leaking but the service center told me they could not reproduce it and to record a video and come back.

[sharmanova]

Recieved this from a dealer.

[WolfBrother]

Originally Posted by daf23

After owning the Astor turbo for two months, I feel that my car is plagued with issues and rattles.
...

Apart from the squeaking noise from the sunroof, I haven't faced any other issues from my MG Astor 1.3L Turbo in the last 10 months. Seems to be vehicle specific.

[IshaanIan]

Any owners of the 1.5 normally aspirated manual version of the car here on our forum? Is the manual transmission a slick one? Are the ratios well matched to the motor? I recently discovered what a potentially good deal the lower variants of the Astor are. Sounds like it might be a good choice for my parents. Unfortunately none of us have the time for a test drive so was hoping to get some inputs from owners on the forum before actually taking the time out to visit the showroom.

Unfortunately mainstream media and auto journalists have not extensively tested the 1.5 NA manual powertrain it’s all either about the turbo or the 1.5 NA with the CVT. I hope there are some owners of the 1.5 manual with insights here.

[mgastor2022grey]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Any owners of the 1.5 normally aspirated manual version of the car here on our forum? Is the manual transmission a slick one? Are the ratios well matched to the motor?

When I was buying my car (1.5L NA CVT), I test drove all the engines - 1.3L AT, 1.5L CVT/MT.

One immediate thing I found is that even though the AT is way more punchier than the CVT, the three-cylinder nature (noise, lag) is evident after speeds above 80 kmph. However, even though the CVT 1.5L has lesser performance, the added cylinder does ensure more noise insulation and makes for a great cruiser.

I had also test driven a MT Astor. From what I did, here are my discoveries:

1) Stick height was short, so was easy to use

2) Clutch was on the lighter side, definitely a plus point

3) First gear and second gear ratio is long, but not annoyingly long, so we need not shift much in the city

4) Car does stall when taken in a speed breaker in 2nd gear, as torque is pretty low

My shift to CVT is mainly because of driving a MT Vento for the past 12 years and it was definitely not good in the city.

My suggestion is, if your parents are driving themselves (no drivers), please ask them to get the CVT. It definitely helps in ease of driving in the city.

Ciao!

[Swapnil4585]

Originally Posted by mgastor2022grey

I had also test driven a MT Astor. From what I did, here are my discoveries:

1) Stick height was short, so was easy to use

2) Clutch was on the lighter side, definitely a plus point

3) First gear and second gear ratio is long, but not annoyingly long, so we need not shift much in the city

Did you get a chance to test drive it on the highways? What are the RPMs at 100-120 band? I am seriously thinking of the n.a. as a replacement to my Altis.

[mgastor2022grey]

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

Did you get a chance to test drive it on the highways? What are the RPMs at 100-120 band? I am seriously thinking of the n.a. as a replacement to my Altis.

I did not get a chance to drive the MT on the highways, but since I own a CVT, which has 8 simulated steps, unlike the 6-speed transmission of the MT, I thin I can relate.

I generally cruise north of 120 kmph in my Astor (in TN, we have high speed limits in some areas) and during those times, the engine spins relaxedly at a cool 2200-2500 RPM. Engine noise is heard, but it is rather sporty than boomy.

So, if the CVT spins at 2200 rpm (approx.), then the MT should do it in around 2000 rpm (as the gears are tall).

I would highly recommend you to take a test drive of the CVT too, as it is a great mile-muncher.

Cheers!

[Karthik.guru]

I'm in the market for a new car and put the Astor on my list after reading raving reviews of it on this tread. I checked it out today and boy was I impressed. For a car priced under 10 lakhs, I was in disbelief at just how plush and premium the cabin felt. Spent about an hour and a half at the MG OMR showroom in Chennai and took a test drive of a higher spec variant but with the 1.5L manual. Not a scorcher by any means but it didn't bother me since I'm looking for a calm, sedate and comfortable car.

Left the MG showroom and immediately stepped into the adjacent showrooms to check out the KIA Sonet, Honda Elevate and the Nexon. None of them impressed me like the Astor did. I'm about 90% sure that this is the car I'm going for.

I had some questions that I was hoping someone could help me with:-

1. The biggest issue - Is there really a price increase starting next month? The salesperson mentioned that they've received a memo that prices will be increased by 1 - 1.5% across the range starting September. I also saw a memo dated June few posts above on this very thread that the price would be increased starting July, but the price list shared by the salesperson with me is dated for June itself. I'm not sure if this is just some sort of sales tactic or a genuine hike that is now overdue since July! This is an issue for me since only the base variant is in my budget (barely), a price increase of 1% would push it beyond the 10L bracket and result in an increase of ~70k to 1L in OTR prices (rough estimates), which nudges the car beyond my budget. I'm utterly stumped since I do need some time to manage finances and also don't feel good about hurrying into my first big purchase as an adult. I was also planning to purchase the car around Diwali to get extra goodies and discounts.

2. Just how bad is the mileage? - The internet is full of content on just how poor the fuel efficiency of this car is. I also read mixed reports on this thread itself. I'm buying the car pretty much exclusively for highway runs and expect a split of 30% city and 70% highway use, with an annual running of about 10,000 to 15,000km. Should I be bracing my wallet and investing in a fuel saver credit card?

3. Is the extended warranty and MG Shield Protect Plan of any use? - The salesperson mentioned that with shield protect I will get 0 labour charges for 3 years (or 30,000 kms) at a cost of 20k. How steep are their labour charges for general services? Does it offer anything else or just the labour charges? Is it more prudent to just skip this? I also did not get any mention of any road-side assistance programmes. Does MG not have one in place in India at the moment?

4. Dealer discounts - I am a terrible bargainer, and naturally, the dealer is refusing to budge on the price. They've offered me 10k cash-back for the insurance and a cheaper accessories package since I don't want the chrome garnishes. I have no clue how to milk any additional discounts from them apart from asking more politely. Please help !

5. Ivory White - Just another small thing, as beautiful as the interior looks and feels, I'm also wondering how well or poorly it will age. I keep my car clean with frequent wipe downs of the interiors and get it cleaned by the local car wash every time it feels dirty. Does this interior need any extra TLC?

Apart from all this, I'm honestly very excited about buying the Astor. I have never liked crossovers and have always preferred sedans, but somehow the Astor just appeals to me. It looks mature and sleek, feels super VFM considering its safety ratings and the sheer amount of kit on offer for the base variant. I think they've been very clever by using premium materials on the 'touch-points' of the car which makes it feel very plush, and I'm all for it !

I would really appreciate some help and support with this!

Cheers!
G

[Karthik.guru]

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

Did you get a chance to test drive it on the highways? What are the RPMs at 100-120 band? I am seriously thinking of the n.a. as a replacement to my Altis.

I just did a test-drive on the highway of a 1.5 Manual. 100kph was around 2700-2800 RPM.

Honestly I am quite disappointed with this engine and gearbox combo. I was totally expecting to shift down a gear for overtakes, but that wasn't enough. It usually took shifting down 2 gears to get any decent punch to propel the car forward. The car has very little punch to begin with and most of it is at the bottom end, the midrange was dead and topend was okayish (but the car hated being in this range). NVH was also quite bothersome. I wish they had given us the 1.3 Turbo with a manual.

I was 90% sure of the car for everything else and was okay to compromise a little on performance, but it is dead slow (and this is coming from a slow driver!). I am now having another look at the market to evaluate my options. Feeling quite sad cause the rest of the car was just perfect IMO.

P.S. - Sorry about the back to back posts. Dear Mods please merge them if necessary.

[ashutoshb]

Originally Posted by Karthik.guru

Honestly I am quite disappointed with this engine and gearbox combo.

Don't know if they have solved the issue, does the floor vibrates when you speed above 90-100 kph? Meaning, at high revs.

[Karthik.guru]

Originally Posted by ashutoshb

Don't know if they have solved the issue, does the floor vibrates when you speed above 90-100 kph? Meaning, at high revs.

I didn't really notice any floor vibrations, but the engine did feel uncomfortable at higher revs. It felt very strained and a bit noisy. My TD vehicle had less that 5000km on the odo, maybe it gets smoother and more efficient the more it runs as some members have mentioned. Either way, I'm thinking of taking another test drive in a few weeks after TDing the competition to really gauge where it stands in the crowd. I'm really hoping my first impressions were incorrect!

[ashutoshb]

Originally Posted by Karthik.guru

maybe it gets smoother and more efficient the more it runs as some members have mentioned!

That's what I was told by the sales representative at the time of test drive. That it will smoothen out. My Astor 1.5 NA manual is now close to 50k, but the vibration issue is still there. At every service I make the same complaint l, even ask them if they have reached a solution, but it remains the same.

Please do take a thorough test drive before making a decision. And its not going to get smoother, as per my experience.

[Karthik.guru]

Originally Posted by ashutoshb

My Astor 1.5 NA manual is now close to 50k, but the vibration issue is still there. At every service I make the same complaint l, even ask them if they have reached a solution, but it remains the same.

That's quite unfortunate
I guess the Astor is out of my shortlist now. Back to the drawing board!

Also I don't understand why the 1.3 Turbo is only offered in the top end variant. Isn't the 1.5 putting the car in a higher tax bracket to begin with? A 1.3 should've helped with reducing the price further, unless of-course the 1.5 is super cheap for them to buy.