What Separates The MG Astor From Its Rivals?

The Astor will be the fifth offering from MG Motor in India

MG recently revealed the Astor, a compact SUV soon to be launched in India, probably around September this year. Now, there are other feature-packed alternatives like the Creta and Seltos, so one might wonder what sets the Astor apart from its rivals?

Well, here we tell you exactly what they are:

1) Advanced Drivers Assistance Systems (ADAS)

The MG Astor could become India’s first car under Rs 20 lakh to offer ADAS (the other is the XUV700). ADAS is simply a bouquet of features offering varying levels of automation in driving with the objective to improve safety. These include forward collision warning, emergency auto braking, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and blind spot monitoring.

2) Personal AI Assistant

This is a first, hands down. We have all seen connected car technology, but MG is now offering an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant in the upcoming Astor. It’s essentially a figurine that sits atop your touchscreen infotainment system and will turn to face you when answering a question.

Apart from all the connected car features you could previously control by voice, the AI assistant is also equipped to answer random questions you might have, for example, about the weather. It can even refer to Wikipedia, quip a sharp one, and give you critical updates about your vehicle.

So the next time you are bored driving alone, you’ll have good (virtual) company aboard the MG Astor.

3) Most Powerful Turbo-petrol Engine

The MG Astor will likely be provided with a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine that makes 163PS and 230Nm. Transmission options should include a 6-speed manual and automatic. Despite having a smaller engine than the Creta, Seltos, Kushaq, and the upcoming Taigun, the Astor could end up being the most powerful of the lot.