Take a close look at the design and functionalities of the Astor’s premium cabin
MG Motor India is ready to enter the compact SUV space with the Astor. It has taken the segment dominating brands seriously and strapped the Astor with premium details and segment-first features. We’ve shared our first impressions of the MG offering and now you can take a detailed look at the interiors and features of the Astor below:
The Astor’s premium cabin will be offered in three colour themes: all black, dual-tone black and ivory, and dual-tone black and sangria red. The last one is what distinguishes the Astor’s cabin the most from its rivals.
Not only is the cabin colourful, it is premium to the touch as well thanks to soft-touch materials for the dashboard and leatherette upholstery for various parts of the interior.
The three-spoke steering wheel is wrapped in a mix of perforated and non-perforated materials. It has a flattened bottom for sportier ergonomics with a silver insert as the bottom spoke in a gloss-black surround. The steering mounted controls are quite conventional with buttons on either spoke to control the infotainment, handsfree telephony, driver’s display and to awaken the system to listen for voice commands.
The controls for the MG Astor’s driver assist features take the form of a third stalk behind the steering wheel. The usual two stalks on either end control the wipers, lights and indicators. Its new stalk on the left side sits below the wiper controls and operates the adaptive cruise control.
MG has equipped the Astor with a digitised instrument cluster, not to be confused with digital driver displays offered in more premium cars. It has a 7-inch display in the centre and you can toggle through the information on the screen using the steering mounted controls. There are digital readouts on either side of the display for the speedometer and fuel level on the left, and tachometer and engine temperature on the right.
The star attraction of the MG Astor’s dashboard is this little robot-like device that is the “face” of the digital AI assistant. It is mounted in such a way that it can turn to look at the person interacting with it via voice queries and it also has a display that can simulate human expressions. The AI is capable of conversational interactions like Apple’s Siri on top of offering voice-enabled functions like in-vehicle controls, setting navigation and fetching information from Wikipedia.
The Astor’s 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system sits like a tablet on the dashboard, under the central AC vents. It’s not the most colourful OS but it helps operate various aspects of the Astor – media, apps, navigation, climate control, advanced driver assists, smartphone connectivity (Android Auto and Apple CarPlay), and the digital AI assistant.
Also read: MG Astor vs Rivals: Spec Comparison
There’s an array of controls under the central display that act as hotkeys for the home page of the infotainment, volume controls and climate controls.
Just under the array is the central console’s storage space with 12V power socket and two USB ports.
The Astor is offered with automatic transmissions for both of its engines: 1.5-litre petrol mated to an 8-step CVT and 1.3-litre turbo-petrol with a 6-speed torque converter. There are controls on the top and bottom of the transmission console. The design around that console finished in a carbon fibre design for a sporty and premium appeal.
There are controls at the top of the transmission console for hill descent control, traction control and 360-degree camera. At the bottom, you’ll find the electronic parking brake and auto hold for the brakes.
The centre console is sculpted to rise from the transmission tunnel to the front armrest. Between them, you’ll find the diagonally aligned cupholders.
Air vents on either end of the dashboard are turbine shaped. The front passenger’s section of the dashboard also bears a special badge highlighting MG’s British heritage.
The Astor’s seats are also finished in wine-red and black upholstery in this interior specification. Its front seats are well-shaped to offer sufficient comfort and support. The driver’s seat is 6-way electrically adjustable too.
MG has also opened up the cabin of the Astor by fitting it with a panoramic sunroof.
The rear bench of the Astor offers headrests and three-point seatbelts for all three occupants. It also has a fold-out armrest in the middle seat of the rear bench which has a flip-lid for the cupholders.
The Astor has rear AC vents with two USB charge ports underneath.
MG has not specified the boot capacity of the Astor but its big enough for a couple of overnight trolley bags.
ADAS and more via central display
You can control various aspects of the Astor’s advanced driver assists such as forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, rear drive assist, lane change assist, blind spot detection and rear cross traffic alert.
The Astor’s lane assist system has differing levels of functionality and sensitivity.
It also has different steering modes for different driving environments. The steering can be electronically weighted to offer more confidence when driving at highway speeds.
You can switch between cameras while using the Astor’s 360-degree viewing system.
Expected Launch
The MG Astor is due to launch in early October with prices starting from Rs 10 lakh (ex-showroom). It will be taking on the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Skoda Kushaq and the Volkswagen Taigun.