Cars News

MG Astor To Take On Rivals With Segment-First Autonomous Features

Published by
Surendhar M

MG Astor gets segment-first ADAS based features, three different steering modes, AI personal assistant and a lot more

MG Motor India is gearing up to introduce the Astor in the first week of October 2021 and its bookings have commenced across authorised dealerships in the country. The Astor has an overall length of 4.3 metres and thus it will act as a direct rival to the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Nissan Kicks, Renault Duster, Skoda Kushaq and the upcoming VW Taigun.

The Astor gives MG the opportunity to compete directly against the midsize SUV segment-leading Hyundai Creta with conviction as the Hector is slightly bigger. The Astor is based on the facelifted ZS SUV sold in the international markets and it comes with a highly appealing exterior and a premium interior with a stuffed features list.

The five-seater boasts of a beautifully crafted Celestial concave front grille, sharp LED headlamps with inverted L-shaped nine-element LED Daytime Running Lights, wide central air intake with black hexagonal inserts, deep LED foglamp housings, slanting bonnet giving a good road view for the driver from the cockpit and turn indicators mounted on the Outside Rear View Mirrors.

The Astor also features a flowing side profile with a set of 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels shod on Continental tyres having red brake callipers, thick black body cladding, grey coloured roof rails, panoramic sunroof, black shark fin antenna and blackened pillars. Other visual highlights are rear skid plate, faux dual exhaust pipes, front splitters, and wraparound LED combination tail lamps.

MG has grafted multiple badges such as AI INSIDE, ZS and BRIT DYNAMIC while the rear gets ASTOR name inscribed boldly on the sculpted bootlid. The exterior does turn heads with its youthful appeal and the design elements are neatly integrated into the bodywork to give an upmarket stance. The Astor has its interior as the prime highlight with a host of segment-first features.

The cabin can be specified in one of the three themes namely the two-tone Sangria red, Iconic Ivory and Tuxedo black. The spacious interior gets an assortment of new features and technologies including a new 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Jio e-SIM connectivity enabling connected car tech and a mini bot that sits in the middle of the dashboard.

The artificial intelligence-based personal assistant follows voice commands and answers questions from online sources while Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity is standard across the range. The equipment list is brimmed with features such as heated wing mirrors, digital key, an automatic climate control system, rain-sensing wipers, all-digital seven-inch instrumentation, six-way electrically adjustable driver seat and so on.

The interior is no short of premium bits and pieces as the leather upholstery can be found on the seats, door pads and dash. The Astor comes with the segment-first Level 2 ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) based driver-assistive and safety features including Lane Keep Assist, Lane Departure Prevention, AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking), Forward Collision Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control and so on.

The autonomous tech and the more advanced AI features should help in differentiating the Astor from the rest of the midsize SUVs. The Astor is expected to be priced highly competitive against rivals in the range between Rs. 10 lakh and Rs. 18 lakh (ex-showroom) across a wide range of variants, and is powered by two petrol engines with three transmission choices.

The 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine is good enough to generate a maximum power output of 110 horsepower and 144 Nm while the 1.3-litre turbocharged gasoline mill develops 140 horsepower and 220 Nm. The latter will compete against the turbo petrol versions of Creta, Seltos, Kicks, Duster and others and is paired with only a six-speed automatic transmission.

The NA petrol is available with a six-speed manual transmission as standard or an eight-step CVT as an option. Another key highlight of the MG Astor is its steering modes namely Normal, Urban and Dynamic. The midsize SUV is all set to take on the petrol-powered SUVs in its segment with authority and its pricing will play a main role in its success.

In the detailed walkaround video listed above, you will be above to find all the information about the soon-launching MG Astor and we will have you covered on how good is it to drive soon. So watch out for this space for more action!

Published by
Surendhar M