The Astor not only looks good but feels well built too. The door shutting sound and all the body panels feel robust. In fact, it is pushing the envelope for in-cabin materials and feel for all the compact SUVs in the segment. The major highlight, though, is in the feeling the cabin itself lends you. The dashboard is wrapped in padded soft leatherette which matches the upholstery. The same material also covers the centre and the door pad armrest. Even the top portion of the dashboard is soft-touch plastic. All of this feels premium to the touch.
Upholstery options in the various variants include the red + black you see in the pictures, ivory + black, and an all-black layout. And then comes the steering wheel which feels upmarket and all the controls, be it for the windows, infotainment or steering mounted, have a positive tactile feel to them. After all, there is Volkswagen DNA in them (they have the same parts supplier). The well-contoured seats feel supportive if your frame isn’t too large. The seats get 6-way power adjustment but the steering column can only be adjusted for height.
There are certain places where MG has been a little shy in quality – like the glovebox and grab handles do not soft close; the centre armrest lock feels flimsy; and the door pads, apart from the leatherette, feels hard. But these elements are cleverly placed and won’t hamper the cabin experience in daily drives. The dashboard layout feels clean and the 10.1-inch touchscreen sits in the middle, easy to reach from the driver’s seat. Also clear to read is the 7-inch digital instrument cluster with the speed and tachometer on either side.
Other features in the cabin are Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, automatic climate control, auto headlamp and wipers, push-button start/stop, panoramic sunroof, electric parking brake, 360° camera whose quality could be better and heated ORVMs. However, to balance cost, MG has omitted a few features that you now see commonly in such SUVs as a wireless phone charger, ventilated seats, paddle shifters, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, heads up display and drive modes. The music system too could have been better if not a branded one. Especially given that the segment is offering some very good sounding stereos.
The rear seats also felt supportive and there is plenty of leg, knee and headroom for even taller occupants. However, it might not be the best in the segment, especially in terms of width and under-thigh support. Seating three here will be a squeeze. In terms of features, you get adjustable headrests, AC vents, two USB chargers, armrest and cupholders. However, the addition of sunshades for windows would have made it even better.
Digital key
If you, like me, are challenged by memory, then the Astor has a cure for you. Say you forget the key at home and have reached the car in the basement parking. With the Astor’s digital key, you can connect the car with your phone via Bluetooth and unlock it. A connected car system depends on a network to get this done and hence Bluetooth makes it more effective. And the best part, you can switch on the car and drive it as well!
AI Assistant
But the above mentioned aren’t the highlights which take centre stage. That is reserved for the AI assistant on the dashboard. It’s got a head on top of a plastic body that has animation. It blinks, thinks, communicates and compliments, all with cute emoticons. In fact, it even turns and looks at you when you call it, almost making eye contact, to further enhance the human-ness of the interaction. It can even rotate and look at the passenger if it recognises that the wake-up command is coming from the passenger side. All of this is really cute and entertaining, and the kids in the family will love it.
Now let’s talk about functionality. This assistant, like most others we have seen, responds to Hinglish voice commands. It can control car functions like the sunroof, driver side window, climate control, calls, navigation and media. It can also look up answers to generic questions online much like Alexa or Google assistant. And also, it can tell jokes and greet you at festivals.
Out of all of these, the ones that you might see yourself using are calls and maybe climate control. Others are just pure novelty and will wear off with time. As far as response time is concerned, the in-car functions happen quickly but the internet-based features depend on your internet connectivity. The assistant also, at times, won’t look at you when you call it. And while the head-turning is cute, it makes a simple act more complicated and later starts to feel unnecessary, especially when it doesn’t happen. Overall, the experience of using the Assistant will be fun and one that kids will enjoy the most. But you can eventually outgrow it.
