MG Astor will go on sale early next month and it will be powered by a 1.5-litre NA petrol and a 1.3-litre turbo petrol engine
Having previewed already, MG Motor India will launch the Astor in the first week of next month and its reservations have begun across dealerships and online. The 4.3-metre long midsize SUV will lock horns directly with Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Nissan Kicks, Renault Duster, Skoda Kushaq and the upcoming Volkswagen Taigun in the competitive space.
The Astor is positioned below the Hector in the brand’s domestic portfolio and it comes with a host of premium technologies to make a mark amongst rivals. The five-seater is expected to be priced aggressively between Rs. 9 lakh and Rs. 17 lakh (ex-showroom) and it may as well set a new benchmark for what it offers as it boasts a number of advanced equipment.
Chief among which is a new 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Jio e-SIM compatibility giving rise to connectivity-based convenience features. The most unique of them all is certainly the minibot mounted atop the dashboard – an artificial intelligence-based personal assistant that follows voice commands and answers questions from online sources.
The British manufacturer owned by China’s SAIC will also provide Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity standard across the range and there will be three steering modes on offer. The biggest highlight of the MG Astor is undoubtedly the segment-first Level 2 ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) based assistive and active safety features giving it a unique selling proposition compared to other midsize SUVs.
We will tell you how good they are or otherwise in a detailed first drive review in the coming days but before that here we have linked the first look video of the Astor as its exterior will be another talking point. The ADAS tech enables Lane Keep Assist, Lane Departure Prevention, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, etc.
The Astor will be sold in an expansive range as the Hector and as for the performance, a 1.3-litre turbo petrol and a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine are used. The former produces 140 hp/220 Nm paired only with a six-speed AT while the latter develops 110 hp/144 Nm, linked with either a six-speed MT or an eight-step CVT.