Complete Guide to Buying an MG Astor

The Indian car market sees cutthroat competition and no matter how good a product is or how well it is planned and executed, no one can predict its success. A perfect example is the MG Astor – a well-engineered product that hit the market when its Korean rivals Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos were at the top of their game. In three years of its production, Astor has never come close to its Korean rivals in terms of sales, but that does not say anything about its calibre. Embodying MG’s core tenets, the MG Astor is a notch above most of its rivals on the grounds of comfort and technology. As a matter of fact, the Astor was the first car in its segment to feature Level-2 ADAS technology. For those who do not know, the MG Astor is the petrol-powered version of the MG ZS EV. However, it is not just a powertrain swap as the Astor offers a completely different experience from its EV cousin. If you plan to shop in the mid-size SUV segment, the MG Astor deserves serious consideration, and if you plan to buy one, then here is a complete buying guide to buy an MG Astor accompanied by what you will like, what you will not like, and the best variant for you.

MG Astor Specifications

MG Astor Variants

MG sells four variants of the MG Astor: Sprint, Shine, Select, Sharp Pro, and Savvy Pro. Moreover, there is a Blackstorm edition based on the mid Select variant. Among these variants, only the MG Astor Savvy Pro is available with the turbo petrol engine, and the rest are available with the naturally aspirated engine. The CVT automatic is available only on the Select, Sharp Pro, and Savvy Pro variants, while the top variant, Savvy Pro, which can be had with either of the engines, is not available with the manual transmission. As far as colour schemes are concerned, the MG Astor is available in Havana Grey, Aurora Silver, Glaze Red, Candy White, Starry Black, and Dual Tone White and Black. Here is a full list of the MG Astor variants and their ex-showroom prices.

Best MG Astor Variant to Buy

The base Sprint variant of the MG Astor brings a long list of must-have features, for example, a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system, wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, steering mounted controls, hill start assist, hill descent control, rear wiper and washer, all four-wheel disc brakes, traction control, and more. For a car from the mid-size SUV segment and all that it packs, the Sprint variant offers fantastic value for its asking price and can be a great option for those looking for higher variants of compact SUVs such as the Tata Nexon, Maruti Brezza, and Kia Sonet.

The next variant, Shine, adds the rear parking camera, front fog lamps, cruise control, keyless entry and start/stop, 17-inch alloy wheels, and more. For the price increment over the base variant, the Shine variant does not justify its price. While it is not a value-for-money option, it can be a good option for someone looking for the aforementioned features within a fixed budget.

To the package of previously mentioned variants, the Select variant adds many good-to-have features such as a panoramic sunroof, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, heated outside mirrors, automatic headlamps, tyre pressure monitoring system, 7-inch full-colour LCD instrument cluster, driver & passenger vanity mirror, Connected car tech/Telematics, and more. For the premium it asks over the Shine variant, the Select variant offers a great deal.

Next up is the Sharp Pro variant, which adds Auto-dimming IRVM, 360-degree camera, ventilated front seats, leather upholstery, four additional airbags, 6-way power adjustable seat, digital key with key sharing function, and more. While the Sharp Pro variant offers decent value, we recommend you stretch your budget for the top variant, which adds multiple perks along with the Level-2 ADAS features.

The most important addition that comes with the top variant, Savvy Pro, is the Level-2 ADAS features. For the level of protection these features bring, to a great degree you cannot put a price on them. However, considering the price the Savvy Pro variant asks over the Sharp Pro, it scores full marks as a recommended variant.

MG Astor Warranty and Service Cost

The MG Astor comes with a standard 3-3-3 package, which means a warranty of three years/unlimited kilometres, three years of Roadside Assistance and three Labour charges-free periodic services. The warranty can also be extended to 5 years and MG also has some protection plans. Moreover, MG also offers its customers an assured buyback plan in which if a customer decides to sell his Astor back to MG within 3 years/60,000 km, he will get 60 percent of his Astor’s ex-showroom price. The service cost of the MG Astor is around Rs 1,574 at 1 year/ 10,000 km, Rs 2,817 at 2 year/20,000 km, Rs 5,167 at 3 year/30,000 km, Rs 4,707 at 4 year/40,000 km, and Rs 5,525 at 5 year/50,000 km.

Why you should consider the MG Astor

Since the mid-size SUV segment is very crowded, it must have been an uphill task for MG to engineer a car that they could place in such a heated contest. It is only fair to say, they succeeded as the MG Astor is characterised by plenty of praiseworthy qualities. Here are the most appealing ones of them.

An Uber-Premium Cabin

MG has a knack for making cars that feel more premium than their rivals – something which we have recently seen with the MG Windsor. For the MG Astor, the British manufacturer has used top-notch quality materials for the interiors that are completely unexpected for a car in its price bracket. There is generous use of soft-touch material on the dashboard and doors. The leatherette finish on the dashboard with the turbine-like AC vents at both ends gives the front section an upmarket feel. The seats are fantastically contoured and agree well with immaculate fit-finish across the cabin. You cannot find any cost-cutting bits even if you deliberately try to do so. In addition to that, with the plush leatherette dual-tone upholstery, especially the red and black colour theme, the cabin emulates the luxury of more expensive cars.

Tech Fest

As mentioned in the beginning, MG cars are generally a notch above its rivals in terms of technology and the Astor is no exception. For instance, the MG Astor was launched three years ago and has not received any facelift since then. Still, it is very much at par with the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos, which are the most feature-rich cars in the segment. Barring the dual-zone climate control, the MG Astor offers almost everything that the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos do. As stated earlier, the Astor was the first car in the segment to offer Level-2 ADAS features and even today, its feature package is impressively rich. For example, it sports a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system, steering-mounted controls, a fully digital instrument cluster, ventilated front seats, a six-way power-adjustable driver seat, a panoramic sunroof, heated power-folding wing mirrors, AI assistant and more. Moreover, there are steering modes categorised as Normal, Urban, and Dynamic that significantly add to the driving convenience. The Urban mode is for city driving and in this, the steering feels very light and does not offer much feel. The Dynamic mode is for a sportier performance therefore the steering weighs up and offers a better feel. The Normal mode strikes a nice balance between the other two modes.

High on Safety

While it is privy to MG why the MG Astor has not been tested by the Global NCAP or Bharat NCAP, the British mid-size SUV has cleared the New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asia (ASEAN) safety crash tests with flying colours and scored a full 5-star rating. This spells out how high the passenger safety standards of the MG Astor are. The British SUV offers a host of safety features as standard such as dual airbags, ABS with EBD, Cornering Brake Control, Electronic Stability Program, Traction Control System, Hill Hold Control, Hill Descent Control, All 4 Disc Brakes, Rear Parking Sensors, Rear Fog Lamp. For a base variant, this package is extremely attractive. Higher up the variants, the MG Astor offers an electronic parking brake with auto hold, cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring system, and up to 6 airbags.

All the same, the most attractive safety trait of the MG Astor is the Level-2 ADAS safety suite. The MG Astor is equipped with 6 radars and 5 cameras; this is the greatest number of radars in a car in its segment. For your reference, the Hyundai Creta has three radars for its Level-2 ADAS safety suite. The ADAS safety suite of the MG Astor offers you adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping/departure assist, high-beam assist, blind-spot detection, and more.

Why you should not consider the MG Astor

While the Astor’s overall package is quite attractive, it does have a couple of limitations that can change your decision to buy it.

Misses the thrill of Turbo

While the 1.3-litre turbo petrol engine of the MG Astor is powerful enough, it does not feel as exciting to drive. To churn out more acceleration you might need relatively more downshifts as compared to the Hyundai Creta or Kia Seltos. Moreover, for the downshifts, you might want paddle shifters, which are missing. No doubt the 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission is slick, but it cannot fill the shoes of the paddle shifters. MG has engineered the Astor mainly for city travelling, and both of its engines have been tuned for refinement rather than performance. In comparison, the 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine that powers the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos is far more exciting to drive.

No manual transmission with turbo petrol engine

No matter how popular automatic transmissions have become, there are still a lot of driving enthusiasts who prefer the real engagement of a manual transmission to an automatic transmission. These are the ones who like to drive the most powerful engine of any given car with a manual transmission, and such drivers will be left wanting in the case of the MG Astor, as its most powerful 1.3-litre turbo petrol engine is not available with a manual transmission.

Summary

The MG Astor is an underrated car in India and deserves considerably more sales than what it is managing to pull. While only MG is privy to what lies ahead for the Astor, it is undeniable that the British SUV is an attractive package overall. With this buying guide, you should be able to see through the marketing tricks and make an informed decision while buying an MG Astor.

FAQs