[dh.harshal]

Looks like the media drive experience is scheduled from tomorrow and the Astor is already on the track.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Had a chance to check out the Astor today. Like others have mentioned in the previous page - this car is ALL about the interiors. ADAS, so-called "gimmicks" like the AI bot etc are good differentiators, but what really leaves an impression in this car is the touch and feel. Dare I say it - the interior quality is a full segment above the Skoda-VAG twins, and feels half a segment above the Creta and Seltos. Compass Model S would do better - but then the pricing will be near double as well!

Noting down some of my observations and personal opinions of the 1.5 VTi top-end version on display -

Front grille is definitely attractive and will be a favourite with the masses. But it is not too bling and in-your-face as I expected, at least for this black car. Looks a lot more busy in pictures than in the real world.


The surrounding thick border is finished in brushed satin effect, and is not chrome. Nice touch IMHO - would have been too bling with that also in chrome.



Nice detailing in the headlamps. Very similar to Skoda's crystalline elements though! If its any consolation - I feel Astor has done it better than the Kushaq.





360 camera looks very prominent. A slightly lesser bulge could have helped against vandals?



Closer look at the 17 inch alloy wheels of the 1.5 NA top-end version. Good that the stock tyres are Continental even though the media cars have Goodyear TripleMax2 tyres too.



Red interiors look good in person, but no so in pictures. It is a subtle, wine red as people have mentioned above. Really liked the quality feel it imparts to the cabin. Would like to see the all-black version too - I have a feeling it will be the best of the lot.



Thanks to good headroom, you can sit upright with a good view of the bonnet. "AI bot" is hardly in the field of view for a tall driver.



Good enough space to walk in! Cabin is a slight step up for the elderly though.



Legroom is decent for a 6-footer. Can get comfortable without issues. Only good as a four seater though - but so is the competition - especially the Germans.



However, for the record, Kushaq/ Taigun easily can beat the Astor in rear legroom. Here is the Kushaq set for my height -


Boot space is decent. Useable space is certainly lesser than the Germans, but more than the Koreans. Quality of materials is apparent though - even in the boot. Nice strings to hold the items in place on either sides of the central tray.

Somehow the tray seems raised above the spare wheel to reduce the loading lip. Couldn't really figure out if it can be placed lower to increase luggage room.



Panoramic sunroof is massive, no doubt! This will SELL cars, specially for families with small kids.



One item which looks a bit low rent in the cabin, especially the cutouts for the USB slots look rough.



Steering wheel looks on the smaller side and is finished well. However, the leather wrap doesn't really match the quality of the other leather / leatherette materials in the cabin. Scope for improvement there.



Foam padding is really impressive and give the touchpoints a very soft and luxurious feel. In comparison - the Germans seem to have just wrapped some leather over plastic! May not be very evident in the pic, but the leather really is soft touch on the door pads and squeeze in when pressed. Small bits that leave an impression!



Seats are done well and the front seats especially feel good. Under thigh support is a bit lacking though. Really prefer this quality over the Germans.



Cost cutting is really evident in this one place mainly -



Camera quality is on the poor side - though not as bad as the Germans. Hello MG, meet my Punto.



Definite scope for improvement here. Cameras on the flagship MG cars aren't so great either.



Some of the other bits that scream good quality: AC vents -



Rear armrest has a covered cupholder which has a good tactile feel to open and close. Has rubber pads to hold items in place, but these don't feel very durable. Front cupholders have retractable pads that feel good and holds smaller bottles in place too.



The key:



Although the digital cluster is only 7-inch and smaller than the Germans, they are utilised much, much better with two digital dials on either side. Speed and tacho are both simultaneously displayed - both in analog and digital fashion. Wish Taigun had something similar, instead of the coloured blanks on either side.



This is how you make roof liners for a 20L car!



If anyone is wondering whats the big deal - see the DRASTIC difference for yourself with the Taigun / Kushaq -



1.5 VTi engine is DVVT branded. Hopefully thats for dual VVT for intake and exhaust ends?



Gets underbody protection, but not fully covered.



SAIC branding is seen aplenty.



I think the SAIC origin is definitely the biggest weakness of this car!

If this drives anywhere close to neutral or above it, this is a very good effort by MG and sure to win customer hearts in showrooms. God bless competition! The Astor really makes you wonder how easy the Germans took the approach towards their make-or-break products with cost based decisions across the board, except for pricing. This truly comes across as an honest effort - and despite the brand challenges (and if the pricing is right!!!), will easily end up as the third favourite in the segment, behind the Koreans.

[octane_100]

Visited the MG showroom to checkout the Astor this noon.

1.The perceived quality of interior is unmatched by vehicles even a segment above!
2. The interior design itself and the red/black combo looks amazing
3. Space seems more cozy than spacious. May be a downer for families with more large adults
4. The LAARGE sunroof is unmissable! Expectedly was a hit with my son.
5.Steering modes can be controlled from the Infotainment system

Some (-)s in my list:
1. No cooled glovebox and it doesn't have illumination either
2. Power window switches are not backlit
3. No ventilated seats. Personally would have preferred them over the sunroof.
4.The toggle type AC switches were not working as per requirement. I couldn't switch the AC off using the same. Had to do it from the touchscreen system.
5. 360 degree view was not great in terms of clarity.
6. Seats aren't all that comfortable, the seat squab is little short for my frame. I am 6'1 and on the wrong side of 90 kilos.
7. Paddle shifters will be missed

Overall, from a design, feature set and perceived quality perspective I did like the offering. However, not all that happy with the overall space and seat comfort which are extremely important for me as I tend to do lot of intercity travels.

Test drives are apparently available from 1st October and booking opens on 7th!

[dh.harshal]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Dare I say it - the interior quality is a full segment above the Skoda-VAG twins, and feels half a segment above the Creta and Seltos. Compass Model S would do better - but then the pricing will be near double as well!

I completely echo your views and had made the same observations in my post. The material quality, the touch & feel, the fit & finish is really impressive and the potential customers in this segment should at least see the car once to make an informed choice.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Camera quality is on the poor side - though not as bad as the Germans.

This one is also spot on. In fact, I observed that the 360 degree rendering of the car is faulty, especially when encountering objects around or vertical elements such as steps/dividers around the car. Please See below picture where there was a raised platform on the left of car and the car's 360 rendering has gone for a toss.
Did you observe something similar?

[Behemoth]

Are any TBHPians invited for the MG Astor drive experience at BIC today? Really look forward to see some driving experience details from TBHP mods/ reviewers. I think today from 12 noon the drive review videos too will be out on YouTube.

[volkman10]

Media drive pics:










Link

[Venkatesh]

Blind spot detection in Astor

Blind spot detection provides both visual and acoustic signals to warn the driver of any car/obstacle approaching.

Autonomous Level 2 ADAS settings



Interior pictures in day light





Media drive cars with Continental tyres

From what we’ve been told 17 inch wheels are not the standard offering on the Astor

Astor in Black colour



Link

[ranjitht87]

Originally Posted by dh.harshal

This one is also spot on. In fact, I observed that the 360 degree rendering of the car is faulty, especially when encountering objects around or vertical elements such as steps/dividers around the car. Please See below picture where there was a raised platform on the left of car and the car's 360 rendering has gone for a toss.

I faced something similar while checking the 360 rendering, however noticed that another visitor had opened the front passenger door and as a result the camera fixed to the left orvm was not capturing the expected viewing angle for generating the 360 view.
Once the door was closed the 360 view was good but the quality was just above average. May be the scenario you faced was different.


On another note, the MG showroom experience is at a different level. As astor is not yet ready for test drives, they were ready to arrange test drive of ZS ev to see if my wife feels comfortable with the dimensions of the car and when i said i have never tried CVT (i have driven AMT, DCT, TC and offcourse manul) he was ready to arrange hector cvt test drive too.

[Behemoth]

Some users when they saw the Astor had expressed that the buttons below infotainment did not work. The operation method of the buttons is pull up to operate instead of push down to operate, as shown in this video.

https://youtu.be/AVZUMUuKloU

[KapilD]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Some users when they saw the Astor had expressed that the buttons below infotainment did not work. The operation method of the buttons is pull up to operate instead of push down to operate, as shown in this video.

I had a long tour of the infotainment system with the SA.

To clarify on the above: The buttons switches work both ways: Up for increment and Down for decrement - Volume, Temp, Fan Speed etc.

Those functions which don't require both ways, work on pressing down.

Also, instead of posting separately: adding some more info on the infotainment system:

1. The screen is 720P in resolution
2. The AI (bot) volume can only be adjusted by the volume control button after activating "Hello Astor". No standalone volume adjustment available inside the settings menu

[dh.harshal]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Media drive pics:


Link

Thank you so much!
Awaiting your drive experience!

[CarguyNish]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Some users when they saw the Astor had expressed that the buttons below infotainment did not work. The operation method of the buttons is pull up to operate instead of push down to operate, as shown in this video.

https://Youtu.be/AVZUMUuKloU

Yes, it's true. I instantly got used to operation when I saw it at showroom last week.

There are 7 Buttons

1. Infotainment System Home
2. Volume Increase/Decrease
3. Blower On/Off
4. Front Defogger
5. Rear Defogger
6. Fan Speed Adjust
7. Temperature Adjust

1/4/5 Need One Tap to Activate while 2/3/6/7 needs One to Push and Pull to make a change.

[nasir88]

Originally Posted by KapilD

Also, instead of posting separately: adding some more info on the infotainment system:

1. The screen is 720P in resolution
2. The AI (bot) volume can only be adjusted by the volume control button after activating "Hello Astor". No standalone volume adjustment available inside the settings menu

Thanks for sharing this helpful info. I hope there is some way to turn the bot off, or use it as something less bothersome like a clock. Although I consider myself pretty tech friendly, I think a bot with eyes staring at you 24x7 is a gimmick at best, and will be intrusive to anyone sitting in the car.

Would personally prefer to go for any variant that does not have this. MG should have kept this feature as optional, as I feel it will be forcibly bundled on the top trims.

Also, while the red trim is nice and different, there seems to be too much of an overflow with all media drives and display cars featuring this option. Would have been nice to have a few videos with the black/beige trims as well.

[CaptSachin]

Closely following this thread. I'm in the same dilemma. The XUV700 seems too big for city driving. I'm presently sailing (Merchant Navy) and don't want to wait for the car when I'm at home. Will most probably decide basis the drive reviews and feedback from fellow BHPians. I had called the MG showroom and was told that test drives will start from 1st October & 7th October there will be a flash sale (initial booking amount 49k) with delivery around Deepawali. My wife didn't like the design & the bot though.

Mod Note : Chat and SMS Language are STRICTLY prohibited on Team-BHP. Please type in full and proper English for the benefit of other community members.

We advise you to read the Forum Rules before proceeding any further.

[neoonwheels]

SO finally yesterday had a look at both Astor and Taigun given they share same premises (Showrooms owned by same group). Below are few of my obervations:

Astor
1. The car has a slopping bonnet, so dilutes the definition of road presence a bit but this thing looks big from side angle
2. It would not look small/puny in front of Creta/Seltos and would have equal respect on road given the size
3. The front grill is finished well and is pleasing to the eyes. Somehow it reminded me of A class
4. The paint quality is very good and at par with the competition. My favorite is - Silver - White - Black in that order
5. The cabin screams quality !!! Love the circular AC vents - they are very high quality. The soft touch dashboard and its layout if very very good
6. The AI bot does not restrict the view but the rear view mirror housing will need some time getting used to. Its quite big in my opinion. Good part - it has USB port for people using dashcams. M&M played well with re-purposing the camera as dashcam.
7. The Infotainment system is a bit tilted towards the driver - Typical European touch I would say. The screen is quite big and gels well with the rest of the layout
8. Steering wheel is good and comes with leather finish. The buttons felt tactile to use and should last long
9. Front seats offer good seating comfort and they are on firmer side which would aid long distance touring. However, I felt the seats are a bit small for large people. I was comfortable given my built
10. At around 70-80% of the seat height range, I could comfortably see the bonnet but as I said the IRVM housing will need getting used to
11. Eletronic parking brake is a nice touch for this segment
12. The rear seat bench is only good for 2 adults. My kid who is 9 YO also felt its on smaller side when he had to sit in between. He said it was better on my Jetta. The art leather seat covers are good and overall its a 4-4.5 seater car
13. The panoramic sunroof is HUGE. It might be the largest when it comes to sunroof to roof ratio of the car
14. The center armrest is CHEAP
15. Overall, I am thoroughly impressed with the car. It would not look out of place to have a VW/Skoda logo on the car given its quality. Irony is, Taigun failed miserably in this dept

Taigun
1. Given its size, this looks just like a Polo on steroids. The car neither has width nor height to command any respect as SUV. This is as good as a big hatchback with more ground clearance
2. Its size might help it make a case for somebody who wants roomier interiors (For 4 ie) but dont want to buy Polo
3. The door trims, roof liner, quality of plastics is pretty SAD! The Polo standing next to this had better interiors quality wise
4. I loved the layout of the dashboard. Typical VW - simple yet elegant. If they had thrown in quality too it would have been icing on the cake
5. The infotainment sits well within the layout and the steering feels very very good to hold
6. This is again a 4 seater like Astor and only a kid can fit in the center
7. As any other VW, the paint quality is top notch. Loved VW for this, god knows what they do but all VWs have this quality
8. The seats are part fabric - part leather and wont look out of place even on a 10L car. Astor has nailed it with a perfect fit and finish

Overall, its the Astor which feels more VW than the Taigun. The dealer SA mentioned they have close to 300 bookings for Taigun. As it was a weekend, the TD had waiting of about 45 mins so I did not bother. They had 1.0 AT for TD and the 1.5 DSG would come next week.