March 2024 - MG Astor Petrol Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

Updated: MG recently dropped the prices of the Astor and revised the variant lineup. This MG Astor Variants Explained article includes the buying recommendations for both petrol engine variants based on the March 2023 prices.

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What Are The Pros And Cons Of MG Astor Petrol?

The pros or advantages of MG Astor are:

• At a sub-Rs. 10.0 lakh (ex-showroom) price, the base model offers phenomenal value-for-money and it’s worth considering even for people considering a higher variant of a smaller B2 SUV like Nexon, Brezza, etc.
• The quality levels and feel of touchpoints is exceptionally good and completely unexpected from a car at this price point; there’s absolutely no visible cost cutting and you probably won’t find any even if you went looking for some
• The driving feel, handling and overall cabin experience are a notch above many of the cars in the C-segment SUV space
• The top-spec Savvy Pro variant with ADAS is also also a surprisingly good VFM option
• ADAS features with 1.5L normal petrol as well as 1.35L turbo petrol-automatic
• A fairly long list of features for higher variants - panoramic sunroof, power driver seat, adjustable steering feel, digital smartphone key, full-colour LCD instrument cluster, LED headlamps, DRLs and touchscreen infotainment
• 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating
• 200mm ground clearance is pretty good considering the segment standards

The MG Astor petrol has the following shortcomings or problems:

• No diesel engine option
• No ADAS with manual transmission (Creta and Elevate offer ADAS with manual variants)
• Stop-and-go traffic assist not available in ADAS variants
• No manual transmission option with the turbo petrol engine
• Turbo petrol engine carries a very high premium and doesn’t justify the incremental cost over Savvy Pro non-turbo
• Mid-spec variants are so overpriced that you won’t need us to do a full-blown calculation; a rough napkin calculation is enough to find out that they are quite expensive and offer poor value for money

What Is The Price Of MG Astor Petrol Variants?

The MG Astor has a starting price of Rs. 9.98 lakh for the Sprint 1.5L normal petrol-manual and it goes up to Rs. 17.90 lakh for the Savvy Pro turbo petrol-automatic. The 1.5L normal petrol manual is available in 4 variants with prices ranging from Rs. 9.98 lakh to Rs. 14.40 lakh. The 1.5L normal petrol with CVT automatic is available in the higher 3 variants with ex-showroom prices between Rs. 13.98 lakh and Rs. 16.58 lakh. The CVT automatic carries a premium of Rs. 1.0 - 1.27 lakh over the comparable 1.5L normal petrol-manual variants.  

The 1.4L turbo petrol automatic is only available in the top-spec Savvy Pro variant and costs Rs. 17.90 lakh. The turbo petrol automatic is Rs. 1.32 lakh more expensive than the normal petrol automatic.

2024 MG Astor Petrol Sprint - Base Model Standard Features & Review

Sprint is the base model of the MG Astor, and it’s only available with the 1.5L normal petrol and a manual transmission. It costs Rs. 9.98 lakh and packs a fairly long list of must-have features. Here’s a look at the Astor base model standard safety, style and infotainment features:

In terms of functional features, here’s all you get with the Astor base variant:

The list of features is very long considering that this is a base variant of a C-segment SUV. Even if you ignore that for a moment, for a sub-Rs. 10.0 lakh car the size of Creta, the list of features is extremely long.

This is one car worth considering even for buyers currently interested in higher variants of smaller SUVs like Nexon, Fronx or Brezza. Other missing and useful features like a parcel tray, tyre pressure sensor and rear camera are easy to install from the aftermarket or from the dealer.

The only notable features you can’t easily install post purchase are sunroof and cruise control. Both of these features are neither must have nor expected from a C-segment SUV at this price.

2024 MG Astor Petrol Sprint vs Shine Variant

The MG Astor Shine variant with the petrol-manual powertrain costs Rs. 11.68 lakh, which is around Rs. 1.70 lakh more than the base Sprint variant.

The notable additional features of the Style variant are:

The Shine variant only adds a few more features over the base variant. Moreover, the high-value features like the alloy wheels and cruise control are not must-have. It doesn't even come close to justifying the incremental cost over the base variant. Therefore, the Shine variant is not recommended.

2024 MG Astor Petrol Shine vs Select Variant

The MG Astor Select petrol-manual costs Rs. 12.98 lakh, while the automatic costs Rs. 13.98 lakh. The Astor Select petrol-manual is about Rs. 1.30 lakh more expensive than Shine petrol-manual. Select variant is also available with a CVT automatic transmission option for an additional Rs. 1.00 lakh and it costs Rs. 13.98 lakh (ex-showroom).

For the Rs. 1.30 lakh higher price, the Astor Smart adds the following additional features:

For a balanced ownership experience, the incremental cost of the Select variant over all lower variants is mostly justified. This variant earns our top recommendation for Astor automatic buyers. It’s also worth buying for petrol-manual buyers but it doesn’t beat the value quotient of the Sprint base model, which remains our top pick.

2024 MG Astor Petrol Select vs Sharp Pro Variant

The price jump from MG Astor Select to Sharp Pro variant will cost you Rs. 1.43 lakh with the manual transmission and it costs Rs. 14.41 lakh (ex-showroom). The Sharp Pro variant with the CVT automatic transmission is Rs. 1.70 lakh pricier than the lower Select trim and costs Rs. 15.68 lakh. The price difference between Sharp Pro manual and automatic is at Rs. 1.27 lakh, which is a little high.

For the higher asking price, the Sharp Pro variant adds the following features:

Considering the steep incremental price, the Sharp Pro variant comes across as offering poor value for money. Thus, it’s not recommended for Astor manual or automatic buyers. For a feature-rich ownership experience and a decent value for money, you should either choose the lower Select variant or stretch for the top model Savvy Pro with CVT automatic.

2024 MG Astor Petrol Sharp Pro Vs Savvy Pro Variant - Top Model Features

The top-spec Savvy Pro variant of the Astor is also available with turbo petrol-automatic powertrain option. It costs Rs. 16.58 lakh with the normal petrol-automatic and Rs. 17.90 lakh with the turbo petrol-automatic. The Savvy Pro normal petrol is Rs. 90,000 more expensive than the lower Sharp Pro automatic variant.

The turbo petrol-automatic costs another Rs. 1.32 lakh more than the Savvy Pro non-turbo automatic. While 30 extra horsepower and 76Nm of higher torque are very nice to have, the asking price for the turbo is not quite justifiable even after factoring in the exclusive style features.

This variant adds the following notable features:

Once again, the list of additional features is small, but these are absolutely essential features.

If the auto emergency braking or lane keeping features save you even once from a potential collision, then the feature pays back for itself practically in just one instance. From there, every time it saves you, it’s virtually putting money in your pockets by saving you from not just the expensive repairs, but also the time and hassle of going through the insurance and refunds. So, the Savvy Pro is worth considering in the MG Astor’s petrol-automatic variant lineup, if you are looking for a car with good-to-have and ADAS tech features. However, the turbo petrol comes across as a little expensive. So, consider buying with the normal petrol-automatic (the CVT auto).

Which Variant Of The MG Astor Petrol Should You Buy?

Let’s start with the 1.5L normal petrol-manual. It starts at Rs. 9.98 lakh, and the base variant itself looks like an attractive proposition. MG loaded it up surprisingly well considering the asking price and segment. It has all of the must-have features for a car costing around Rs. 9.98 lakh (ex-showroom) regardless of the size, segment and body style. Once you factor in these 3 aspects of the Astor, it comes across as even more impressive. The Astor Sprint variant is worth considering even if you’re looking to buy one of the higher variants of a smaller SUV like the Brezza or Nexon.

From there, it only goes downhill as the Shine and Sharp Pro variants are not good value for money. The Sprint and Select are the only other variants we feel comfortable recommending.

For the 1.5L normal petrol CVT automatic, the Select variant is our top recommendation as it offers a decent feature balance and value for money. However, if you can splurge, the Savvy Pro CVT automatic is also a good option. The turbo petrol engine is quite expensive for the incremental asking price. However, if you’re used to the rolling acceleration and drivability of a turbo petrol and you don’t mind paying a little premium for the same, then it’s certainly worth a look.

What Are The Engine Specifications Of The MG Astor Petrol?

Just like most C-segment SUVs, the Astor also has 2 petrol engine options. The base engine has power and torque figures on par with the non-turbo petrol cars. Only the turbo petrol engines like the C3 Aircross, Taigun and Kushaq stand out with their phenomenal torque output, which is not only available at lower RPMs, but it’s also spread out nicely. Thus, these cars should offer better drivability in the city as well as on the highway.

In terms of mileage figures, the Astor non-turbo petrol engine has the lowest mileage figures compared to the base petrol engines of all C-SUV rivals.

The Astor’s turbo petrol engine has decent power and torque figures but not enough to win any awards. In fact, among the turbo petrol engines, the Astor turbo has the lowest power, torque and mileage figures. Only the non-turbo, hybrid petrol engines of the Grand Vitara and Hyryder offer lower power and torque figures but make up for that slack with outstanding mileage figures.

What Are The Dimensions Of The MG Astor?

The MG Astor is about as long as the top-selling SUVs like Creta, Seltos, which is what we expect from a C-segment SUV. It’s considerably longer than the Kushaq and the Taigun. The Astor’s ground clearance and boot space are also satisfactory. Otherwise, the Astor is about as big as a typical C-segment SUV. Nothing noteworthy in this area, and nothing to find fault with either.

*C3 Aircross 7-seater boot space with 3rd row removed.

**Based on UK-spec model

^#48L with normal petrol engine. 45L with turbo petrol engine.

^##Unladen ground clearance estimated based on 181mm laden ground clearance

Find out how you can get the best mileage or fuel efficiency from your car:

10 Tips To Get Better Mileage From Your Petrol, Diesel Or CNG Car

What Are The Colour Options Of The MG Astor 2024?

The 2024 Astor is available in the following 5 monotone and 1 dual-tone exterior colours:

• Silver 
• White 
• Black 
• Grey 
• Red
• White with black roof

Note: Here is a quick look at our length-based segmentation of cars to give you an idea of how we are classifying cars based on their size.

You can read more about vehicle segmentation at the following link:

Car Segments Explained - With Body Styles And Examples