The MG Astor is all set to go on sale in India next month and we already know that the new compact SUV will be offered with two petrol engine options.
The upcoming MG Astor will be offered in eight variants- Style, Super, Smart Std., Smart, Sharp Std., Sharp, Savvy and Savvy Red.
The 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, naturally-aspirated petrol motor with manual transmission is offered in the first six variants while the same engine with the CVT automatic gearbox and the 1.4-litre, four-cylinder petrol turbo engine are offered in the top seven variants, but not in the base style variant.
The new MG Astor is way advanced from the ZS EV or other SUVs in the carmaker’s range especially when it comes to technology that has been at the core of MG Motor India.
In fact, debuting the new Concept of Car as a Platform (CAAP) connected car software, the MG Astor is taking it a notch up.
The CAAP is basically its new software platform which is incrementing on technologies like Blockchain, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence amongst others.
The new platform will further enable the development and application of services and subscriptions and eventually the software will trickle down to MG’s entire range.Â
MG has also partnered with India’s biggest telecom operator, Reliance Jio which will be providing its connectivity suite to provide a best-in-class 4G based connected car stack.
Jio’s 4G network will provide high-speed in-car connectivity for the Astor. Reliance Jio will provide the e-SIM and IoT tech that provides access to real-time infotainment and telematics.
The MG Astor will be the brand’s first model to feature Level 2 autonomous technology along with a bunch of functions under the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).
The ADAS system also brings in features like, automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, rear drive assist, rear cross traffic alert and blind spot detection among others.
In terms of layout, the cabin is similar to what we saw in the ZS EV. It gets a 10.1-inch infotainment screen supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a 7.0-inch instrument cluster.
It also comes with a customised AI assistant, which understands natural language and supports up to 35 Hinglish voice commands.
The new system offer more than 80 internet features including Wikipedia, jokes, news, festival GIFS, navigation, online music streaming, in-car control and critical in-car warning among others.
The wing mirrors are heated which is a segment-first and so is the new digital key with bluetooth technology.
Moreover, with features like ventilated and power adjustable front seats, auto-climate control, 360-degree camera view, an in-built air-purifier and a huge panoramic sunroof covering 90 per cent of the roof are among others, it doesn’t fall short on creature comforts.
It also gets three steering modes- Normal, Urban and Dynamic for enhanced feedback.
MG Motor India is offering the Astor with two engine options. First up is the 1.4-litre, (1349 cc) four-cylinder Turbo petrol engine that belts out 138 bhp and 220 Nm of peak torque while the engine is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.
Then is the 1.5-litre (1498 cc), four-cylinder petrol engine that puts out 108 bhp and 144 Nm of peak torque which is mated to either a manual gearbox or an eight-step CVT gearbox.
