[bijims]

Originally Posted by masterminded

Hi Guys!

I have recently sold my ride, Hyundai Verna Fluidic 2013 SX (o) Diesel MT. Been driving this for a decade now and have driven 171,500 kms. My experience of Hyundai was okish to be precise. From maintenance to rusting issues, I have seen much of Hyundai. No offense to any brand. Just my personal experience.

I have been a big fan of sedans. But, due to my recent issue of osteoarthritis, which I found out only after selling my car, I'm looking for Mid-Size SUV.

This segment is booming with options and can be very confusing to prioritize one over the other. All have something or the other to offer.

I have a family of five. Four adults and one 8 year old.

First, I had planned to go for Diesel Automatic, but the real confusion started when my doctor said to reduce my driving now. I am driving approx 50 kms a day from home to office and back. So then after a prolong thought, I will be now using my car for some days and will be traveling in private cabs on other days. My travel is 80% city and 20% highways.

My First Question: Should I opt for Diesel again or try to maintain peace with petrol.

If Petrol, is MG Astor 1.5 NA CVT good enough for my family?

A lot of mixed reviews about the software and mileage has been mentioned.

First of all, if you are planning for a Diesel AT SUV, your options vary from BOF SUVs like the Scorpio-N to Moncoque SUVs like the Kia Seltos, Hyundai Creta, Mahindra XUV700, Tata Harrier, and so on, but all of these cost over 20 lakhs OTR, Mumbai.

However, in the case of Petrol cars, Considering your requirement and because you are considering an Astor CVT 1.5, which costs anywhere between 16.5 lakhs to 20 lakhs OTR Mumbai, I am assuming you are looking for a car under 20 lakhs OTR, in such a case, I would recommend you consider the following options:

1. Honda Elevate ZX CVT
Honda is known for its rock-solid reliability and the 1.5 NA CVT is a tried and tested engine and can last you long without any issues, the car is also dynamically well-sorted and has an adequate feature list. It is a no-nonsense car that doesn't wow you with features but gets the job done. Price wise too it isn't very expensive either with the top-end costing under 19 lakhs OTR Mumbai.

2. Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Alpha AT
The Grand Vitara and Hyryder are good options worth considering in this segment if you are looking for a reliable SUV and don't care much about performance. It gets most of the features you could ask for in a car of this price and gets the best sales and service network in the country as well.

Skoda Kushaq Ambition 1.5 DSG/ VW Taigun GT 1.5 DSG
If you want the best performance for the money, then the VW-Skoda twins are the way to go, the 1.5L TSI with DSG is the best combo for performance enthusiasts in this range. Both of them cost exactly 20 lakhs OTR, Mumbai.

As regards the Astor CVT, it is a good car in terms of features, but fuel efficiency is lacking compared to the competition.

[carscrazy22]

Getting decent mileage in City. This is for afternoon drive from Gurgaon to Ghaziabad, AC off for most part. This is 1.5 L, manual.

[mgastor2022grey]

Originally Posted by masterminded

Is MG Astor 1.5 NA CVT good enough for my family?

A lot of mixed reviews about the software and mileage has been mentioned.

Hi man, I drive the 1.5L Savvy CVT with ADAS. It is a great car to drive with the family and with 4 passengers on board, it gives a mileage of 12 kmpl. Sure, it is not as engaging to drive as the Taigun or Seltos, but trust me, after the run-in period, it is definitely great above 120 kmph too.

In case you are looking for good interiors, take the Red variant too, worth the Rs.10000 extra. I have clocked 38200 kms till now, no major issues except some kisses from the traffic .

If you prioritize safety and build quality along with premium factor, Astor is the go to vehicle for you. But, if you need an engaging to drive car, look at the Seltos. Amazing performance, dual exhaust tips (my favorite) and a more-or-less good interior.

All the best for your next ride!

[masterminded]

Originally Posted by bijims

First of all, if you are planning for a Diesel AT SUV, your options vary from BOF SUVs like the Scorpio-N to Moncoque SUVs like the Kia Seltos, Hyundai Creta, Mahindra XUV700, Tata Harrier, and so on, but all of these cost over 20 lakhs OTR, Mumbai.

However, in the case of Petrol cars, Considering your requirement and because you are considering an Astor CVT 1.5, which costs anywhere between 16.5 lakhs to 20 lakhs OTR Mumbai, I am assuming you are looking for a car under 20 lakhs OTR, in such a case, I would recommend you consider the following options:

1. Honda Elevate ZX CVT
Honda is known for its rock-solid reliability and the 1.5 NA CVT is a tried and tested engine and can last you long without any issues, the car is also dynamically well-sorted and has an adequate feature list. It is a no-nonsense car that doesn't wow you with features but gets the job done. Price wise too it isn't very expensive either with the top-end costing under 19 lakhs OTR Mumbai.

2. Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Alpha AT
The Grand Vitara and Hyryder are good options worth considering in this segment if you are looking for a reliable SUV and don't care much about performance. It gets most of the features you could ask for in a car of this price and gets the best sales and service network in the country as well.

Skoda Kushaq Ambition 1.5 DSG/ VW Taigun GT 1.5 DSG
If you want the best performance for the money, then the VW-Skoda twins are the way to go, the 1.5L TSI with DSG is the best combo for performance enthusiasts in this range. Both of them cost exactly 20 lakhs OTR, Mumbai.

As regards the Astor CVT, it is a good car in terms of features, but fuel efficiency is lacking compared to the competition.

Hey @bijims

Thank you for your response. Today I managed to TD all of the vehicles as per your recommendations.

I agree Honda elevate is a great product. Loved the engine and gearbox combi. Lovely tuned for a nice comfortable city and highway ride. I was able to extract 12kmpl in overall 20km TD.
The only issue i got was the driver seat. For a 6ft tall guy with arthritis issue, i was in pain in my left upper thigh. I guess it was due to the lack of under thigh support for me. Rest i loved it.

[hakunamatata]

Checkpoint: 1 year with the MG Astor

So, I completed 1 year with the Astor a few days back and clocked around 8k kms before the 3rd free service. One year later, here are a few observations:

Infotainment issue is resolved
I had highlighted an issue about a lag in the infotainment system, especially Google Maps navigation, in my earlier posts. Thanks to everyone on the forum for their suggestions! I tried all of them. Also, I got a software update in the 6-month service. I am not sure which one of these was the actual solution, but I am happy to report that I have not faced the issue ever since.

Service is great if you don't use the pickup vendor
There were a few hiccups with the service experience in the first two services (1 month and 6 months) with MG Mahadevapura, Bangalore. Both the times, it was related to the pickup of the vehicle from my home.

• In the 1-month service, the driver never showed up and I had to escalate the issue. Finally, my vehicle was picked up at 2pm instead of 9am.
• In the 6-months service, the driver took my car for a long drive after picking it up from the service center. I realized that the trip distance was around 35km more than the 5km distance for the service center. I checked my dash cam footage and found that he was randomly driving around the city for almost an hour. While handing over the keys, he even complimented me that the car is really fun to drive!

However, this is more of an issue related to their third-party vendor for vehicle pickups. MG doesn’t seem to have much control over it. So, I have decided that from now on I will deliver the car to the service center myself.
Apart from that the service has been great. The car has always been checked properly. Service has been done well. The best thing about their service is that MG takes feedback very seriously and they act on it as well.

Mileage got better with time
When I bought the car, I was getting 8-9 kmpl in city and 13-15kmpl on highways. This has been consistently improving with time. Now I comfortably get 12-13kmpl in city and 15-17kmpl on highways. You can add another +2kmpl to these figures if you drive with the AC turned off. I believe that this improvement partially comes from my driving style adapting to the MG over the year. The rest would probably be coming from the engine becoming more refined.



No cabin noises. Suspension still feels like driving on clouds.
Although I have not been a very rough user, the car been over rough patches every now and then. We have also been on several outstation trips including hilly areas, forests and village roads. One year later, the suspension still feels really comfortable. There is no cabin noise while driving. The interiors still feel as plush as they felt on day one. The car is still super fun to drive.

If looks could kill
I still find the Astor's styling to be as appealing and aesthetically pleasing as it was when we bought it. One year later, I still look back at it and check it out in the parking lot. The car grows on you.



Overall, it has been a wonderful ownership experience and I would still recommend the Astor to anyone considering buying a vehicle in this segment.

Also, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2024 in advance. Cheers!

[masterminded]

Originally Posted by mgastor2022grey

Hi man, I drive the 1.5L Savvy CVT with ADAS. It is a great car to drive with the family and with 4 passengers on board, it gives a mileage of 12 kmpl. Sure, it is not as engaging to drive as the Taigun or Seltos, but trust me, after the run-in period, it is definitely great above 120 kmph too.

In case you are looking for good interiors, take the Red variant too, worth the Rs.10000 extra. I have clocked 38200 kms till now, no major issues except some kisses from the traffic .

If you prioritize safety and build quality along with premium factor, Astor is the go to vehicle for you. But, if you need an engaging to drive car, look at the Seltos. Amazing performance, dual exhaust tips (my favorite) and a more-or-less good interior.

All the best for your next ride!

Hey mgastor2022grey,

Thank you for your valuable feedback. I have booked the sharp variant 1.5NA CVT. Silver.

My family loved it and that’s more than a reason to buy. Will be taking the delivery on 21st January 2024.

Got a good deal in December 2023 as the dealer had it in stock and was able to negotiate.

This forum has provided lots of valuable information about buying a vehicle. Managed to learn a lot and apply on ground level. Spot on.

Good to see this forum grown this size after so many years and specially the members who have gone the distance to provide such information and learning

Great to be associated with this forum

[masterminded]

Originally Posted by Vkap257

6. My father got a discount of 1.25 lakhs while buying the car. But nothing in life is free and hence he gets 5.5 KMPL on his office commute

How to avoid the seat belt notifications
OMG 5.5KMPL is too low..

Read about the FE horror stories.

I still do expect the car to deliver 9kmpl in slow traffic.

[Vkap257]

Originally Posted by masterminded

How to avoid the seat belt notifications
OMG 5.5KMPL is too low..

Read about the FE horror stories.

I still do expect the car to deliver 9kmpl in slow traffic.

MG cheapened out on seat load cells for rear seats, this makes the seat belt alarm chime for some time if the rear seats are not belted. Now you know what to do. Another trick is to feather the throttle and keep the rpms below 1800. This results in respectable mileage.

[masterminded]

Originally Posted by Vkap257

MG cheapened out on seat load cells for rear seats, this makes the seat belt alarm chime for some time if the rear seats are not belted. Now you know what to do. Another trick is to feather the throttle and keep the rpms below 1800. This results in respectable mileage.

Then i guess paddle shifting is a big big miss. Loved it while TD Honda Elevate and Kia Seltos

[mgastor2022grey]

Originally Posted by masterminded

Hey mgastor2022grey,

Thank you for your valuable feedback. I have booked the sharp variant 1.5NA CVT. Silver.

Hi man, happy that my suggestion helped you choose your ride, congratulations on the booking! And great color choice, same color as mine . Wishing you to have millions of happy miles in your new steed! Do post an initial ownership review after you have taken delivery

[rkr81]

Anyone facing reverse camera malfunction in Astor 1.3T AT? Mine gets disconnected occasionally and returns to Home screen. Also, phone gets connected via BT, but contacts doesn't sync. I have given the vehicle to ASC couple of times. The logs had been extracted and sent to MG IT team. Almost 1.5 months and still they say that they are unable to ascertain the root cause.. Anyone facing similar challenge?

[souvikjana83]

Anyone facing handbrake failure on slopes? Even after putting the handbrake fully, it is still rolling backwards on slopes. What to do in this case? Do I need to visit the service center

[masterminded]

Originally Posted by mgastor2022grey

Hi man, happy that my suggestion helped you choose your ride, congratulations on the booking! And great color choice, same color as mine . Wishing you to have millions of happy miles in your new steed! Do post an initial ownership review after you have taken delivery

Yea just went ahead and closed the deal. As suggested on this platform, did a pre registration inspection. As per VIN, the car is manufactured in November 2023 and ODU read 32kms.

Attaching details how to check manufacturing details as per the VIN. It starts with MZ7 i guess and it’s a 17 character long.

[masterminded]

Originally Posted by mgastor2022grey

Hi man, happy that my suggestion helped you choose your ride, congratulations on the booking! And great color choice, same color as mine . Wishing you to have millions of happy miles in your new steed! Do post an initial ownership review after you have taken delivery

Hey guys,

1. Should we consider purchasing any accessories from the dealer or after market is good enough?

2. Is it recommended to buy additional warranty and the service packages offered by MG? I might be covering approx 15k kms per year max.

[carscrazy22]

Originally Posted by masterminded

Hey guys,

1. Should we consider purchasing any accessories from the dealer or after market is good enough?

2. Is it recommended to buy additional warranty and the service packages offered by MG? I might be covering approx 15k kms per year max.

What accessories are you looking for? The dealer should give the basic kit that consist of 3d mats, screenguard, mudflaps, body cover and a few other things. I have purchased extended warranty. Should be useful unless you are looking to bake changes to electrical's or wheels etc in which case specific components may loose cover. It's about 20K for RSA and EW for two years with a limit of 1L KM. Looked reasonable to me if you are planning to keep the car for 5 years.