Upgraded from a Ciaz to the MG Astor 1.5 CVT: 6 impartial observations

The car gives a mileage of about 5.5 km/L on office commutes.

BHPian vkap257 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I can vibe with you regarding the Astor which is a kind of hidden gem but for a certain niche of people - people like my Father in Law. He is one cool customer who would have brought a 1970s american land-yacht today if it was available . He loves to stick to the right lane doing 80 all day long and appreciates a high riding position at the same time. He isn’t a corner carver but hates the floaty wheel which his erstwhile Ciaz gave on highways.

The car was a perfect buy for him. The Dealership experience was nothing short of a dream. Even the service centre had basic courtesy of making their client feel good by offering proper lunch to him while he waited for servicing to finish.

I can resonate with your observations and might add some of mine too.

• The power of the car as you mentioned is adequate and performs well on highway. However due to the inherent nature of CVT, one has to be careful while overtaking on an incline. I was caught unaware 1-2 times and had a deer-in-headlights situation as the rubberband effect hit mid-overtake. One has to use the available manual mode. Paddle shifters would have helped a lot.

• The suspension of the car is very smooth and neutral in nature. Even my father in law was unknowingly driving faster due to the confidence the car gave him on highways. And dare I say the suspension is more silent than the Koreans.

• The lighting situation is good and adequate throw and spread is available. However I do agree that ambient lighting would have definitely helped. On that note, I actually donot like the instrument cluster as too much information is just spray painted there. I can only imagine how much it confuses my 60+ father.

• The material quality is good with on-par segment fit and finish. But ample use of leather like material uplifts the experience greatly. The buttons are good and have a weight to them without the hollowy-ticky feel while operating. The speakers and not good and I feel they are maruti-grade.

• I can understand your apprehensions about safety but in my research the car came up as a good scorer in ASEAN ncap and AU ncap tests. The car will ring even if the rear passengers are not belted up and also warns you of impending speed cameras in your route.

• 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

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