The MG Astor is a five-seater compact sport utility vehicle, which has been available for sale in India from October 2021 with an ex-showroom price between ₹9.79 lakh and ₹15.30 lakh after the unveiling in September 2021. The JSW MG Motor India, the joint venture between JSW Group and SAIC Motor Corporation, will soon launch its facelift in the Indian market with many upgrades and changes.
In Indonesia, the MG Aster is sold as the MG ZS; the facelift on the same has been unveiled at the 2026 Indonesia International Motor Show, which gets many upgrades inside to ensure better comfort and convenience for occupants and a few outside to enhance its front end. The major upgrade is in its powertrain; now they have introduced a strong hybrid option for this model.
The exterior upgrades include a redesigned grille; new LED headlights, including the main headlamp and daylight running light; an updated front bumper; and new positioning for the MG logo to give it a fresh look. The side and rear remain the same with rakish lines, body-coloured mechanical door handles, similar alloy wheels, horizontal-shaped LED taillamps, and roof-integrated spoilers.
Its exterior is quite similar to the outgoing model, but the interior has some major upgrades. At the centre of the dashboard, it has a horizontal-shaped touchscreen infotainment system, above which there are two air conditioning vents and a block of physical buttons below. The sides also have one air-conditioning vent.
Before the driving seat, there is a three-spoke steering wheel with physical buttons for control on the side and an MG logo at the centre, under which there’s a digital instrument cluster the same as the existing model. Other interior changes include a new centre console between the driver and co-passenger seats, with a revised gear lever.
It comes with the same seating capacity of 5 people, with two individuals seated in the front row, one for the driver and another for the co-passenger. The second row has three seats in a bench-like structure, but only two adults can be seated comfortably. If all three rear-seat passengers are slim, then it can easily accommodate three individuals.
Even the upholstery for the seats is upgraded with more soft-touch material to enhance seating comfort. In the second row, it has rear air conditioning vents and a USB charging port for phone charging convenience, and a panoramic sunroof to make the cabin airy. The boot space remains the same, as there are no dimensional changes.
Under the hood, it gets a 1,498 cc, 1.5-litre, naturally aspirated, 4-cylinder petrol-powered internal combustion engine with a strong hybrid system that includes an electric motor and battery pack. The ICE and electric motor are mated with a 3-speed dedicated hybrid automatic transmission, whose combined power output is 211 bhp, and the drivetrain is front-wheel drive.
The MG Aster facelift in India is set to come with all these upgrades that we get to see in the MG ZS facelift for the Indonesian market, but the hybrid powertrain is unlikely. If they offer the facelift in India with a strong hybrid, it will compete with the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Hybrid and the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder Hybrid.
The current one is available with a 1,498 cc 1.5-litre VTi-TECH naturally aspirated petrol engine, which is available with two different gearbox options, including a 5-speed MTL and an 8-speed CVT. It generates the power of 110 PS at 6,000 rpm and peak torque of 144 Nm at 4,400 rpm. The ARAI-certified mileage with the manual is 15.43 km/l, but the same with the automatic is only 14.82 km/l.