[RJK]

Originally Posted by dh.harshal

I must say, the Chinese are good at copying

I wish, they could copy the driving dynamics as well.

That'll need some bit of engineering depth
Until then folks will be happy with the AI tricks and what not. As such I don't think anyone who prefers driving dynamics is going to look at a pseudo SUV, much less a chinese one at that.

I, for one, will never buy a Chinese vehicle.

[Venkatesh]

MG Astor Automatic Emergency Braking feature highlighted in new TVC

https://youtu.be/US-kzG7n0uU

[ron178]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

MG Astor Automatic Emergency Braking feature highlighted in new TVC

Remember Volkswagen's banned advertisement for the Mk6 Polo's Front Assist (VW speak for AEB)? It was taken down for displaying irresponsible driving and over-reliance on driver assistance systems. (In fact, I can't even find the ad anymore, I just searched) This advertisement reminds me of that one, a lot. I understand the need to promote safety assistance systems but the last thing we need is YouTubers and new buyers testing out the AEB on public roads. When it comes to ESC, FCW, AEB and LSS, it's nice to know they're there, but NEVER expect them to take control. Always assume they're turned off or not present. They're there for emergency situations only.

There's a term for it - 'autonowashing' (and even a book of the same name) - but I'm not sure exactly how relevant that is here.

[Salnv]

Originally Posted by shibulijack

Getting back to the topic, I believe there must be an option to switch off the AI assistant if we don't like it. Although my wife thinks it looks cute, it might freak me out during my night drives

Ha ha. I am not sure how efficiently it works when the car is moving as the basic necessity is seamless internet connectivity. On a long drive , how often even the phone data gets disconnected due to poor 4G connectivity? Anyway there is definitely an option to turn off this feature and it will act as "dump" with eyes closed. Sincerely hope it doesn't "hear" anything once the bot is shut off

[theanand]

I am excited to see the "AI inside"! I used an echo dot on my cup holder for a long time which was connected to the car with an AUX cable.

Wonder what else can this bot do inside the car. Can it do operations like

• Changing tracks/FM stations, input sources, etc
• AC control like express cooling or changing temperature
• Searching for next fuel pump/hotel/restaurant within the current route to destination?

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by andafunda

This makes me even more nervous for prospective car buyers. Azure is just a data platform - think of it like Google drive for business.

The onus of security lies with a classic beaten down Tier 2 IT Services company in India. Just waiting to be hacked and for the data to be leaked. Besides, like we've seen with other Chinese companies, data being stored in India doesn't mean anything. There are 100 ways in which you can access / call the data..

While I dislike the AI robot and would try and remove or disable and also find it of limited use compared to Google, I am a little bemused by this obsession with data security. So what exactly is this data that the company and the Chinese government can harvest? What music you play, where you drove, what speed you drove at? As far as conversations go, does anyone think it would be possible to have a recording going all the time and then filter it for live conversations and then have hundreds of people working to listen for hours and translate and transcribe them followed by people to review which ones are important? There is absolutely nothing useful for either MG or the Chinese government in any conversation. The only possible misuse can be for marketing purposes. Obviously you wouldn’t expect the defence minister, a senior military or intelligence officer or a top CEO to use such a vehicle but for ordinary folks it is a non issue.

[swunkjyn]

My friend had been to a showroom and no test drive is available yet, only the display models are. The SA told him that the tentative pricing for top variant is expected to be around 17L, test drive vehicles will be available after 7th October.

No information on Torque Converter but yes, he was given the information that it will be CVT for the Petrol Turbo variant. Features and gizmos have been filled up to brim and waiting for the TeamBHP review to be out.

[TheVegabond]

So, I visited the MG showroom today to check out the Astor and returned mighty impressed. Here are a few observations:
1. I must admit that the car has got everything that Indian masses love in their cars.
2. The front is average if not for that grille. Is it only me who thinks it resembles new Maruti Desire!

3. I liked the neat rear profile.

4. The Red on the interior is definitely easy and classy on the eye than it appears in the photos. The seats are supportive and comfortable but it is strictly a 4 seater.

5. The car is not imposing and does not have an aggressive stance but looks cool in black color.

6. The build and paint quality looked solid and reassuring.

As Impressed as I might be, the price and drivability are still not known. So I would rather hold the final decision till the reviews are out and I get a chance to test drive one.

Had a chat with the sales guy. He indicated that MG is planning to reveal the price in the 1st week of October and will only take online bookings initially. They plan to deliver 4000-5000 cars by Diwali. Regarding the price he was pretty sure that it would be aggressive and would most likely undercut the segment leader Creta.

[bark1234]

Originally Posted by theanand

Wonder what else can this bot do inside the car. Can it do operations like

• Changing tracks/FM stations, input sources, etc
• AC control like express cooling or changing temperature
• Searching for next fuel pump/hotel/restaurant within the current route to destination?

What all you mentioned is already done in all new vehicles like seltos, hector etc using their infotainment system. There was no need to put a permanent fixture on dashboard for it

[VKumar]

I too went to check out the car, and came out super impressed. There were a few very neat touches which added more to feel good factor in fact.

Any way, for those who are interested, here is a picture with the beige interior:


A few things I liked were:

• Doors feel hefty and produce assuring sound too.
• Leather application is neat and panel gaps re tight and consistent. I tried to find the bulge in the leather of door armrest as in the review picture, luckily there was none in the dealer car.
• Thigh support all round, it's good and the front seats are actually quite good with a generous thigh support
• Neat touches, particularly the damped action of switches, and the opening closing action of AC vents
• Sunroof is massive, it will end at the end point of your rear headrests in the top position, in other words - you can look 90 degree upwards from the sunroof, even as a rear passenger

Thoughtful touches like the dash cam USB port etc do impress me, I wish it has one touch operation option for all 4 power windows too.

But yes, the thing that impressed me the most is this wireless phone charging thing. Manufacturers forget the people who have phones without wireless charging, MG hasn't.

Like all cars, the phone cubby is sized exactly as big as the modern day XL sized smartphones. But there is a trick, look at the picture below:


While the area on the driver side is fully closed with no access, they have given an opening on the left hand side, big enough that you can hold it by putting 4 fingers through it. While in the likes of Ecosport, creta etc, there is no way you can properly secure a phone with the charging cable attached, anywhere in your direct sight, in the Astor you can. Simply pass the cable through this gap and it can be perfectly connected to the phone without it being kept at some angle.

[rajchetan]

https://paultan.org/2021/09/21/2021-...esia-fr-rm79k/

Quote "MG Motor has officially launched the new ZS B-segment SUV in Indonesia. Three trims are available, starting with the entry-level Activate (269.8 million Rupiah; RM79k), Ignite (289.8 million Rupiah; RM85k) and Magnify (309.8 million Rupiah; RM91k)." Unquote

Roughly this translates to Activate = 14,22,000Rs, Ignite = 15,300,000Rs & Magnify = 16,38,000Rs.

Also note the engine spec's

Quote "All three share the same 1.5 litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine. It’s a DOHC, multi-point injection mill that produces 114 PS at 6,000 rpm and 150 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm, with drive sent to the front wheels through a CVT with eight virtual ratios. Three drive modes are available as well – Urban, Normal and Dynamic. " Unquote

Have attached the link for all those who are keen to read the entire article.

[callmeneo]

Originally Posted by rajchetan

https://paultan.org/2021/09/21/2021-...esia-fr-rm79k/


Have attached the link for all those who are keen to read the entire article.

The Indonesian one does not have the AI assistant.
For the Indian one - I hope disconnecting the AI assistant(people will surely find a way if they feel its intrusive/eaves dropping ) does not stop the car

[neoonwheels]

One of the Aus reviews mentioned the price of the 1.3 powered car (Essence variant) is AUS $32990 which translates to around 17.61L. The driveaway price (I assume including taxes + Insurance) = $33690 = 17.99L

So I guess if they price this around 17.3L - 17.6L ex-showroom here for top end, we have something very close to Creta/Seltos but with ADAS. Creta SX(o) 1.4 DCT single tone is 17.78L ex-showroom Pune.

Even though Astor has ADAS, it misses on few features which Creta/Seltos gets and so I am hoping that MG would price it a bit lower than Creta/Seltos to get some sales from them.

[manpreetsj]

Originally Posted by Stribog

On the Astor though - any views on why they are not launching with a diesel?

MG globally is more focused on developing & using Petrol engines (gradually investing more in EV). Even in Hector they have used Fiat sourced engine, just to meet demand of Indian consumer.

Hector, being a massive car, gives poor FE with petrol engine. However, Astor being a well proportioned car should be able to give decent FE with even petrol engine. Reason I believe so is if you refer to ZST 1.3T engine FE in Australia, it gives close to 15KM/L and some reviewers got slightly higher as well.

Further, due to stricter norms expected to get applicable in 2023, most of the manufacturers have started dropping diesel engines from their future lineup. VAG for example has clearly stated their stand on sticking with Petrol only.

[TorqueIndia]

Looks like a great package by MG. Just went through MG UAE website for technical specifications and found some details on kerb weight and boot space.

Kerb weight : 1318 KG
Boot space : 359 L
Price in UAE :
AED 47,250 - 48,000 (1.5 Standard CVT)
AED 56,700 - 57,000 (1.5 Luxury)
AED 61,500 - 62,000 (1.3T Luxury)

Now the most curious thing about this launch is the positioning with respect to MG Hector petrol, ASTOR will boost the overall sales or will eat into Hector sales ?

Another thing is on MG ZS EV, shall we wait for more localised and feature rich ZS EV than the current CKD from thailand ? Looks like MG could cut the EV prices by 2.5-4 Lakhs with ASTOR.