MG’s popularity is on the rise ever since their launch in India. Their first launch was the Hector followed by the ZS EV. The Hector Plus was followed by the mammoth Gloster so that’s total tally of four cars under MG stable.  The ZS EV was well received by environment well wishers. We drove the EV last year and were completely blown away by the performance it offers. You can read the review here. And now say hello to the MG Astor.

With some confidence gained from sales of other cars and reception of the brand, MG brings another model the Indian market.  The MG Astor is essentially a petrol powered ZS. The only question to be asked is, will  the Astor create some stir in the segment that is ruled by Koreans. We drove Astor on the India’s very own Formula 1 track, the Buddh International Circuit for  first driving impressions.

MG Astor Exterior

The initial glance reveals that it’s an evolved design of the 2020 MG ZS EV. The front LED Hawkeye headlamps have an aggressive look and chrome celestial front grille doesn’t look overdone. It really compliments the Astor well. On the side there is no drama and gracefully carries those clean lines. On the rear, the LED tail lamps are subtle and maintain the overall balanced look of the car. The 17-inch turbine inspired machine alloys look sporty and have a pleasing design. Our test drive Astor came with Continentals UC6 tyres.  MG loves badges! There are two badges on the side, one of Brit Dynamics on the fenders and another of AI Inside on the front doors. The rear carries three more different badges i.e Astor, ZS and ADAS.  The badges feel overdone in our opinion.  Overall it’s a great looking SUV especially in the Starry Black finish of our test car. MG is offering the Astor in four other shades: Spiced Orange, Aurora Silver, Glaze Red and Candy White.