MG Astor Review: Compact SUV Big On Tech

The Compact SUV segment has been dominated by the Koreans like the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos for the last few years. Off late there's been with some credible challenge from European cousins called Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun. And now there's a new challenger that boasts technology and features like none of the rivals. The MG Astor is the petrol counterpart of the now popular ZS EV from the Chinese-British enterprise. Usually we get electric versions of existing petrol-powered cars but here is the story is different.

Design

The Astor gets a different grille and headlamps when compared to ZS EV.

The Astor carries just enough changes on the outside to help you differentiate it from its electric sibling. The celestial pattern on the grille with tungsten steel electroplated finish is one giveaway. Projector headlamps and the pattern on the DRLs also is different here. And the bumper has also been slightly redesigned.  The taillights have been reworked to offer a unique LED signature. The crossover look is complete with cladding on the wheel arches and doors, roof rails, and big 17-inch alloys where the pattern is rather nice. The wing mirrors are heated, which is a segment first.

Also read: MG Astor Compact SUV Unveiled In India

The Astor is taller, wider and longer than its main rivals Creta, Seltos, Taigun and Kushaq.

The Astor badge at the rear is a little in your face. And interestingly, the ZS nomenclature also lives on. Down below dual exhaust design with chrome which rather appealing. The car we drove was in the catchy spiced orange colour. In all there are 5 colours to choose including Aurora silver, Glaze red, Candy white and Starry black. The Astor is 4323 mm, 1809 mm wide and 1650 mm high which makes it taller, wider and longer than the Creta, Seltos, Taigun and Kushaq. However its wheelbase of 2585 mm is shorter than all those cars.

Tech & Interior

You can choose from 3 interior themes on the car including this dual tone Sangria.

The first thing you notice on the front seat is the dual tone sangria interior which makes the look quite premium. This is one of 3 interior themes you can choose on the car. Then there is the big 10.1-inch touch screen infotainment system. It is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which is offered on the car is standard. The list of features is long here as the Astor gets power adjustable front seats, auto-climate control, 360-degree camera view, air-purifier, electric parking brake and a huge panoramic sunroof. Just how many of these features trickle down to the lower variants, we'll have to wait and see. The 7-inch fully digital instrument cluster provides some useful information and slick graphics as well. Again no idea if base variants will get this or regular dials with an info screen at the centre.

Also read: MG Astor Compact SUV: All You Need To Know

The Astor is the first MG to get an AI or artificial intelligence personal assistant.

MG began the trend of connected cars in India and the Astor just takes the story forward in a much bigger way. It comes with more than 80 internet features and debuts the new concept of Car as a Platform – a flexible software platform which will allow a host of services and apps. These include Wikipedia, Jiosaavn, Park+ and MaymyIndia. The car gets Jio connectivity through an embedded sim and the first-of-its-kind Blockchain-protected vehicle digital passport. It is the first car to get an AI or artificial intelligence personal assistant, in the company's global portfolio. The AI Assistant speaks in the voice of celebrated paralympian-athlete and Padma Shri winner Deepa Malik. It can also understand 35 commands in Hinglish. Here's a small chat Editor-in-Chief of carandbike Siddharth Vinayak Patankar had with the assistant

SVP - Hello Astor

Astor - Hi. How can I help?
SVP - How is the weather today?
Astor - The weather on September, the 27th in 2021 for is from 26.7 to 33.9 degrees Celsius. Partly sunny, with thunderstorms in daytime was mostly clear, at night.
SVP - Hello Astor.
Astor - I am listening.
SVP - Please tell me a joke.
Astor - My doctor central refer to my nervous breakdown as an episode. To be honest, it seemed more like a season finale.
SVP - What's India's, number one, automobile show on TV.
Astor - the car and bike show prime edition. This show has been India's number one, automobile based program for over 10 years. Every Monday catch the latest products, industry news.

Also read: New MG Astor Compact SUV: Engine Specifications & Tech Explained

What you see is a little robot like thing which actually looks at you, it also responds to the voice in terms of where you are in the car so if you're on the passenger side it will turn towards you. It also has many expressions and animations. If you think some of this is going to be distracting to you. Well the good news is that you can turn the screen, and the AI assistant off so that when you're driving at night, especially that doesn't distract you, but for the most part, you know it's there it's like a companion.

The car gets another innovation using a smartphone app. Well you can start many cars remotely using apps but the Astor actually goes a step further. You can actually drive this car without a physical key. The digital key feature on the MG iSmart app is a great innovation, one that will come in handy in many situations. Also because it needs no network connectivity, and so will work in basements. That's because it uses Bluetooth to connect to the car.

second row gets a centre armrest and 3-point seat belts for all passengers.

On the second row you can control the infotainment system while sitting on the second row again through the app. Overall, the sense of space isn't bad here, but it isn't great too. It's just about adequate when it comes to leg room and thigh support. The headroom and back angle are good. Use the centre armrest and 2 people will feel more comfortable here. But if a 3rd person is sitting here then he gets a 3-point seat belt. You also get 2 USB charging points and AC vents here. So while the conversation about the tech and interior can go on and on when it comes to the Astor, there's also the small matter of how it drives.

Driving Dynamics

The Astor gets 2 Petrol engine options including a turbo motor.

Just like the 2 recent entrants to the segment from the VW Group family, the Astor also gets 2 Petrol engine options. You get both manual and auto gearboxes. The range topper is the 1.4 litre turbo Petrol which makes 138 bhp @ 5600 rpm and 220 Nm @ 3600 rpm. A 6-speed Automatic comes as standard here. It also gets a Sport mode but what's missing here are paddle shifts. You can have a manual with the other engine. Here the naturally 1.5 litre aspirated engine makes 108 bhp @ 6000 rpm along with 144 Nm @ 4,400 rpm. It gets 5-Speed manual or CVT transmission options. We drove the former at the Buddh International Circuit.

Also read: MG Astor To Be Offered In Eight Variants

The Turbo variants get a 6-speed automatic gearbox as standard.

Its a smart strategy from MG that to offer the two different petrol engines so they can play in different price points. The turbo engine itself is not the most electric it's not very powerful but it comes across as extremely refined that's something buyers in this segment like. It is also married really nicely to the gearbox that is extremely smooth and responsive at the same time.  The car feels taut and that's where its compact proportions help. The steering is reasonably precise, and so are the brakes. While initial acceleration is not instant, the car's cruising capability is pretty good. Sound damping is also well done, so the cabin is quiet and feels more premium.

For better handling, the Astor gets three different modes on the steering wheel.

The handling on the car is pretty good and that's something a lot of you will like. Ride  quality for our road conditions and bumpy roads is good too. The car does sit a little bit low, you get a sense of it not being as tall as some of the rivals and it does look like a crossover on the outside. A special feature on the Astor is where you get three different modes on the steering wheel. You got the urban mode where things are nice and loose and relaxed. It's helpful especially in tricky parking or narrow lane kind of situations. Then you got the normal setting which maintains a balance between it being a little bit stiff and being very easy to win over, and then you've got that stiff sporty feel on the dynamic setting, which is helpful when you're driving at higher speeds or doing some fast cornering.  

Safety

The Astor uses six radars and five cameras, allowing it to manage 14 driver assistance functions. 

The MG Astor also comes with Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) along with Level 2 autonomous technology. MG has partnered with Bosch for this, and the Astor uses six radars and five cameras, allowing it to manage 14 driver assistance functions.These features are nicely integrated into the infotainment system so its very easy to access and use them. For example, the Lane Keep Assist works well at speeds over 60 kmph per hour and the system does all it can to keep you safe in a lane. Then you have features like Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning and Automatic Emergency Braking, all very useful in Indian road conditions. The speed assist system and its intelligent mode reduces the speed of the car to keep it within legal limits once it spots a speed limit sign.

The SUV comes with 27 standard safety features. 

That's not all you also get rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Change Assist, Blind Spot Detection, and Intelligent Headlamp Control. However, it is likely that ADAS will feature only on the Astor's top variant. The SUV also comes with 27 standard safety features including ESP or electronic stability program, traction control and hill descent control. There are additional safety features like 6 airbags, ISOFIX mounts, TPMS and all 4 disc brakes.

Verdict

The ultra-competitive compact SUV segment now has one more worthy addition.

We expect the Astor to be priced between Rs. 9 and 18 lakh, ex-showroom. It is slated to go on sale in the market in the next few weeks, bang in the middle of the festive season. The going will be not be easy as there are some established rivals vying for the buyer's attention and there's also no Diesel here. But MG is known to offer more for less and many segment-first features. With aggressive pricing and long feature list, the Astor could make a considerable dent in the ultra-competitive compact SUV segment.