[adimicra]

I think members in this thread are unreasonably being critical of MG. The pricing may not be disruptive but it is definitely very competitive. The ADAS will push the pricing up , but then noone else in the segment is offering it anyways.
The Astor looks and feels premium than the competition, (particularly the interiors) and provides a good set of features. Yes, there are some missing bits when compared to Creta, but it does have some advantages over the Creta as well and it's priced almost 1 lakh lower. Also, let's not forget the terrible crash safety record of the Koreans.
The Skoda/VW twins has a slight advantage in performance and handling but lacks in everything else - features, quality, presence and on top of it, are priced higher by 75K.

May be our inherent biases are playing tricks - ' being a Chinese company, so it should be priced dirt cheap'. If you look at the car without considering the Chinese origin, I doubt whether the pricing will start to look good.

[shibulijack]

Source: MG Dealer

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...1&d=1633951595

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by adimicra

The Astor looks and feels premium than the competition, (particularly the interiors) and provides a good set of features. Yes, there are some missing bits when compared to Creta, but it does have some advantages over the Creta as well and it's priced almost 1 lakh lower. Also, let's not forget the terrible crash safety record of the Koreans..

I am sorry, but exactly how frequently have crashes/accidents been reported for the Creta, Tucson, I20, Verna, Aura,Venue, Grand I10, Santro Or Seltos, Sonet, Carnival to make a generalization ? Yes, the Seltos could have had a better GNCAP score than 3 Stars. But that cannot be extended to all of Hyundai/Kia products and in any case, current GNCAP high scores will be moot post 2022 norms.

My post earlier was in effect saying that MG could have straddled both the sub4m and 4+m CSUV segments with a pricing "crossover" if you will. With a price that is close to Creta/Seltos variants, MG can at best hope to win over customers who are tired of seeing 6 month waiting lists. But it wont be easy to dislodge established marques like the Creta. On the other hand, those who were thinking of the Venue or Sonet or even the Kiger/Magnite could have had a second look at the Astor with a mid-upper variant priced at around 14-15 lac.

[neeraj0272]

members here are comparing Astor only with other pseudo-SUVs which I feel is only a part of the total car scene in this price range. I myself was more inclined towards SUVs but finally settled for a sedan - Honda city which is almost in the same price bracket.
My analysis:
a. there is nothing spectacular about exterior looks of Astor except for the front grill.
b. drive-ability of Astor is average at best and there is considerable lag at initial pickup stage.
c. Usefulness and practicality of Smart features in a car is very debatable.
d. Only thing where Astor scores is its interior. Its interiors especially the sangria leather are a fresh breath of air.These interiors are the only thing which is driving the hype behind Astor.

If one analyze Astor objectively and discount its novelty factor then I think Astor would lose its appeal for a lot many customers.
MG knows this and so they are trying to grab as many customers as possible before this novelty wears off.

[CEF_Beasts]

MG Astor price check compared to competitors.



https://www.instagram.com/p/CU4xX8yo...dium=copy_link

[RPM1706]

Originally Posted by shibulijack

Source: MG Dealer

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...1&d=1633951595

Interesting. The Sangria Red is being treated as an upgrade and charged separately. Evidently, MG realises this is a sought after feature that has got buyers interested.

But not clear if it can be opted for even in the Smart (at least) variant too or only restricted to Sharp.

[CircleOfLife]

Now the cat is out of the bag. Dust will get settled soon.

How does one see the pricing? It's both relative to individual perception of VFM and balancing with the needs of the daily driver.

Pricing on the top end of spectrum has been deliberately shown to undercut the rival. Why so? Market expectations. MG Hector effect. Once you have set a bar the next product is only expected to exceed/scale expectation of previous launch.

What is not out of the bag?

• Options pack pricing (Isn't this the USP of the product?)
• Services that are offered as of services on platform Jio, MapMyIndia etc. ( Which are free and which are not)
• As one has mentioned even dual tone sangaria red seems to attract additional pricing
• There was mention of sizeable customization options available to customer
• Extended warranty cost? With automatic variant this is unavoidable. MG comes only with 3 years warranty compared to German rivals 4 yrs. One needs to invest earlier.
• Replacement cost of ADAS equipment cost in case of front or rear ending.

If one has to really gauge what will the top end of the vehicle cost with all the bells and whistles it's still anyone guess. In my shoes i will definitely look TCO for a 5 year period and then come to a conclusion. Let emotions settle down and numbers take priority seat.

[tsk13]

Any idea on the ARAI Fuel Efficiency figures for both the engines?

The promotional material and the general brochure are silent on this.

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

I am sorry, but exactly how frequently have crashes/accidents been reported for the Creta, Tucson, I20, Verna, Aura,Venue, Grand I10, Santro Or Seltos, Sonet, Carnival to make a generalization ? Yes, the Seltos could have had a better GNCAP score than 3 Stars. But that cannot be extended to all of Hyundai/Kia products and in any case, current GNCAP high scores will be moot post 2022 norms.

This is no generalization, it's a logical statement, while your argument is actually hard to believe.

Creta and Seltos are from the same parent company and share the same platform/components. If one of them got a poor crash safety rating, then it is reasonable to assume the other one will also do equally bad. In absence of crash safety rating of the Indian Creta, this is the best possible estimate.

And the less said about the crash safety rating of other Hyundais, the better, Most of them got 0/2 stars (Santro, I10 etc.)

Anyways, if you feel the Creta is a safe car, please go ahead. I am done with my argument.

[ranjitht87]

Originally Posted by shibulijack

Source: MG Dealer

Official brochure available now in MG website.

[AravBS]

Visited MG showroom in JP Nagar ring road, Bengaluru yesterday. The showroom experience was totally opposite to what i have been reading in this forum. The small showroom (sales outlet ?) was moderately busy, nobody greeted or enquired the customers stepping inside. Customers were left unattended and were exploring the white Astor (top end) on display on their own. The only solace was we were offered water bottles.

Coming to the car,
Interiors is very good and feels premium (USP of the car).
Sangria red interiors looks good, other colors were not on display
Leg room at the rear is adequate.
2nd row seats are manageable for 3 passengers (better than what has been said in the reviews)
Boot is quite usable and spacious compared to competitors

Exterior does not feel as refreshing as the interiors except for the front grill. The display car (white) in the sales outlet and test drive car (orange) both look dated already.

The light roof glass and the cloth / mesh feel was concerning to me. Experts can comment on how safe and long lasting can they be.

None of the staff attended to us, so didn't do a test drive.

Overall me and my wife liked the car, ticks most of the boxes for an urban customer.

[Arun1]

Originally Posted by shibulijack

Source: MG Dealer

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...1&d=1633951595

How accurate is this ?

The difference between the style and super otr is ~2L.

Am I really paying 2 lakhs for reverse parking and 17" Alloy upgrades.
I could get them done after market for half the price and just as good or better quality.

[AravBS]

I am interested in the 1.5 CVT top end. How does the CVT drive ? Has anybody driven this / is there a detailed review available anywhere ?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Few more thoughts on the pricing:

Damn that base variant is priced to kill! Comparing feature-set, the entry level Astor is priced a good 3 lakhs ex-showroom cheaper than the Germans.

Sub-10L in many states will have huge advantage and still gets appealing features like -

• Dual airbags + ESC + TC
• Hill hold + Hill descent
• Four wheel disc brakes
• full-LED headlamps
• Automatic climate control
• rear wiper and washer + defogger
• Rear spoiler
• leather wrapped dashboard and door trims
• leather wrapped steering
• Android auto and apple carplay
• steering mounted controls
• driver armrest
• rear seat armrest
• Rear ac vent
• Steering modes
• keyless entry
• 10.1 inch touchscreen entertainment.

This is not even close to a barebones variant and specced similar to the mid-spec variants of the Kushaq and Taigun, which are priced closer to 12.8 lakhs. Creta E and Seltos HTE are also absolute barebone cars in comparison without even a proper music system - let alone a 10 inch touchscreen.

The non-pano sunroof 1.5 NA MT& variants (Style, Super and Smart) are priced even cheaper than the 1.5 NA variants of the decade old Duster with far lesser quality and tons more features! Kicks is cheaper but only because it has been kicked out of the market.

Sharp offers panoramic sunroof, curtain airbags, rear drive assist, 360 camera, powered seats, blind spot detection, diamond cut alloys, etc for just 80k over the Smart. One rival charged 40k recently just to add the additional airbags and a low-spec TPMS.

The 220 AT engine might not be the best in the segment, but skip the panoramic sunroof, powered seats, 360 camera etc (none of the which the Germans also get) and you end up with a larger car, with 25hp and ~350cc more, with slightly more features and quality for a lesser price than the top-end 1.0 TSi Germans, with the Smart variant. Enthusiasts will miss the 6 airbags instead of four though - but then again the enthusiasts were not the primary targets for the 1.0 variants. City users won't miss the 1.0 TSi AT as the 1.3 Turbo was rated somewhere between the 1.0 and 1.5 TSi options by many.

I'm certainly not in the group disappointed with the pricing. Obviously the high-end feature packs make the car expensive - but compare apples to apples against what is available in the rivals, and the pricing is nice indeed.

Will I pre-book one? Certainly not though! All said and done - doesn't appeal to the heart like the 1.5 TSi DSG did, when off the flatbed.

Originally Posted by neeraj0272

I myself was more inclined towards SUVs but finally settled for a sedan - Honda city which is almost in the same price bracket.

Sedans don't sell anymore and have to be priced very competitive against the crossover segment. In fact, the sedans are competing against turbo variants of sub-4m SUVs in pricing now!

Attaching the new brochure:

[bwildrd#1]

Originally Posted by AravBS

I am interested in the 1.5 CVT top end. How does the CVT drive ? Has anybody driven this / is there a detailed review available anywhere ?

Originally Posted by armaan_singh

I’m waiting for the drive reviews off the CVT variant, for a fairly sedate driver that should be the one to pick, I’m happy it comes in below 15 Lacs on road in Delhi, with decent enough kit.

CVT is very sluggish. I drove it yesterday. That's not variant one should opt in Astor. If you are keen on automatic I would suggest you to look at 1.3 turbo AT. CVT variant picks up speed very slowly. One should plan well before overtaking. TD car was pretty much new. I'm not sure whether things will improve over the time with the gearbox. Request bhpians who have used CVT in other cars to share their views.

Originally Posted by Pras92003

I hope the CVT drives well. If it does then I would definitely go for an upgrade from my Baleno. Although space would be less(somehow I have this feeling) , the safety and automatic at this price point is really good.

Space is definitely less than Baleno. Legroom might be similar but shoulder room is lesser than Baleno. But you can have long list of safety features.