30,000 km with an MG Astor 1.5 CVT: My experience so far

Mileage has improved from 9-10 kmpl to 12.5 kmpl.

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30,000 kms in the Astor: My Experience

Hey guys, it's been a wonderful 1.5 years of ownership and a happy 30000 kms of driving. I am absolutely in love with the machine and am happy with my purchase. Now, just a small introduction about how I bought my Astor, why the Astor and why I am writing this review. By the end of the review, I'm sure you will have answers to these 3 questions. Let's go!

A Small Introduction

This car is supposed to be replacing my 11 year old Vento, which had munched some good 2.2L kms. I was a heavy driver in the Vento, constantly driving at triple digit speeds and enjoying every moment of the car. I also cover around 20000-25000 kms every year mainly on highways. I also maintain my car in pristine condition, only aesthetic modifications, no functional or power ones. I even had the stock paint in many places in my Vento.

Why the itch to upgrade?

I honestly had no reason to upgrade my car. Since it was a MT, there were no gearbox issues. The car was good to go for another 4-5 years. But every time I saw a SUV or a newer generation car blast past me at higher speeds, I felt left out and I also wanted to join the evolution. It was purely my mindset and nothing else. I sold my Vento to cars24 for an amount of 2.4L. I am happy with my decision, as now, some of the older cars are not being given the NOC certificate.

Why the Astor and why not the rivals?

When I was upgrading from the Vento, I knew that the next car was supposed to be an SUV. I wanted an SUV mainly because of the backaches I got from my Vento during long drives of around 9-10 hours. I was mainly looking at CSUVs to be precise. That means I was considering Astor, Kushaq, Taigun, Seltos and Creta. Coming from a German car, the Kushaq and the Taigun were natural options. But I did not like the understated interiors and the space was a little cramped. I also rejected the Creta due to its looks and the main competitors were Astor and Seltos. Seltos felt better in terms of driving and sound, and felt like the complete package. But some missing things like panoramic sunroof, ADAS and safety made me rethink. On 24th March, I booked my car in Savvy 1.5 CVT Sangria Red interiors in Aurora Silver colour. I took delivery on 28th April.

Initial Impressions

I had already covered 1000 km in less than 3 weeks. I had done the first service in a month. Whenever I took it out on the highway, on the first 3 months, I always felt that there was a lack of power and that the car only sounds but there is no sudden acceleration like what I had experienced in my Vento. I sometimes thought that I had made the wrong decision in buying the Astor. Nonetheless, I kept saying myself that the car will become better after the run-in period. And boy, I was right! The car behaves very differently once I crossed the 7500 kms mark. It became a little aggressive, to my driving style. I also changed the steering mode to Dynamic, which heavies the steering at high speeds. I have also reduced the tyre pressure to 32 PSI from 34 PSI.

Long term ownership (1.5 year review):

After owning the car for 1.5 years, I am very satisfied with the car and am happy about buying the Astor over the competition as I am now a little more concerned about safety. There are certain observations that I have made about the car, but that will be covered in the 'My Observations' part. I have loved driving the car. Mileage has improved from 9-10 kmpl to 12.5 kmpl (Note that I have a CVT variant). The car is a hoot to drive and I am very happy with the car's small footprint in the city. On the highway, the car pulls brilliantly and there is no feeling of lack of power. The car has been a great companion with me and I will definitely write another review at 50000 kms to update my journey with the Astor. For what that matters, I have named my car 'Steed'.

My Observations:

• The car behaves very differently in the run-in period and once out after the run-in period.

• I am missing the ambient lighting in the car very much. I am used to driving at night, and the ambient lighting really lightens up my mood. I am deciding on adding aftermarket ones. Any good ones out there?

• The car in a head-turner. I mean it in both a good and a bad way. The good way is that people surround it, take pictures and ask doubts about the car. They are amazed to see my steed. But the bad thing is that the car is subjected to constant vandalism. I hate the fact that whenever I park my car in unknown places and come back to collect it, someone has either scratched my car, or stolen one of my 'Morris Garages' hood branding's letter (I have replaced it twice), or someone has bumped into it. I am contemplating the purchase of a dashcam, as MG says that installing a dashcam voids warranty. That's actually the main reason why I have not installed aftermarket ambient lighting.

• The Silver colour is very tough to maintain - just like my Black Vento. Even a small spot will be an eyesore for the next 10-15 mins and I have to rub it with water to remove stains. The gloss black alloys are prone to scratches and constant cleaning will keep it glimmering.

• The interiors surely feel premium and I love sitting inside the car, even when I am not driving. I also love how the car does not show speed, and always feels like I am travelling slowly and comfortably. I also love how the suspension is tuned by MG.

Thank you so much for listening to my review. Hoping to have lots of happy miles in my steed. I am not attaching a picture as of now as my car is in the service centre for the annual service. Will soon upload a picture. Cheers!

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