[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by hareshjethwani

Any pictures of the black one?

Sorry, couldn't manage.

The non-turbo one I only noticed in passing while in conversation with some MG staff. Had to leave soon afterwards and couldn't go back.

There didn't appear to be too many black ones there to begin with, and most crews were on a tight schedule due to one hour total given for laps + shooting, so I thought it best not to barge in. The black exterior + Sangria red interior looked classy in person though.

[Sunderdeep]

Very crisp and quality review as always. This car has fresh air and mojo that was expected from European twins. Everything from size, exterior design, interior feel and features look top-notch as if MG means real business here in India.

If priced well with a good number of variants, this car can surely take the market by storm.

[naru80]

Just posting this to thank @Chetan_Rao for the great review and for going the extra mile by answering queries/doubts in follow-up posts.

This is where team-bhp runs circles around anything else in the automotive scene.

Fantastic job

[dh.harshal]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Sorry, couldn't manage.

The non-turbo one I only noticed in passing while in conversation with some MG staff. Had to leave soon afterwards and couldn't go back.

There didn't appear to be too many black ones there to begin with, and most crews were on a tight schedule due to one hour total given for laps + shooting, so I thought it best not to barge in. The black exterior + Sangria red interior looked classy in person though.

Hi Chetan,
One more question if you can help answer.
The panoramic sunroof cover in Astor is not thick or is rather transparent. What's the magnitude of additional heat you felt inside the cabin and was the AC sufficient to mask it?

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by dh.harshal

...
The panoramic sunroof cover in Astor is not thick or is rather transparent. What's the magnitude of additional heat you felt inside the cabin and was the AC sufficient to mask it?

Due to various demo sessions, I was in & out the car from about 8AM until 12 noon. The cabin was always comfortable but never got chilly, even with the temperature set to LO (lowest available setting) and fan speeds 2-3.

Once when I got back in the car around noon after being parked in the open for about 30 mins, it took the AC 5-7 mins at fan speeds 3-4 to cool back down to comfortable temperature.

Pretty decent overall, I'd say, considering the large glass area of the cabin. Most users shouldn't find any reason to complain.

[Transmission]

Originally Posted by dh.harshal

Hi Chetan,
One more question if you can help answer.
The panoramic sunroof cover in Astor is not thick or is rather transparent. What's the magnitude of additional heat you felt inside the cabin and was the AC sufficient to mask it?

Given that a panoramic sunroof is just 2 panes of (tinted) glass there is always the option to tint it separately via films if you find it letting in too much light for your preference, right?

Amazon has a lot of such films for under 1000 INR.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by manpreetsj

... how was the audio output while driving the car, given that woofer is missing. Did you get a chance to try it out? Couldn't find any mention of it in original review on how it compares to same segment cars.

There just wasn't time!

Track time was spent listening to the motor, and the rest was dedicated to ADAS demos so the audio pretty much stayed off most of the time. The radio kept coming back on for some reason in my test car, annoyingly enough, now that I think about it. Probably just feeling left out. Could just be a pre-production quirk, and I did point it out to the staff there.

[KapilD]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Due to various demo sessions, I was in & out the car from about 8AM until 12 noon. The cabin was always comfortable but never got chilly, even with the temperature set to LO (lowest available setting) and fan speeds 2-3.

Interesting 🤨

Does this mean that there is no auto climate control on this vehicle?

If so then another feature missing from the expected list.

[Yash98]

Thank you for this great review! The Astor appears to be a pretty sorted car offering the right balance between practicality and fun for most buyers. Also, MG needs to be appreciated for continually pushing the market forward by bringing modern driving technologies/aids like Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist and the like.

As has been said many times on this forum before, our car market is a tough nut to crack since we need the right balance between value for money offerings and features. MG seems to have mastered this formula, given the relative success of their launches while being mindful of the fact that they are a relatively new player in the Indian market.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by KapilD

Interesting ��

Does this mean that there is no auto climate control on this vehicle?

Oh there is. It's just the combination of constantly getting in & out, the warm ambient temperature and not having much time to sit in and cool down meant fiddling with the AC manually to get instant cooling before the next stint in the hot sun.

The AC should do fine left to itself in normal day to day usage. There aren't a lot of physical controls though, for anything really. Most settings need interacting with the touchscreen, or the AI Assistant.

[manpreetsj]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Sorry, couldn't manage.

The non-turbo one I only noticed in passing while in conversation with some MG staff. Had to leave soon afterwards and couldn't go back.

There didn't appear to be too many black ones there to begin with, and most crews were on a tight schedule due to one hour total given for laps + shooting, so I thought it best not to barge in. The black exterior + Sangria red interior looked classy in person though.

I could extract this GIF from OD YT video. I somehow feel all black will age better and looks more sober.

[buntee90]

Originally Posted by manpreetsj

I could extract this GIF from OD YT video. I somehow feel all black will age better and looks more sober.

I haven't seen the sangria Red in person but this is class! Only new compass can hold a candle to this interior this side of 35 L.

Waiting to see how the 1.5 CVT pans out.

[Naetik30]

Visited MG showroom yesterday to check out the MG Astor. Currently drive a 2014 Verna CRDI SX manual with (120,000 kms on the ODO). Have driven Hyundais for the past 12+ years now. My entire post below is in comparison to my Verna that I am trying to upgrade from.

The staff was pretty courteous and attentive. The SA answered each and every question from by 10 year old son, who accompanied me. This is unlike Honda showrooms, where the treatment level depends on what you are currently driving.

Now observations on the car -
1. The car is a breath of fresh air for sure.
2. Looks nice and premium - inside and out.
3. The size of the vehicle is most-apparent on the sides.
4. Quality can be seen and felt through out. If this is what Chinese means, I am totally OK to buy Chinese going forward.
5. Getting into the car after an 1 hour drive on Verna - First observation. The cabin felt small. I could see the expression on wife's face. Did not look like an upgrade 'size-wise'.
6. But the seating position, comfort, dashboard all felt great.
7. The instrument cluster and the Infotainment system are very good (especially as my reference is a 2014 Verna).
8. When I say - it feels smaller, the obvious was the windshield is definitely smaller in size. But I guess, this is a problem for anyone that comes from a mid-size sedan like the Verna.
9. The backseat again felt smaller in width. This is confusing as the actual dimension of the Astor is 10cm wider than the Verna.
10. Coming to the boot. Definitely much smaller to the Verna's. My family is used to carrying the house when we travel to our home town. This is a concern for me for sure. But I did not check the boot, after removing/rolling back the parcel tray. Will visit once more to check it out.
11. I love the ADAS level 2 features. Not sure why people call it gimmicky even on team-bhp. 6 air bags great!!! But when a new manufacturer provides you with tech to avoid a collision it is gimmicky??!!! People need to grow up. No point always pointing to the good old days.
12. The boot door is HEAVY and opens high. Will be a problem for shorter drivers.

Now, I went into the showroom with probably too much expectations. That did not help. The Astor was parked next to Hector Plus, Hector and Gloster. Obviously the smallest of the lot. And that did not help either. Now comparing to the Hector, Astor looks and felt miles ahead.

I am looking for an upgrade for my Verna.
1. Does the Astor feel like an upgrade? Yes and No. Size-wise No. Tech-wise Yes. Safety Double Yes. Boot No for sure. But my son loves the car.
2. I will probably visit the showroom again to get a better feel for the car.
3. It is a mixed bag feeling for my wife as well.
4. I do not like the Creta (not an upgrade for Verna), XUV700 (dont like the front and warry of Mahindra new product), Kushaq/Taigun did not excite me. Seltos is OK (but no ADAS and bad in safety).
5. Now I do not feel like spending 25+lakhs on a car and not ready yet for used cars.
6. Clearly confused.

Now, my brain understands an upgrade need not mean a bigger vehicle. But the Indian heart does not agree.

One question to folks who moved from sedans (Verna/City/etc) to a compact SUV (Creta/Seltos) - Did you folks feel buyers remorse after the purchase as it may not be an upgrade size-wise?

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by manpreetsj

... I somehow feel all black will age better and looks more sober.

Oh I'll take all-black interiors over anything else pretty much every time. It's just the Sangria red looks really classy, so another great choice for potential buyers.

[manpreetsj]

Originally Posted by Naetik30

4. I do not like the Creta (not an upgrade for Verna), XUV700 (dont like the front and warry of Mahindra new product), Kushaq/Taigun did not excite me. Seltos is OK (but no ADAS and bad in safety).
5. Now I do not feel like spending 25+lakhs on a car and not ready yet for used cars.
6. Clearly confused.

Now, my brain understands an upgrade need not mean a bigger vehicle. But the Indian heart does not agree.

One question to folks who moved from sedans (Verna/City/etc) to a compact SUV (Creta/Seltos) - Did you folks feel buyers remorse after the purchase as it may not be an upgrade size-wise?

I'm on same boat sir! Seems like even after spending 20 Lakhs the satisfaction level won't match how I felt when I spent 8 Lakhs on elite i20 in 2017.

Maybe our expectations are high or maybe crossover cars are very similar to hatchbacks/sedans that its only incremental upgrade even after paying double. I guess we Indians attach value to size of car, hence only a car like Harrier, Hector or XUV700 will give feeling of true upgrade, as this is what is visible to all. Only you or a person like me will appreciate the money spent on engine upgrade and more power we get along with good power to weight ratio & on the safety of car (which Koreans have made joke of!).

Considering all cars in market in this range, Astor seems to be a brilliant package from SAFETY, apt dimensions, interiors quality, power, fit and finish. Hope pricing will be icing on cake to get the party started.