MG Astor First Look Review: Is The SUV Worth Waiting For? Know About Design, Interior, Features & More

MG Astor First Look Review: The big USP of the Astor is the level 2 ADAS technology - similar to more expensive SUVs.

MG Astor

New Delhi: MG started its India innings with the Hector and then carried on to launch more SUVs. It is fair to say that the Hector established the MG brand in India but till now it has been absent in the space below the Hector where the Creta/Seltos occupy. No doubt that is a popular segment which MG was not going to let go. Here then is the Astor and it is a compact SUV slotted below the Hector. While it will be launched in a few days, we recently spent some time with the car along with its features to see what this new SUV is all about.

We will start off with the exterior of the Astor and here, unlike in images, it looks bigger when you see it in person. With a length of 4323mm, the Astor is longer than rivals while the design is more on the crossover side. The long nose gets a shiny grille along with LED headlamps by the side. The Astor also has 17-inch alloys while the window line runs upward at the rear along with a slanting roof-line. The rear gets LED tail-lamps which adds to the sense of width along with dual exhausts. There are roof-rails, cladding and the usual SUV styling features. While not as upright or as big as the Hector, the Astor is an attractive design nonetheless.

Inside, the Astor gets three interior colour schemes including this dual-tone red. The quality of materials, stitching to the overall ambiance is fairly impressive and we might prefer this interior to the Hector. Unlike the Hector with its portrait touchscreen, the design is more conventional. There is a 10.1-inch touchscreen that is reasonably slick while the 7-inch digital instrument cluster has a configurable layout. You might also be curious about the AI assistant on the dash. It has been designed to be like a human who talks to you. This AI assistant turns to look at you and talk while it could be commands like open the sunroof etc or even getting to know the news, weather, Wikipedia, jokes, and more. There are a total of 35 commands including hinglish ones.

Further on the features list includes a full panoramic sunroof, leather upholstery, wireless charging, powered driver's seat, 360-degree rearview camera, heated ORVMs, climate control, air purifier, electric parking brake, etc. There is connected tech on board but unlike the Hector with an Airtel sim, it uses a Jio one. In total there are 80 plus features including services and subscriptions. Hence, music is looked at by the JioSaavn app, there is a Blockchain-protected digital passport, etc. If you have lost your key, you can unlock it using your smartphone too! Of course, the remote functions and usual connected tech features are there.

We had limited time with the car but notably, the AI assistant was pretty responsive to use and you can actually talk to it. The 360-degree camera could have had a better resolution but it has multiple angles on offer. In terms of space, the Astor is decent but the rear seat is best for two passengers while getting three there could be a squeeze. That said, even for tall persons, the headroom or legroom is not a problem. The storage on offer is quite good also.

Finally, the big USP of the Astor is the level 2 ADAS technology - similar to more expensive SUVs. These are a suite of safety tech where the car monitors what's happening around you. There is adaptive cruise control, Auto Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist, Lane Departure Prevention, and Speed Assist. Some of these features include braking itself when the car senses an object in its path and you do not brake after warnings or maintaining speed to the car in front without you having to operate the controls or even keeping a tab at speed limits where you are going and notifying you.

Engine options on the Astor would be limited to two petrols including a 110bhp 1.5l unit with an 8-speed CVT and a 5-speed manual while the more powerful version would be a 1.3l turbo petrol with 140bhp and 220Nm. The turbo unit will only come with a 6-speed torque converter auto (Hector gets a DCT dual-clutch auto). While there are no paddle shifters, the presence of all-around disc brakes is reassuring. We expect prices to be around Rs 10-17 lakh or in other words pretty much the same or slightly undercutting its rivals. There is plenty to like about the Astor especially the features, interior quality and styling. We will drive it soon but for now, it seems to be an SUV worth waiting for. Stay tuned!