About MG Astor
MG has had a good start in India, thanks to well-priced big-sized products like the Hector, a sorted electric car like the ZS EV and a large, blingy, feature-loaded SUV like the Gloster. Now, MG is going to have a second shot at the premium crossover market with the petrol version of the ZS, called the Astor.
It will be available with 2 petrol engine options- a 1.5L naturally aspirated VTi Tech unit with a 5-speed MT & CVT, delivering 109 BHP / 144 Nm and a Brit Dynamic 220 turbocharged motor with a 6-speed torque converter AT delivering 138 BHP / 220 Nm.
While these figures make the petrol engines seem potent enough, there will be no diesel or hybrid engine option available, which puts the Astor at a disadvantage compared to the highly successful Korean twins. Reason? The markets that MG is present in (China included) are predominantly petrol only. That's why, even for the Hector, it borrowed the 2.0 diesel from Fiat-Chrysler.
Design & Styling
The Astor is based on the ZS EV, hence, it looks a lot like its electric sibling. The car was originally launched 4 years ago and the age definitely shows - the design is not futuristic or cutting-edge. It's longer, wider and taller than its main competitors, but has a shorter wheelbase. The Astor gets LED daytime running lights, LED projector headlamps, LED tail-lamps, plastic SUV-style cladding on the sides, 17-inch alloy wheels and roof rails. The vehicle will be available in 5 single-tone body colours = Spiced Orange, Aurora Silver, Glaze Red, Candy White and Starry Black.
Build Quality
The Astor has a monocoque construction and is built on the ZS platform. The car is solidly built. The doors, bonnet & tail-gate have a good deal of weight to them and the doors shut in a satisfying manner. Fit & finish are impressive with tight & even panel gaps.
The Astor gets funky 17” turbine-inspired two-tone machined alloy wheels with 215/55 Goodyear Triplemax 2 tyres, which look proportionate to the metal on top.
Safety
MG claims that the Astor is India’s first SUV with a personal AI assistant and first-in-segment Autonomous (Level 2) tech. MG has partnered with Bosch for ADAS (advanced driver-assistance systems) in the Astor. The AI technology, 6 radars and 5 cameras can manage 14 Autonomous Level 2 features.
Apart from this, the Astor is loaded with safety features such as 3-point seatbelts for all five occupants, 6 airbags, disc brakes all-round, ABS + EBD + Brake Assist, ESP, traction control, hill-hold, hill descent control, TPMS, ISOFIX child seat mounts, emergency stop signal, 360-degree camera, heated ORVMs, electric parking brake with auto-hold, adaptive auto headlamps, rain-sensing wipers and more.
While the Indian Astor has not got a crash test rating yet, the Thai spec MG ZS Petrol scored 5 stars in crash tests conducted by the ASEAN NCAP, while the ZS EV performed similarly. We expect no less from the Astor. MG knows it will be a solid selling point over the Kia Seltos that suffered a big blow to its reputation after barely managing 3 stars in the GNCAP tests.
Info Source: Team-BHP