It’s compact and comfortable, and it’s also an effective way to reduce your carbon footprint.
Egypt. The land of the Pharaohs, the land of antiquity. A place where past and present sit comfortably side by side. And the same is true of the company’s cars. Having fun driving next to a shabby Mercedes W123 from the late ’70s is the car that almost gives me goosebumps – it’s the recently launched baby MG EV dubbed the Comet! One of the many electric cars imported to carry COP 27 climate summit delegates around, but without adding too much to their carbon footprint, it’s the car that makes me drunk passionate about. And what I especially love is that it’s bold, bold, and out of date.
A quick chat at the next traffic light with the driver got me very excited and changed my flight plans. This is an opportunity too good to miss. The next day was spent arranging for our photographer, videographer and shooting location. The plan isn’t really that simple and it’s going to take some work, but all the effort is well worth it. The pyramids and the sphinx will have to wait.
MG Comet: external design, battery, poweretrain
Years ago, Nissan’s head of design, Shiro Nakamura, said something about electric cars struggling. “The electric vehicles of the future will still be cars, not unflattering shells. Sleek, full of attractive details and good design will still play an important role in their success,” he told me.
Walking up to MG Comet, I can’t help but think how right he was. Far from having no personality, this little charmer is at the same time fresh, bold, intriguing and unusual. Its location is unique; More like a lifestyle EV than a cheap electric hatch, it’s a vehicle that takes the humble hatchback to new heights.
The nose, with its little shelf-like bonnet, was my first stop. It breaks the monotony of what is essentially a single-volume design. The piano black LED and chrome strip running around both the front and rear creates a refined look, and the low-set headlights – with chrome splints – make it look more upscale.
It rides on small 12-inch wheels
What is most impressive, however, is the ‘columnless styling’ provided by the flush-mounted front windshield, front 1/4 glass, side windows and fixed ‘drop’ rear window. And that’s rad; pound for pound, this car has more attitude than anything else. It’s small. Just 2.9 meters long and 1.5 meters wide, it rides on small 12-inch wheels and narrow 145 mm tires.
A full charge takes 8-9 hours, without DC charging.
The limited weight, despite the 17.3 kWh battery, is only 815 kg. And the interesting thing is that the engine only sends 40.7 horsepower to the rear wheels and it has disc brakes on all 4 wheels. Claimed range with a fully charged battery is between 200 and 250 km, which is enough for city runs, and charging from 0-100 percent takes 8.5 hours. There’s no facility for DC charging, though, so that’s a miss.
MG Comet: interior, space, features
My first reaction when I opened the big door was “wow”! This has a few causes. For starters, there are no low or basic costs here. There’s no ubiquity of cheap plastic, no rough flakes, and the cabin doesn’t feel like it’s been dictated by a cost accountant.
The steering wheel has quality buttons.
Bright, open and full of high-quality bits that don’t look out of place even on MG’s Hector; The color palette and details are both visually appealing and extremely classy. In fact, look at the exquisitely crafted steering wheel; it even looks like it has a pair of click wheels like Apple’s iPod – remember them?
The gear selector knob is beautifully designed, hard to see in sunlight.
What caught my attention next were the two 10.25-inch screens, placed in the same plane, like the Merc, and had what looked like a solid billet of aluminum with the climate controls. Rotary air looks neat. Also love the knurled chrome finish on the rotary gear selector, housed in its own little box, and the fact that even the door sills are finished in gray and white.
The slick on-screen user interface is great.
It’s also important to note that the touchscreen’s functionality is first-class, it’s sharp, it’s sleek, it’s well laid out, and it’s easy to navigate. And you can even move widgets around and customize your home screen. Although the display is positioned low and front visibility is not affected, the steering wheel does block the instrument panel in some places. Other niggles include the fact that this car doesn’t have a glovebox, two large passengers sitting side by side will rub their shoulders in corners, there’s no spare tire and you can only use the trunk if you flip one of the seats over. rear seats forward; they split 50:50.
There is no glove box, only a small shelf.
Front space and comfort, however, is quite good. The cabin is not large, but because it is an electric vehicle and has a flat floor and high roof, it feels spacious. And the white and gray color scheme helps. In addition, the large front seats with integrated headrests are soft, supple, and provide good shoulder support. They are even large enough to be comfortable for hours.
There is no rear door, you need to fold the front seats forward and slide in the back. However, this is not too much of a chore as the gap between the front seat and the door is wide enough for you to slide in easily. And when it comes to the rear, legroom and headroom aren’t too bad, and the long rear window floods the cabin with light. However, the saddle is low and you have to sit on your knees; Plus, there are only tiny fixed headrests.
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The rear seats are low, but the legroom and headroom are decent.
You get ABS, double airbags, Tire Pressure Monitoring System and the top cars in India are also likely to come with ESP. Other features include electric parking brake, hill start assist, LED headlights and taillights, keyless entry, and more.
MG Comet: performance, driving, handling
It may only have 40.7 horsepower, but it has very little weight to push around. And what makes it feel fun and exciting is all the torque available as soon as you hit the gas. There is no sudden power spike or rush, more a gradual accumulation; but steer the MG’s baby with the generous help of his right foot, and it will easily pass through slower traffic.
It feels like home in the cut and push traffic.
This is especially true between 40 and 70 km/h, which seems to be a sweet spot and here, a single tap of the gas is enough to enjoy small bursts of acceleration. Switching from Normal to Sport also gives a little boost. However, the performance degrades as you go beyond 85kph and post this, only the speed increases gradually. The top speed on the watch is 105 km/h, or about 100 km/h in the real world.
What’s somewhat surprising is that stability at speed, on tiny 12-inch wheels and narrow roads, is also quite good. But at higher speeds on bends, you need to make small adjustments as the car shifts gears and glides over bumps. The view outside is very good and you are sitting at a moderate height. The brakes work well, the pedal feels surprisingly good, and what’s even better is that there seems to be plenty of stopping power to spare. There are three levels of recovery to choose from, making it easy to set up your vehicle just the way you want it.
Good driving position when you sit at a height; surprisingly comfortable seats.
However, MG’s Comet is best suited in the city, where its deliciously gentle steering, electric motor’s instant responsiveness and smooth handling make this car easy and light. when driving. Baby MG can even ride well. Daily bumps and the usual bad roads are passed smoothly and well controlled, without the thud or heaviness of the suspension. That’s right, big holes and big dents upset its calm and throw it away a bit, so you have to slow down or avoid them.
It feels light, easy and effortless, and has enough power to drive in the city.
And it’s also quiet, with just a little bit of road noise and the whine of the electric motor at higher speeds. It even manages large speed breakers quite easily. While city agility is good, this is not a car that likes to be driven fast in corners. There is body roll, even at medium speeds and low grass grip. So it’s best controlled comfortably.
Comet MG: Verdict
With cities becoming increasingly congested, traffic becoming denser and driving in general becoming more difficult, there is a real need for a modern compact and comfortable city car. . A vehicle that is agile, efficient, light and easy to drive must be beautifully designed on the inside, well equipped and, importantly, packed with technology. There are a lot of requirements and there will certainly be some sacrifices, but what’s interesting is that MG’s Comet really takes on a lot of these diverse requirements and really presents something new and unique. Wider on the inside would be better, a bit more performance would come down to good and some people won’t like it since it’s only a three-door.
After that, you can only use the trunk if the rear seats are folded down and the range of this battery will be limited to city use. However, if you’re looking for a self-driving compact city car with small environmental impact, ultra-low running costs, comfort, well-built, tech-packed, and refreshingly light feel and easy to drive, then MG’s Comet could be the right choice. just the EV lifestyle for you. It may be a bit ahead of its time and some people may choose to spend Rs 8 lakh-12 lakh which MG will likely ask for this car for something else. However, MG’s Comet is here to stay, and it’s calling out to all pioneers and early adopters. The question is are you one?
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