MG Astor Initial Impressions
Hi members,
Long time lurker here, this is my first post. I took delivery of my Astor, Turbo 6 AT, Candy White on auspicious day of Dhanteras (Nov 2). I think I'm in a good position to provide initial impressions of car, considering I have done ~2600 kms in just under 2 months. And please consider this review from someone who's not very technical (despite having UG branch as automotive
) but loves driving the cars
First & foremost, this is my first owned car, third overall in family after Alto & Baleno. And boy, do I love the Baleno. Great city vehicle, all the necessary functionalities, specially good initial pickup, great mileage, Android Auto and good seat comfort. It was a comfortable car for our family of 4.
I was looking to buy a car for a while now with
following requirements and budget of ~20L and why Astor was the choice -
1. Should be safe. This car had scored good in both Australian & Asean NCAP (top model of MG ZST in these markets retails around same price as 17-18L INR). This was a calculative assumption I took of taking this car's safety proxy as these scores as car built also felt good in showroom visit. Also same chassis is used for EV, and considering people pay around 25L for that, it is highly unlikely that MG has reduced quality for Indian version. It's a shame that no NCAP scores are available for Indian retails apart from XUV 700 (looking at you too Hector, Safari, Harrier)
2. Should be comfortable for 4 over long trips as well. Now I'm 5'5 myself and my parents are shorter than me. Biggest member in family is my brother around 6 and he can sit in front. Rest assured when I drive, there is ample leg space for anyone behind my seat
. Every car passed this test
4. Should feel fast and easy even in city traffic. One reason of not going for Harrier, Hector, XUV or Safari was this, the drivability and this was the decision that gave me many sleepness nights. It won't be a stretch to say that closest bigger segments with their back seat comfort/overall space and those immersive speakers (man I love that immersion) gave me many sleepness nights. But driving Baleno over various city conditions and its adaptiveness in city conditions tipped the scales for this requirement to become as is
5. AT, initially I wasn't too inclined, took some test drives & felt how much more this will provide comfort over long trips. Yeah, this one was a very easy requirement that I didn't have initially
6. Should feel premium with low NVH levels. And Astor absolutely blows the competition in this regard
Astor was the only car that made the cut. Now onto the goods and the not-so-goods.
WHAT I LOVE
1. The suspension, oh how perfectly MG has tuned the suspension. If you're cruising on a highway and a bump appears suddenly, its not a concern. Brakes work smoothly to reduce speed and it can easily glide over the undulations perfectly upto speed of 40 km/h. Its not so soft so as to take corners around comfortably good speed, feels stable and planted. Like main review mentioned, it slots in right between Korean & German twins. I have been to kaccha roads of Sariska tiger reserve and suspension feels right at home cruising around 20-30 kph
2. The premiumness of interiors, this definitely matches the luxury of cars a segment or two beyond. I have a smile everytime I step into car
3. The looks, love how this feels more European than German twins. It doesn't try to be boxy, its a crossover and in many European markets, it actually will be categorised as hatchback (so will be others)
4. Tech features like blind spot monitoring, forward collision warning and 360 camera prove very useful in certain conditions such as lane change to & fro from a service lane to a speedway or in tight traffic to view left/front side space with a close side/front vehicle. Also, all ADAS features work over a certain speed limit, so one needn't worry about car just not moving at low-speed high-density traffic
5. One small thing I like, sound automatically gets lowered, while reversing. Also, camera switches to front/rear, depending on D/R gear while you're parking, useful in tight conditions. Very cool
6. Autohold, I switch it on while in standing traffic. I find it easier to press that button than flick up-down e-parking brake
7. Physical buttons, god sent. I don't have to take eyes of the road to fiddle with screen for basic functions. Very tactile and solid, closest match I'll say is volume control button found on Samsung Smart TV remote
WHAT I MAKE DO WITH
Why not hate ? Well, let's say I have put in a lot of money, so I feel hate will be a strong word, so let's begin -
1. Mileage in city traffic, it is around 8-12 kmpl and is on lower end if you want to feel that short bursts of acceleration in that patience-testing city traffic [Highway Mileage is good if acceleration-deacceleration curve is smooth (around 14-16 kmpl). Also, I think mileage shown in MID is maybe 1-2 kmpl higher than actuals]
2. Speaker system, while it is decent, its not Harrier or Hector like. I miss that deep bass
3. Missing out on ventilated seats, auto dimming IRVM (come on, Baleno has that). And coming in Astor 2022 (according to a Motor Octane article) ? I see a trend, this happened for MG Hector as well. Justifying price jumps in 2022, I guess ? Wireless AA and charging is also not there
4. Some tech features need improvement. Let's talk about Adaptive cruise control, the major one. It feels like a robot or a new child learning to accelerate. While auto braking is smooth, acceleration is very fast to reach set speed. No doubt feature is very cool, but wish the acceleration was bit smoother, not like someone hard pressing accelerator to floor. Also, need to mention this that cruise control was hardly a priority while purchasing, I just feel driving becomes monotonous after using it. Secondly, speed assist has to be turned on everytime I turn on the car, very irritating. And I think it's a hit & miss, couldn't read certain signs on highways. Lane Assist, works perfectly, I have switched it off, because the bongs due to this, feel like constant nagging I can't take
5. I think beam control function is not that great. It auto switches between side lights and dipped main beam, not dipped main beam and high main beam (correct me if I'm wrong ?). The latter would have been preferred (maybe something that can be changed with an ECU/software update ?)
ISSUES THAT NEED RESOLUTION
1. When sunblind is open, it constantly rattles on bad roads with frequent undulations. Not something one can observe easily on city rides. I'm yet to notify MG, just observed this one on Sariska reserve few days back.
2. At low speeds (around 5-10 kmph), sometimes on very light acceleration, I hear a sound, feels like coming from under the backseat. Feels like a screech or a grind. I'm not able to identify a pattern or recreate it consistently. Its very random, happens maybe 2-5 times on a 200 km run. Nothing feels wrong, but sound is very concerning. Notified MG on this one. Any help or suggestion on this one ?
3. When only one back door is opened, MID shows that both back doors are open. Confirmed with another Astor owner as well. Notified MG
Do I regret my decision ? Well, let's say I'm a proud owner. Many cons I already knew before, so decision to purchase this one was not so difficult. Second doubts about new launch ? Yes, but they were eased by knowledge of this car's presence in Thailand, Phillippines, Vietnam & Australian markets. How was the delivery experience ? Took delivery on the special Dhanteras launch from Gurgaon. I dealt with MG Noida for purchase and they did a good job of handling the purchase. I was adamant on not taking all of essential kit, just took the mud flaps. Got grass like carpeting from outside & car-cover from coverwell (Thanks TeamBHP). Issue resolution ? I'll comment back in 1-2 months, positive or negative based on MG's handling
Lastly, I'm planning to do ceramic coating to retain that gloss of white. Detailer near me is coating 25K for 2 coats of HYDRAX 9H graphene compound with 5 years warranty (3 additional coats every year + recoat on gloss loss) and 20K for 4 years of 9H only. Skill is not an issue, I have seen many high-end cars coming to the shop. Will love to hear from BHPians on the same.
When the beauty arrived Prowling in Sariska Tiger Reserve