[abhiram.]

I would like to share my booking and cancellation experience with MG Astor.

So, Astor got me really excited. The premium interiors, a decent turbo engine, 5 star safety rating (well, at least for the platform), drive assist systems and a price tag that I could afford. I watched and read all the content available on YouTube and Team BHP forums and made up my mind to book the car.

I made the booking online with help of sales associate at MG for Turbo Sharp (O) variant on 21/10/21. I should mention, she was extremely courteous and patient with all my questions and my speed of decision making. I made multiple requests for test driving the vehicle another time, but the vehicle could not be arranged for reasons best known to them. I checked for an update on booking status and test drive on 22nd, 24th and 25th and there was absolute silence. This really confused me. I also noticed fellow BHPians on this thread facing similar issues. I stopped following up and nobody got back to me either.

In the meanwhile, I went to test drive the T Roc (After a million requests to 2 dealerships). Only after driving this car I actually understood what did I really want from a car that I am going to be driving for the next 8-10 years. I had been wanting to buy the T Roc all along but the removal of assist systems and increased price (2021) kept contemplating for a long long time. The combination of the 1.5TSI with DSG was an absolute winner for me. This made me book the T Roc and cancel the Astor.

On 29/10/21 - I called up the sales associate at MG and she was again very respectful for my request for cancellation. She then informed me that the vehicle from the first batch had been allotted to me and I could have taken the delivery on 10th of November.

Saying that, I do feel Astor is a terrific value for money product and in case I am in the market to purchase a second car in coming years I would definitely consider it.

[Gotcha]

I've been checking the prices of the MG Astor aka MG ZS in the international markets. In the UK, the base variant - MG ZS Excite 1.5 MT with same engine and slightly more safety features is 13,110 pounds (~₹13.44 lacs) ex-showroom. The VAT including registration charges are 2895 GBP (~₹2.96 lacs). The total OTR price comes to 15,995 pounds (~₹16.40 lacs OTR)
https://mg.co.uk/new-mg-zs/
https://www.whatcar.com/mg-motor-uk/...3338#equipment

In India, I've booked the MG Astor Style variant with ex-showroom price of ₹9.78 lacs which approx. comes to ₹11.77 lacs OTR in Bangalore with road tax of Rs.1.51 lacs. I've also attached a breakup of the GST and cess in the ex-showroom price as shown in the order form.

So in UK, the manufacturer gets almost ₹13.44 lacs for selling the car while in India MG gets only ₹6.74 lacs because of the exorbitant taxes. How do they remain profitable and where do they cut corners? Also, even after paying 11.77 - 6.74 = ₹5.03 lacs as taxes in India, are we still getting a better deal in India for the MG Astor/ZS?

[CoolFire]

Originally Posted by RijuC

I had another observation. My left leg is obstructed by the central console vertical surface. I am 6 feet and on heavier side. Had to push the driver's seat to extreme end and then it feels comfortable. However the left leg always remains tightly in touch with the central console. And the right foot remains busy on B/ A pedal almost 6-8 inches ahead of the left foot resting on rest pedal area. It felt peculiar and uncomfortable due to this ergonomics. It was an Auto transmission model.
And how good is the 1.3 litre engine with AT?

I too felt the same issue (I am 6’2”). The left leg was always troubled by the centre console, especially the leather trim. Was also unhappy with the turbo lag in 1.3.

[varkey]

Originally Posted by Gotcha

So in UK, the manufacturer gets almost ₹13.44 lacs for selling the car while in India MG gets only ₹6.74 lacs because of the exorbitant taxes. How do they remain profitable and where do they cut corners? Also, even after paying 11.77 - 6.74 = ₹5.03 lacs as taxes in India, are we still getting a better deal in India for the MG Astor/ZS?

In India they do get to offset some of those taxes with the GST input tax credit. I'm not sure if the cess can be offset, but atleast the GST components get adjusted with the GST they have already paid as part of sourcing materials and any other inputs used to arrive at the final product.

[The_Duke]

Hi all. Thank you for accepting me to this forum. Would like to share my experience with the Astor booking and test drive

I was looking to buy a mid size SUV for mostly city use and an occasional highway run.
Last few months i zeroed on the Creta SXo 1.5 CVT and booked it in August this year. The waiting period suggested for the same was 6-7 months at the time of booking.
I got a message from the Hyundai dealership earlier this month that the waiting period of my booking has increased to 8-9 months due to supply chain issues. This means i can expect delivery in April 2021. That's a long wait.

I got a call from the local MG dealership here in Pune on 20th Oct as i had shown interest in the Astor and shared my details on their website.
The SA told me about the pre-booking scheme and promised delivery of the car this year in the first lot.
He also told me that the entire booking amount is refundable.
Great safety features and a promise to refund the booking amount if i didn't like it was a no-brainer for me.
So i sent him the booking amount for the 1.5 CVT top trim with ADAS.

I took my wife and kid to test drive the car on 25th Oct and was impressed with the build and interior quality.
My family was also impressed with the Astor's looks and both of us agreed the build quality is better than the creta.
The test drive was somewhat underwhelming primarily due to the rubberband CVT effect which exists in the creta too. While i don't feel the power is inadequate, it definitely takes some time to gather speed from stop. The Astor did feel a notch slower than the creta.

Now coming to my biggest concerns with the car:
The fuel economy of the CVT is not disclosed by the company. The "leaked" document shows 10-12 kmpl which is way too less for a manufacturer to claim. Real world mileage will be less. During the test drive the car was showing 5.5 kmpl on the display. I decided to reset the reading and took it for another run for 2-3 kms. This time it showed me 6 kmpl.

The boot space figures are also not disclosed. The SA told me that the boot is bigger than the creta but it did not look so. The width of the boot is definitely narrower than the creta.
The boot of my current Hyundai Verna can accommodate mine and my kids golf sets without any issues. This was not the case with the Astor. While my child's golf set fits in the boot, I could not get mine to fit. The only option is to recline one of the seats and store it. This is a bummer for me as i usually drive my car to the golf course regularly. (I have not performed this test on the creta though)

I call my SA this morning and he confirmed my delivery slot is confirmed for this year. The MG App shows my booking details but date of delivery is not mentioned tehre.

For now i have not made up my mind primarily due to the two issues i have mentioned above.
I will check if my golf set fits in the creta and probably go for another test drive before i make up my mind.

[ridehard]

Originally Posted by The_Duke

During the test drive the car was showing 5.5 kmpl on the display. I decided to reset the reading and took it for another run for 2-3 kms. This time it showed me 6 kmpl.

The boot of my current Hyundai Verna can accommodate mine and my kids golf sets without any issues. This was not the case with the Astor. While my child's golf set fits in the boot, I could not get mine to fit.

I highly doubt if the Creta's boot will fit the bill. Generally c-suv/crossover's boot cannot hold a candle to a mid size sedan's boot!

Also, if I may ask, when you did the 2-3 km test, and getting only 6kmpl, were you pushing the car or driving sedately?

[Clouseau]

Originally Posted by The_Duke

Hi all. Thank you for accepting me to this forum. Would like to share my experience with the Astor booking and test drive

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For now i have not made up my mind primarily due to the two issues i have mentioned above.

I will check if my golf set fits in the creta and probably go for another test drive before i make up my mind.

Hi - I had a similar issue with bootspace as I currently have a Duster. At the showroom I tried using a piece of cloth (not very scientific ) to compare the space.

The width of the Astor's boot at the lower front part seemed to match the Duster's. However the depth did not seem to. The solution for golf sets may lie in a more compact golf bag rather than the full-size one.

Having said that however, the boot is definitely smaller - 470L to the Duster's 475.

Cheers!

[rajeev k]

The digital brochure got from MG Kochi has an error as it indicates the prices 1.5 MT and CVT as of the MT variant.
This was pointed out to the sales person and was subsequently corrected.

Further I went to their showroom yesterday but was initially denied entry by the security personnel even to the compound on the ground that none are available even though I requested that I need only to take a peek at the car through the showroom glass panel. They budged and in fact a lady finance executive was present who promptly welcomed us inside. If the security personnel treats prospective customers thus, it doesn't auger well for MG.

But on the contrary the lady executive was courteous.

[skarthiksr]

Originally Posted by The_Duke

The fuel economy of the CVT is not disclosed by the company.
The boot space figures are also not disclosed.

So, looks like MG still has not disclosed the following 4 specifications about the Astor: Fuel economy, boot space, ground clearance and turning radius.

[nasir88]

Guys, does anyone have any updates about deliveries? My SA said that apart from a small Dhanteras event with 20 deliveries, he is not aware of the delivery schedule.

[The_Duke]

Originally Posted by ridehard

I highly doubt if the Creta's boot will fit the bill. Generally c-suv/crossover's boot cannot hold a candle to a mid size sedan's boot!

Also, if I may ask, when you did the 2-3 km test, and getting only 6kmpl, were you pushing the car or driving sedately?

Not pushing. Driving with a light foot in normal traffic conditions.

[praneeth999]

Originally Posted by nasir88

Guys, does anyone have any updates about deliveries? My SA said that apart from a small Dhanteras event with 20 deliveries, he is not aware of the delivery schedule.

No update whatsoever from them from past few days. Earlier they said deliveries will start from Nov first week but now there are straight away telling they don't have any update from MG.

[The_Duke]

Got an email from my dealer pasted below:



Thank you for your MG Astor booking.

Your confirmation details are Booking id: - xxxxxxxx/ Variant & Color :- ZS ASTOR VTi-TECH CVT SHARP(O) RED,Candy White,Dual Tone Sangria Red

MG Astor has received an overwhelming response from opinion leaders like you.

Thankyou for choosing MG Pune Central,B U BHANDARI AUTO PVT LTD

You will be pleased to know that your booking is in the deliveries in batch 1 of Nov – Dec 2021.

Congratulations on being among the first batch to receive India’s first Autonomous Level-2 car with Artificial Intelligence based Personal Assistant.

Our team will soon get in touch with you to initiate the delivery related documentation, finance, exchange and insurance process. Pls select your accessories from a wide range available at our dealerships.

For any further assistance, you may reach out to us anytime.

Wishing you a very happy festival season

[ranjitht87]

Originally Posted by manpreetsj

I have withdrawn my booking for Astor and requested for refund. I had blocked Astor, just to spend some time to think over it (and be sure

The premium hatchbacks (baleno, i20) are so good with respect to space, refined NA engines and feature list that moving to sub4suv or c-suv doesnt feel like a proper upgrade atleast with respect to space. I will be missing the auto irvm and UV cut glass and offcourse the high mileage figures that my current baleno is giving.
However for my current need of an automatic with higher seating position with a decent engine and reliable TC and good safety ratings, Astor seems the best available choice.

Originally Posted by praneeth999

No update whatsoever from them from past few days. Earlier they said deliveries will start from Nov first week but now there are straight away telling they don't have any update from MG.

Got an update from dealer last week that i have an allotmemt in the first lot and will be getting the car this year itself and they showed me an internal allotment number B1-0000XXXX and informed me that B1 in that means batch 1.
I again got a call from the dealer yesterday informing car will be available around mid of this month and if they need to arrange executives for car loans or valuating my current car for exchange. So this kind of assure that the delivery may happen this month itself hopefully.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Astor mass deliveries start ahead of Diwali celebrations -