MG Windsor EV: Worth buying now?
[Music] I’ve been quite uh intrigued and impressed with MG’s Windsor, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on why because I know it has shortcomings, some obvious ones and some that could be deal breakers, but nonetheless, I have respect for that car. And I think now I know why the MG Windsor is a great car. Let me explain. It’s a good EV, but it’s a better car. You see, we’re kind of in the early days of this EV revolution. And so EVs are making big promises which we typically end up seeing as big screens, big battery packs, and big features to make our lives better tomorrow. But in that process, they forget about being good cars today. And I think that’s where the Windsor feels special. It has those basics that you’d want in a family car. Think about the space for the passengers. Think about the boot space. It’s MPV like in that regard, but it’s also SUV like with the ground clearance on offer with that great commanding view and the way it drives as well. On top of all of that, it is incredible value. And it could have been even better value, right? If it were a petrol or diesel part car, it would be 20 30% cheaper, which means 3 four lakhs less than what it is now. That would make the Windsor feel even more wow, right? But even as an EV, the Windsor is solid. It could have been our pivot car, which means I would have asked you to drive the MG Windsor before deciding on anything else in this price range, ice or EV. But the Windsor also has its shortcomings. To get that incredible value for money tag, it has cut some corners. The sound and the heat insulation is not great. The software for those screens is not well finished. and those controls on the steering wheel are genuinely annoying. And then as an EV, it’s really not as wow as some of the other options in the market today in terms of performance or range. So if you’re looking for that premium EV experience, the MG Windsor is not going to blow you away. But if you are looking for a sensible and practical family car, the Windsor definitely will take a lot of boxes. That’s despite it being an EV. And a lot of people are going to buy the NG Windsor despite how it looks. So, let’s move past that and go into the cabin because many EVs really have been struggling with the basics like under thigh support, like boot space, like cabin space. But if you look at boot space in the Windsor’s case, it’s great. The boot floor can be adjusted at two levels. At the lower level, you have more luggage space. If you move the floor up, then you can pack in luggage more easily as the floor isn’t low. In the back seat, under thigh support is not great, but it is good. Comparable with ice cars better than EVs. And with all that leg room on offer, you can stretch out and enjoy yourselves there. 6footers will also enjoy spending time there. But the Windsor is also a typical EV in some not so good ways. Whether it was MG, Vuling, SIC or whoever, whoever decided to do away with the buttons so that the steering wheel became a mess of controls did it for their own convenience and put the driver and users convenience not just in the back seat, they threw it out of the car. And then there’s that large touchscreen which really points to the fact that car makers should stop throwing screens our way unless it makes our lives better. This screen really doesn’t. And I had thought that those poofy looking seats with those funky contours to them would make my life worse. But I was wrong on that front. Even after spending several hours in those seats, I was still comfortable. So, that is good. Now, for a second, let’s just jump out and look at the car. Clearly, it is an MPB. It’s got no nose. It’s long. It’s tall. And it’s got big windows. Lots of glass. Lots and lots of glass. And now, let’s jump back in. On the inside, those big windows do help to make this cabin feel larger than it is. And it is already a large cabin. It makes it feel more relaxing. But in the interest of saving costs, those large windows are really poor at rejecting heat, which means in this cabin, it can feel like you’re in a solar cooker on a hot day, which also means that the air conditioning has to work extra hard, and that means it will affect range and comfort. There’s another front on which the Windsor has cut corners. Sound insulation. When you use the horn, it sounds like you’re honking at yourself. The only upside to that is maybe people will honk less. But there are several other downsides. Whether it’s road noise, tire noise, wind noise, you can hear it all in the cabin, including that ricksha going right next to you. It doesn’t help make the cabin more relaxing and more enjoyable. That is not good. Before we go any further with the Windsor, let me ask you, do you know which car in this segment has the best sound insulation? If you’re on the motorink app, you could find out easily. And for now, let me tell you that is the Kia Stos. With the last update which we have tested, we realized that not only has the suspension tune improved, but the sound insulation has as well. And you can find out all the details about this Kia STOs on the motoring app. You can see all our videos about the Kiatos on that page. You can also find our FAQ playlist there, which will break down the celltos into all its little bits and examine it closely so that you can make a more informed decision. And now let’s head back to the Windsor. But what is good about the Windsor? Actually, scratch that. What is great about the Windsor is how it drives. Now, from the driver’s seat, there are the obvious things that you’ll enjoy, like the high seating position. It really feels SUV in that regard. And you also have a great view all around because of the large glass area, but it’s a lot of the subtle things that will make this MG feel special. You’ll enjoy it the more time you spend with it. The accelerator, it’s well judged, which means what you do with your right foot feels very direct and very clear in the way the vehicle responds. It’s the same for the steering. It’s well judged. The Windsor does not feel heavy and cumbersome to drive even in the city. The regen is well judged. It feels absolutely natural to use. And this maturity in the logic of the software can be seen in other ways as well. Even when the state of charge drops below 20%, you can still go to sport mode. It still drives naturally. It still feels friendly to drive in the city. It’s easy to drive and live with on the highway. It cruises easily and can move urgently when required. The only catch in this entire driving experience is the Windsor’s brake pedal. It has enough bite, but when you want to break suddenly, you’ll realize that that pedal pushes way deeper than you would have expected or wanted. It feels mushy. But despite that brake pedal, I enjoy driving it. exciting. It is not useful. It is. Now, whether you choose the regular Windsor or the Pro, they drive the same. It’s in the way the motor works, it’s the steering or the brakes, and even the region levels are the same. The Pro could and should have gone with a single pedal drive mode, which means you could have brought the car to a halt just using the accelerator. But even on the Pro, it’s the same. you will come down to about 10 11 km an hour, not lower than it. The only difference between the regular Windsor and the Pro, aside from the wheels and that elastic at the back, is the battery pack. Now, the battery pack is larger on the Pro, but the regular version that we tested here in Maharashtra, we realized that 260 km when you’re out on the highway is doable, and in the city, it’ll manage about 300. With the Pro, you can add another 100 km to that range. And by default, we’d recommend getting the Pro. Not just because of the extra range, which you may or may not need, but it will allow you to increase the comfort in the cabin. It’s partly down to the air conditioning, which will have to work harder on hot days. But there’s one more reason. The suspension. The suspension is firm. You see cars like the Windsor which have heavy batteries also have a lot of ground clearance which means they have to have good control so that they remain well behaved over all kinds of road conditions and that the Windsor manages but it comes at the expense of comfort. But if you were to get the Pro, you could run the tire pressures slightly lower which would improve comfort but take a hit on the range. But even then you’d easily manage 300 km. So I think that is a good enough combination. The other advantage for the Pro over the regular Windsor is its faster charging speeds. It can manage 60 kW whereas the regular Windsor is good for 45 kW. So your top ups and stops in case of emergencies will be quicker and more convenient. It will feel less slow. I just want to emphasize that the Windsor might seem slow on paper because its horsepower figures are not going to be as much as its rivals, but in the real world, it will be enough. You won’t have reason to complain. It’s not a car that will feel slow. And MG need not worry about the Windsor because it’s not a slow seller. It’s doing well for itself. And now I know why. It’s because it’s a good EV, but it’s a great car. It has the solid basics to make a great family car. It’s practical and sensible, and its value quotient underlines that all over again. Yes, it’s not a premium EV, but that’s just fine.
The MG Windsor is a popular electric vehicle. But is it a great car?
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Chapters
00:00 Intrigued & impressed
03:02 Cabin
04:47 Space & comfort
07:02 Driving the Windsor
08:53 Variants
10:02 Suspension
10:44 Charging
11:03 Conclusion
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