Review
MG’s latest entrant in the Indian market is a Hyundai Creta-rivalling, midsize SUV christened Astor. In essence, the Astor is a petrol-equivalent of the MG ZS EV, which made its India debut in 2020. Not only does it look sharper than the EV, it is also offered with a variety of engines and transmissions — a 1.5-litre petrol engine with a 5-speed manual or CVT automatic, and a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol with a 6-speed automatic — and it packs in some in-vogue features. But does MG’s newest midsize SUV have the right ingredients to entice buyers? We test the spicy 1.3-litre turbo-petrol version and evaluate its Advance Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) to find the answer.
What makes a positive first impression is the 1,349cc aluminium engine’s refinement, which, for a three-cylinder unit, is quite silent at idle and cruising speeds, and does not get too vocal or thrummy when spun faster. On the topic of refinement, passengers are nicely isolated from road and tyre noise, which is well contained, except on really coarse surfaces.
