Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) Features
A big USP for the Astor are the autonomous Level 2 safety features that MG has equipped it with. There are a lot of segment-firsts (some not available even in the next segment!), all intended to make the driver's life easier and safer, both via alerts and autonomous intervention as required. With level 2 ADAS, the car is capable of accelerating, braking and steering in certain circumstances to prevent or reduce the severity of potential accidents. However, it is NOT a substitute for the driver, and the features obviously have limitations (especially in Indian conditions) beyond which, the driver has to take charge. Level 3, in the future, is expected to bring a higher number + degree of autonomous features.
The features provide a variety of alerts; audio (chimes), visual (warning messages / icons in the instrument cluster) and haptic feedback (vibration on the steering wheel). Specific features also have options to turn individual alert types ON/OFF. All feature icons in the cluster are indicated in yellow when on standby and green when active. These icons disappear from the cluster when the features are deactivated / turned off.
Adaptive Cruise Control
Available from as low as 30 km/h, adaptive cruise control (ACC) can be engaged by pulling up the ACC stalk (push down to disengage). ACC can only be engaged with the vehicle rolling (>7 km/h). ACC can be set up for three sensitivity levels - low, medium, high (marked with lane gridlines on the cluster graphics), corresponding to time to collision (~1, 1.4 and 1.8 seconds). Rotate the knob on the ACC stalk clockwise to get closer gridlines and anti-clockwise to space them out.
ACC intelligently recognizes traffic merging into your lane ahead, and adjusts speeds in conjunction with the forward collision warning (FCW) system. It also has a 'follow to stop' mechanism, capable of stop / start in sync with traffic ahead and resuming without ACC needing to be restarted manually, as long as the stop is less than 3 seconds. Beyond 3 seconds, ACC goes into standby mode and needs manual re-engagement (pull ACC stalk up). In moving traffic, ACC also seamlessly picks up speed again when it detects the traffic ahead moving out of your path and FCW stops applying autonomous braking.
ACC goes into standby mode at any point the driver brakes manually (instead of autonomous braking via FCW). The ACC then needs manual re-engagement to resume.
Excuse us calling it 'automatic' cruise control during the conversation (duh!). It should be 'adaptive'.
Lane Assist System (LAS)
Offered in multiple modes (described below); all modes have two pre-requisites:
1. Lanes must be clearly marked (not always the case in India) and visible (system can recognize the most commonly used lane marking colors - white, yellow, orange, blue, etc.)
2. Only works at speeds of 60 km/h and above
Lane Departure Warning (LDW): Will alert the driver (chime + flashing red lane marker in the cluster) if the car is straying from its lane. No autonomous corrective intervention.
Lane Departure Protection (LDP): Will alert the driver if the car is straying from the lane due to sudden steering inputs (say the driver dozes off and accidentally jerks the steering in one direction). Will induce minor steering corrections to offset the inputs.
Lane Keep Assist (LKA): Will alert the driver if the car is straying from the lane. Will induce steering corrections. Will request manual override if a curve is too sharp and the lane cannot be kept with minor autonomous steering corrections. When LKA is engaged at 60 km/h, the lane guidelines in the cluster turn blue to confirm the engagement.
Safety Warning / Disclaimer: LAS is only capable of handling curves beyond a certain radius of curvature (MG says RoC larger than 250 meters), and sharper curves lead to the system alerting the driver to take manual control before disengaging LAS. Additionally, if LKA detects no hands on the wheel for 20 seconds, it disengages with a 'quit' alert and switches the steering back to full manual control.
In addition to the center console menu, LKA can also be engaged / disengaged via a push button on the outer edge of the light control stalk. Audio & visual alerts will confirm the action taken.
The modes are incrementally inclusive, as in LDP includes LDW, and LKA includes LDW + LDP. LAS, as a whole, also recognizes intentional lane changes in all modes (via the driver putting on either side's indicator to switch lanes), and automatically resumes once the maneuver is completed. In theory, it also allows one to drive straddling two lanes, if one so wishes. The system is not designed to intervene in circumstances the driver intentionally created and backs off to let the driver have full control.
Speed Assist System (SAS)
Available in 3 modes; all modes require Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) to be disengaged.
Speed Warning: Can be set up to alert for a specific speed, won't intervene if exceeded.
Manual: Driver-chosen speed limit enforced. System won't allow acceleration beyond it. Speed limit numbers can be chosen & changed in 5 km/h increments using forward / back movement of the adaptive cruise control stalk.
Intelligent: Capable of detecting roadside speed signage and slowing the car down to match it. Speed reduction is designed to be gradual in the interest of safety; the car will NOT emergency brake to slow down abruptly with this feature.
The SAS can be overridden in an emergency by flooring the accelerator. SAS re-engages as soon as you lift off the accelerator pedal.
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
Offered in two modes:
Alert: Visual warning on the cluster (yellow collision graphic).
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB): The car will brake autonomously in an emergency if it detects a vehicle too close in the front. Sensitivity can be set to low, medium or high. AEB also provides an option to brake autonomously if a pedestrian is detected in the way - a feature that could potentially go crazy with jaywalkers around. So caution is advised.
Rear Drive Assist (RDA)
It's a safety feature to help manage rearward visibility during maneuvers. Available in 3 modes:
Lane Change Assist: With the indicators turned ON while changing lanes, the 'vehicle in proximity' warning light on the ORVM's outer edge will blink if the system detects another vehicle close to you in the lane you intend to merge into. The feature works only above 30 km/h.
Blind Spot Detection: 'Vehicle in proximity' indicator will illuminate (solid, not blinking) when the system detects a vehicle in your adjacent lane close to you and in your blind spot.
Rear Cross Traffic Alert: Works in conjunction with the reverse camera / sensor system. While reversing, if the system detects a passing vehicle approaching behind you, it will provide an audio warning and a visual overlay on the camera feed, indicating which side (left or right) the vehicle is approaching from. Rear crossing traffic detection works at less than 10 km/h (your speed, not the passing vehicle's).
Huge Shoutout to Om from MG Motors India for patiently demonstrating all the ADAS features personally, answering my questions and even helping me shoot a couple of do-overs when I didn't get them right at the first go. Top man !