MG Windsor EV Review: This EV Will Keep Surprising You!

Following its partnership with JSW Group, MG Motor India has reinforced its product offensive for the Indian market, and electric vehicles are a big part of it. With that, the company recently launched its third EV in India – the MG Windsor EV. Globally sold as the Wuling Cloud EV, we brought you an exclusive first look of the EV just sometime back, from the Indonesia auto show. And now the EV has finally reached our shores. I recently got to drive the new MG Windsor EV to answer some very important questions. How good is the EV? What features and tech do you get? And should you be considering it? Let’s find out!

Also Read: MG Windsor EV Full Prices Revealed: Range Starts At Rs 13.50 Lakh

Desing & Styling 

The Windsor EV gets all-LED lighting and it's standard across the variant line-up

MG calls the Windsor EV a CUV or Crossover Utility Vehicle, and its born electric architecture is seen in its quirky design. And frankly, I quite like it. The EV has a futuristic pod-like design which is highlighted by all-LED lighting – the connected LED bar, headlights and taillights – all of which are standard. In fact, even the MG logo up front illuminates. It can’t get more EVs than that. 

The MG Windsor EV adopt AEROGLIDE design and comes with flush-fitted door handles

The MG Windsor EV adopts what the company calls AEROGLIDE design which allows for better aerodynamics. And that is why you’ll also see flush-fitted door handles and a first-in-segment glass antenna. The Windsor runs on a set of 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels which go particularly well with the EV design, especially when in motion. There are four colours on offer, and the models with me were Turquoise Green and Pearl White; the other two options were - Clay Beige and Starburst Black. 

Despite the Windsor EV's compact appearance, the EV's dimensions are well-proportioned 

Despite the car’s compact appearance, the born EV platform has also allowed MG to use the dimensions to its favour. To give you some perspective, the Windsor EV is slightly longer and wider than the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and gets almost a similar wheelbase. However, this is a 5-seater vehicle, which means the space inside the cabin is also generous.

Interior & Cabin Features 

The cabin of the MG Windsor EV is spacious and comes with lots of storage options

Step inside MG Windsor and you’ll know you are inside an electric vehicle. The floating centre console, button-less dashboard and flat floor make for a quintessential born EV layout, which is accentuated by the lounge-style seats. There are three trims on offer - Excite, Exclusive and Essence, and while the base model gets fabric seats and a manually adjustable driver’s seat, the other two feature leatherette upholstery with a quilted diamond-shaped pattern and power adjustable driver’s seat. A ventilation function too is available for the driver and co-driver. 

The top-spec model features lounge-style seats with ventilation function and powered driver seat

Also Read: MG Windsor EV: Price, Variants Explained

I am a sucker for smartly designed cabin storage spaces, and the Windsor EV doesn’t disappoint. The centre console gets three cup holders and a cooled glove box, and below that you get another massive storage area for more nick-nacks. The dashboard houses another large glovebox, and the door pockets too can easily accommodate a 1-litre bottle. 

Panoramic glass, auto AC, cruise control, and all 4 power windows are among the top highlights

You get auto air conditioning as well, along with a panoramic glass roof. Other features include – cruise control, a tilt and telescopic steering wheel, all 4 power windows, and a 9 Speaker Audio System by Infinity.

The rear seat gets a 60:40 split function and a recline angle of 135 degrees as standard

At the rear, you continue to get the lounge-style seats which get a 60:40 split function as standard. Having a flat floor means three average-sized adults can sit with ease and all three of them will get adjustable headrests as well. However, the party piece here is the reclining rear seat that comes with a recline angle of 135 degrees, so it will almost feel like you are sitting on your couch. 

The Windsor EV comes with a boot space of 604-litres, but the top-spec model gets a 579-litre luggage capacity

Infotainment & Tech

The massive 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system is the cabin's big highlight

What truly grabs your attention inside the cabin is the massive 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which is also the main command centre of the car. Impressive as it may be, it’s a bit too much tech for my liking, because everything inside the car, short of the ignition and AC controls, needs to be operated via the touchscreen, and I am not a big fan of it. Well, something like seat ventilation, or ambient lighting is fine, however, here even controlling the headlamps or folding the ORVMs needs to be done using the touchscreen. 

Also Read: MG Windsor EV vs Tata Nexon EV: Range, Battery, Features Compared

Be it controlling the headlamps or folding the ORVMs, they need to be done using the touchscreen

Having said that, you do get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with MG’s i-Smart connected car technology. This includes more than 80 connected car features like - over 30 Hinglish voice commands, remote car controls, and an MG Appstore offering Jio Apps and AI features. The system also offers multiple these to customise the layout of the display. Sadly, due to our limited time with the car, I did not get to test all these functions except for the voice command feature, which works fine but has its limitations. MG also offers a Digital Key with the car with sharing capabilities; however, it was another feature that we could not experience. 

The 8.8-inch screen is informative but it could have been design well

There is a digital instrument cluster as well, however, the 8.8-inch screen is not the best in terms of quality and the size too looks disproportionate in comparison to the main screen. However, it is quite minimalistic and informative. The steering too looks cool and modern, and the buttons have multi-functional usage. The controls on the left can be used to adjust ORVMs and the AC controls, while the ones on the right can be used to adjust the trip meter and audio controls.

Safety

The Exclusive and Essence variants additionally get – 360 view cameras, LED cornering lights & TPMS

Coming to safety, almost every feature is offered as a standard fitment. This includes – 6 airbags, 3 pointed seatbelts with reminders for all passengers, hill start assist control, hill descent control, electronic parking brake with auto hold, rear parking sensors and a tyre pressure Indicator. The other bits include All 4 Disc Brakes, ISOFIX, Rain Sensing Wipers, Auto Headlamps, and LED rear fog lamps. The Exclusive and Essence variants additionally get – 360-degree view cameras, LED cornering lights, and a proper Tyre Pressure monitoring system. 

Battery and Powertrain 

The Windsor EV comes with a 38 kWh battery pack and makes 134 bhp and 200 Nm

Coming to the performance bit, there are two things that you mainly expect from an EV - you want it to go quick and you want it to go far. Let’s start with the former. The Windsor EV comes with a 38 kWh battery pack that powers a 100 kW Permanent Magnet Synchronous (PMS) Motor. Simply put, it makes around 134 bhp and 200 Nm of torque. Nothing too fancy, but these are decent numbers, and they show. 

MG could have considered offering a more powerful battery pack to improve the EV’s performance

The power delivery is instant and smooth, however, it’s not ‘push-you-back-into-your-seat’ quick. Something that we have experienced in the Tata Nexon EV or Mahindra XUV400. Rather, it’s calm and composed and builds power at a fast enough pace that keeps you entertained most of the time. Yes, MG could have considered offering a more powerful battery pack to improve the EV’s performance, however, at the moment there is no such option. 

The MG Windsor EV comes with four driving modes Eco+, Eco, Normal and Sport

That said, you do get four driving modes Eco+, Eco, Normal and Sport. While in most cases you will drive in the Normal mode, if you do want an additional boost the Sport mode does make the Windsor EV a bit more exciting. The Eco and Eco+ modes are self-explanatory, use them when you want to conserve energy; the Eco+ mode limits the speed to around 80 kmph. 

Ride and Handling

Coming to how the EV takes on the Indian roads, the Windsor does offer you a smooth ride. The suspension is quite well-balanced and is a bit on the softer side, so it takes on the undulations on the road with quite a bit of ease. The handling too is decent, and the car feels stable even at triple-digit speeds, however, I wish the steering feel was a bit better. 

The suspension is quite well-balanced and is a bit on the softer side

It’s light and easy to manoeuvre at slow speeds, and at higher speeds, it feels a bit wooden, and that doesn’t impart a lot of confidence, especially when you are trying to make quick direction changes. Having said that, the car’s low centre of gravity, due to the battery pack being positioned on the floor, does make it quite stable. Being an EV it is quiet, and it doesn’t allow much harshness to seep into the cabin, however, the sound insulation could have been better to mask some of the road noise which is a bit too noticeable. 

Range and Charging

The MG Windsor comes with an ARAI-claimed range of 332 km on a single charge

The MG Windsor comes with an ARAI-claimed range of 332 km on a single charge. It’s a decent enough number but I would like to see the kind of real-world range the car will offer. During this review, we drove for close to 200 km and I suspect the battery can give you a realistic range of 250-270 km. However, we will be putting the Windsor EV through a proper range test once we get more time with the car. 

Now, globally the Wuling Cloud EV is offered with a 50.6 kWh battery pack, while there is no change in power output, the model does offer a range of 460 km on a single charge. And I hope MG does bring it to that Indian market as well. 

Coming to the charging bit, the Windsor EV supports both AC and DC fast charging and comes with a maximum charging capacity of 45 kW. With the 3.3 kW portable charger, the car can attain 100 per cent charge in about 14 hours, while the more powering 7.4 kW AC fast charger will do the same in 6.5 hours. However, MG says that a 50 kW DC rapid charger will be able to top-up the battery from 0-80 per cent in 55 min.

Price and BaaS

The MG Windsor EV is priced between Rs. 13.50 lakh to Rs. 15.50 lakh (ex-showroom) 

The three variants of the MG Windsor EV have priced between Rs. 13.50 lakh to Rs. 15.50 lakh (ex-showroom) and these are quite aggressive. At this price range, the new electric car from MG directly competes with the likes of the Tata Nexon EV and the Mahindra XUV400. However, it’s MG that also offers a special purchase plan for the Windsor EV, and it’s called – Battery as a Service, or Baas.

Simply put, at the time of the purchase, customers will only need to pay for the car, while the battery will be available for a monthly subscription fee. There are a host of plans to choose from depending on the kind of driving one does. MG does offer you the option to buy the entire car along with the battery pack, but customers opting for BaaS will be able to get the car for a lower price. The MG Windsor EV under the Baas programme will be available at a starting price of Rs. 9.99 lakh (ex-showroom). 

Verdict

The MG Windsor EV is a solid choice under the Rs. 20 lakh EV segment

In a nutshell, then, the MG Windsor EV has definitely impressed me. It’s visually appealing, comes with generous cabin space, and most creature comforts and tech are standard. Yes, the performance is nothing to go to town about, however, it’s not bad by any measure. Considering the EV is targeted towards urban users who will largely be driving it within the city, MG’s newest contender will not disappoint. And with such aggressive pricing, not recommending the new MG Windsor EV as an option will be simply criminal!