MG Astor compact SUV unveiled officially: Rivals Hyundai Creta & Kia Seltos

MG Motor has revealed their most affordable vehicle for the Indian market. It is called the Astor and it is based on the facelifted version of the ZS EV that is sold in the foreign market. Astor will be competing against the mid-size SUVs but Astor itself looks more like a crossover. Having said that, Astor does look quite handsome and different from its rivals. MG Motor has not yet revealed the pricing of the Astor but it will soon be showcased at the dealerships.

The new SUV measures 4,323 mm in length, 1809 mm in width and has a height of 1,650 mm. It has a wheelbase of 2,585 mm. Astor will be entering one of the most competitive segments of the Indian market.

It will be competing against the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Renault Duster, Maruti Suzuki S-Cross, Nissan Kicks, Skoda Kushaq and the upcoming Volkswagen Taigun. Because of its pricing, the higher variants of Astor will also go against Tata Harrier and the upcoming Mahindra XUV700.

There will be three choices for the interior theme. There will be Tuxedo Black, Dual-tone Sangria Red and Dual-tone Iconic Ivory. Just like other MG vehicles, there will be a lot of features. It will come with a 6-way electric adjustment for the driver seat, a 7-inch digital driver’s display, steering feel modes, panoramic sunroof, 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system, electric parking brake, heated ORVMs, rain-sensing wipers, rear AC vents, digital key using Bluetooth and much more. For safety, there is ESP, Traction Control, Hill Descent Control, up to 6 airbags, a 360-degree parking camera etc.

Engine and gearbox

MG will offer the Astor with two petrol engine options and there will be no diesel engine on offer. There will be a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine and a 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine.

The naturally aspirated engine would be more affordable and produce a max power output of 110 PS and 144 Nm of peak torque. You would be able to get it with a manual gearbox or an 8-speed CVT automatic transmission. The turbo petrol engine puts out a max power output of 140 PS and a peak torque output of 220 Nm. It will be offered only with a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox only.

Personal Assistant

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This is the first time we will be seeing a personal assistant integrated into the vehicle at this price point. The assistant would be able to perform various car controls such as open/close windows and sunroof, change climate control, increase/decrease volume etc. It would also be able to tell you jokes, have a chit-chat, change music, read news and would be able to recognize Hinglish.

Advanced Driver Aids

The MG Astor will be the most affordable vehicle in India to offer Advanced Driver Aids System or ADAS. The XUV700 will also come equipped with ADAS features but they are expected to be reserved for the top-end trims that will be priced higher than the Astor. The new crossover from MG would come equipped with multiple cameras and radars that will enable the ADAS features.

In-built apps and connected car tech

Many vehicles now come equipped with connected car technology. The Astor will also offer i-Smart Hub connected car technology. Through it, you would be able to access various applications. For instance, navigation would be provided by MapMyIndia, store digital passport through KoineArth, reserve a parking spot through Park+ and play music through JioSaavn. The internet connectivity would be provided by an in-built Jio SIM. There will also be 80+ connected car features.

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