[shibulijack]

Originally Posted by airbus

I spoke to an NRI friend in US who drives an SUV with ADAS. He mentioned that couple of times his ADAS applied emergency braking without any obstruction in front and he was lucky that he was not rear ended. He has reported the bug to the manufacturer. What he meant that maybe I should wait for few months to see effectiveness of ADAS on Indian road conditions.

You can always switch off all the ADAS features, right? I can understand your skepticism but this shouldn't block you from your purchase (if you decide to buy Astor, of course).

On a separate note,
MG Motor is set to launch Astor SUV in India on October 11.

Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...w/86832960.cms

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by AtheK

The SA said it might get spilled to next week.

So guess my SA was right, as she sounded pretty confident. Other then that a bad news to report is that she said top end will be around 20 lac OTR for Astor, that means the price will be very very close to Creta variant wise.

That said this is definitely a better car then Creta, fresh on road and feels much better sitting inside.

[volkman10]

MG Astor launch, price announcement on October 11, 2021.

expect the MG Astor to be priced competitively, in the region of Rs 10-Rs 16 lakh (estimated, ex-showroom).

Link

[airbus]

Originally Posted by shibulijack

You can always switch off all the ADAS features, right? I can understand your skepticism but this shouldn't block you from your purchase (if you decide to buy Astor, of course).

Well, the main reason for me considering MG Astor is it's ADAS and will somewhat compromise with space. I am currently driving a TUV3OO, which is very spacious for my four members family. It may not be an ideal situation if I have to disable ADAS due to bugs after paying premium for it. There are other cars, which might offer good value to me without ADAS

[dh.harshal]

Update on launch from a very reliable source:

Prices & Variants will be revealed on either 11th or 12th and booking will start from 20th.

Also, he confidently tells me to wait for price reveal (not book XUV or Hector) and assures that the top end would be closer to 16 lakh ex-showroom.

He had updated me on this couple of days ago, but I still hoped for price reveal today based on couple of auto portals. My bad!

[TheWanderer]

Originally Posted by airbus

I spoke to an NRI friend in US who drives an SUV with ADAS. He mentioned that couple of times his ADAS applied emergency braking without any obstruction in front and he was lucky that he was not rear ended. He has reported the bug to the manufacturer. What he meant that maybe I should wait for few months to see effectiveness of ADAS on Indian road conditions.

Emergency breaking is just one ADAS feature, and you can keep this disabled and only enable warning (FCW) till you are satisfied that the warnings are accurate. There are a good number of other features which can make your drive safe (and help others too) like blind spot detection, rear cross traffic alert, intelligent head lamp control, speed warnings etc which can be used on a regular basis. And when you are on a highway, lane assist system and adaptive cruise control is going to make your drive safe and relaxing. For me, these are real value for money features!

[kings2306]

Official now!! From MG's Facebook page..

[dh.harshal]

Originally Posted by dh.harshal

Update on launch from a very reliable source:

Prices & Variants will be revealed on either 11th or 12th and booking will start from 20th.

Also, he confidently tells me to wait for price reveal (not book XUV or Hector) and assures that the top end would be closer to 16 lakh ex-showroom.

He had updated me on this couple of days ago, but I still hoped for price reveal today based on couple of auto portals. My bad!

I had just posted this and officially it has been confirmed.
So hoping, the price he gave will also hold true on 11th Oct. 16 lakh ex-showroom for top end will be a good deal.
Just FYI - my source owns both M&M and MG dealerships in the same compound.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by dh.harshal

I had just posted this and officially it has been confirmed.
So hoping, the price he gave will also hold true on 11th Oct. 16 lakh ex-showroom for top end will be a good deal.

Seeing that SA hinted me a price between 20 - 21 lacs OTR price for bangalore, 15.99 or round about seems to be the case for top end.

[ranjitht87]

Youtube link for the official Price reveal

https://youtu.be/f4R7cBOxWA4

[Turbokick]

I recently checked the Skoda Kushaq 1.0 AT and MG Astor 1.3 AT and here are my brief observations about the cars! (p.s. my benchmark here is the 1.5 Creta SX petrol that I own)

Skoda Kushaq

1. Exteriors are really classy. Top quality paint job. The car doesn’t look big but has got a good personality. This car will age gracefully. Typical of Skoda, Isn’t it!


2. The car looks most solid in its class. Exterior fit and finish is very tight and good.


3. Interiors, well is mixed bag. The car feels robust. Dashboard layout is pretty good. Materials used on the top of the dash/door panels are of good quality. Plastics below are slightly budget grade (Say Tiago class). Speedo dials are neat, the steering wheel looks classy (the leather stitching isn’t). Seat fabrics are again nothing to write home about.






4. The roof line is dreadfully bad looking. And with those exposed mechanicals, the view from the rather small sunroof can be embarrassing. (Why not give it a miss altogether!)


5. Ergonomics is spot on. I found a good driving position in no time. Controls and access are logically laid out (except the touch-oriented AC controls, which are placed low. Difficult to operate while driving)





6. Skoda has managed generous legroom at the back (better than Creta/Seltos/Astor). 2 at back is a good place to be in. Width isn’t as good. 3 won’t fit well. A kid in the middle will be fine. Seat comfort is good overall.

7. 1.0 TSI AT is impressive. I liked the NVH of the engine. It is very difficult to point if this is a 3 cyl engine. My Creta’s 1.5 NA is dead silent at idle/low/avg speeds but I have nothing to complain about the Skoda here. Only when it is ripped hard it makes its presence felt but the engine note isn’t annoying. Rather likeable. Vibrations at idle is minimal. (This is far better than what I have witnessed in Magnite Turbo/Tata 1.2/Polo 1.2 NA etc)

8. There is some lag initially and the throttle response isn’t lightning quick. This is no DSG. I felt the Torque Converter in Skoda is adequate and not explosive. But once it is in the turbo zone, this car pulls neatly and persistently. Creta’s 1.5 won’t like being revved as the TSI. And ofcourse the extra torque of TSI will make it faster. Easily. Though only on refinement point of view Hyundai is still unbeatable.

9. Ride and handling are excellent. Rather best in class (even if by a small margin). Bodyroll is well controled. Ride is flat once it gains speed. Sidewise movement over bad roads is minimal. Steering is pretty light but responsive. Even the cabin insulation is excellent.

10. OEM music system has got good bass. Better than my creta’s setup. Though I believe bose setup of top variants in Hyundai would be as good or better than Skoda’s. I couldn’t explore the infotainment system much but the rear camera resolution felt below par for a 20 lakh rupees car !



MG Astor:

1. Astor honestly looks like a premium hatch (more in merc entry level category) than a crossover. Looks stunning in black. The changes incorporated over the ZS make it look much better than the electric sibling.



2. Exterior fit and finish is impressive. Build quality and solidity is adequate. Skoda still is better with it. Creta being at par with Astor.



3. The car’s cabin is the true selling point. One can see the amount of effort made in making it look premium. Quality and fit/finish is thoroughly consistent throughout. Difficult to find loose bits here. Design elements too are classy. I just felt the steering and materials around the gear lever could have been more special to make it near flawless. Creta has got similar level of fit and quality finish but Astor trumps it for having generous levels of soft touch materials used. Kushaq just can’t match the level of consistency right now. Surprisingly MG Hector parked next to it felt at least half a segment lower in terms of materials used (especially the beige colored ones) or panel gaps visible.



4. Panoramic sunroof here is huge. Infact it is bigger than that of XUV 700 (much narrower) is what I felt! I felt the sunroof curtain is bit too thin. It needs to be seen if it in anyways affects the cooling of the car.

5. Ergonomics isn’t as sorted as it is in Kushaq or Creta but decent. It took some time for me to find the right driving position. (I am 5’11”)

6. Rear seat is reasonably spacious. It is wider than Kushaq’s but doesn’t have similar level of legroom. Thigh support could have been better. I think Creta still has the best rear seat here. Overall.



7. 1.3 Automatic felt adequate. NVH levels are not as good as Kushaq’s. Definitely cannot match Creta’s silence. But still, it is very good for a 3 cyl engine. I felt the TSI to be a more matured motor in terms of response, speed buildup and refinement. The gearbox rather felt good. I liked the shifts and gear selection based on throttle inputs. Surprisingly the ‘more premium’ offering from MG matches only the entry level engine of Skoda! I am sure 1.5 Skoda would be a no contest here. Even Turbo 1.4 from Creta/Seltos is vastly superior.

8. Mid-range acceleration is good. It does feel punchier than the TSI here. The engine sound is sporty and likeable.

9. Suspension setup is on the softer side. Overall dynamics is decent but not as engaging. You can immediately feel the body roll compared to the Kushaq. I would rather say Creta’s overall ride comfort is better here. Steering feedback is acceptable. Creta’s steering is slightly heavier (not necessarily more responsive).

10. Inspite of not having a subwoofer, the music system felt pretty good. Better than Kushaq’s. I didn’t have the patience to explore plethora of safety and other features on offer but infotainment system’s response felt adequate. 360 deg camera is okayish. Creta’s display/UI/touch quality is still very impressive.




Ride and handling :
Kushaq : 8.5/10
Creta : 8/10
Astor : 7.5/10

Interiors :
Kushaq :7/10
Creta : 8/10
Astor : 9/10

Engine and gearbox :
Kushaq 1.0 TSI AT : 8.5/10
Creta 1.5 MT : 7/10
Astor 1.3 AT : 7.5/10

Overall build quality :
Kushaq : 8/10 (poor interior bits apart it is very good)
Creta : 8/10 (consistent throughout)
Astor : 8.5/10 (not as solid as skoda but hard to fault overall)

NVH and smoothness :
Kushaq : 8.5/10
Creta : 8.5/10
Astor : 8/10

[Pras92003]

Originally Posted by AtheK

Seeing that SA hinted me a price between 20 - 21 lacs OTR price for bangalore, 15.99 or round about seems to be the case for top end.

4-5 lakhs in taxes and Insurance!! yikes!!

[Behemoth]

Price unveil event has been postponed to 11th Oct at 12 noon. Here is the YouTube link for the event (to be held). They could have delayed it as today the XUV700 prices were announced and they may have had to rework the prices.

https://youtu.be/f4R7cBOxWA4

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by Turbokick

I recently checked the Skoda Kushaq 1.0 AT and MG Astor 1.3 AT and here are my brief observations about the cars! (p.s. my benchmark here is the 1.5 Creta SX petrol that I own)

Wow, a very unbiased and detailed feedback

[nasir88]

Originally Posted by dh.harshal

Also, he confidently tells me to wait for price reveal (not book XUV or Hector) and assures that the top end would be closer to 16 lakh ex-showroom.

Any reason you are recommending to not book hector. Are any discounts expected on it? Asking as I found the Astor too cramped for my size, and am considering the mid spec Hector instead.