MG Windsor EV First Drive: Finding How It Outsold Nexon EV

We have been recommending the Tata Nexon EV ever since its inception, considering it as the best EV under the budget of INR 20 lakh. However, things have changed over the past few months after MG dropped a banger in the form of the Windsor EV. 

The Windsor EV is a rebadged version of the Wuling Cloud EV from China and that's no surprise, given that MG is part of the SAIC group. It's not bad either, how brands can offer great value to consumers despite sharing cars, features and even the manufacturing assembly. Look at the rebadged Marutis that has worked wonders for Toyota. The same goes for Renault and Nissan.

Back to MG now. The MG Windsor comes as the third EV from the brand after the ZS and Comet. Both its siblings have been selling in good numbers, however, Windsor has broken records for the brand by selling over 3110 units last month, outselling the Nexon EV. 

The brand has launched three variants of the Windsor with a starting price tag of INR 9.99 lakhs (ex-showroom) if you consider the battery rental scheme BaaS.

First drive of the MG Windsor EV

The MG Windsor drew our attention and hence, we decided to visit our nearest MG dealership and check out the car in detail. 

Build and exterior design

This is a crossover with MUV body type and its looks draw polarising opinions. It gets a short bonnet, bonnet-wide LED DRLs, projector LED headlamps along with illuminated MG logo bang in the centre. All in all, the front fascia is very unique from most cars in this segment. We find it looks a little similar to its elder sibling, the Comet, from the front, especially with its DRLs and headlamp positioning. 

Interior and features 

The interior of the MG Windsor is one of its biggest highlights.

We found the cabin fit and finish to be better than some of the cars from higher segments. It uses soft-touch materials, wood and premium plastic to elevate the cabin experience. The car gets Aero Lounge leather seats which feel supremely comfortable. The car has a wheelbase of 2700mm, which is much higher than cars like Nexon EV and Mahindra XUV 400. Because of this, the car offers great legroom and knee room in the second row.

The rear seats can be reclined for added comfort and the cushioning and under-thigh support were great. The car also offers a humungous boot space of 600 litres, making it an ideal family car.

Performance

Propelling the MG Windsor is a single motor front wheel drive system which produces 134 hp and 200 Nm of peak torque.

We took the car for a little spin and it felt punchy enough around the city. The power delivery was mostly linear to suit the MPV characteristics of the vehicle. Although we had a brief experience with the car, we felt it could also do great on highways with its given power figures and road behaviour. Interestingly, the brand has not officially revealed the 0 to 100 kph timing for the vehicle.

The car runs on 18-inch alloys wrapped in 215/55 R18 tyres, which offers a perfect balance of stability and comfy ride quality. To take care of braking, the car is equipped with disc brakes on all four wheels along with ABS, EBD, ESP and six airbags as standard.

Battery, range and charging

The car offers a single battery capacity of 38 kWh, from which the brand claims a MIDC (Modified Indian Driving Cycle) range of 332km. The car can be charged from 0 to 100 per cent in 13.8 hours with a 3.3 KW charger and in 6.5 hours with a 7.4 KW charger. It also supports fast charging, hence it can go from 0 to 80 per cent in 55 minutes using a fast changer of 50 KW.

What is BaaS?

BaaS (Batter As A Service) is a program offered by MG to make cars accessible to the masses by lowering the upfront ownership cost significantly. As per this programme, the buyer will have to pay a rental amount for the battery.

The best plan of the lot is offered by Vidyut Tech, which offers INR 3.5 per km running cost without any range restrictions and additional charges. You can find detailed information on other plans by visiting your nearest dealerships. 

Pricing and conclusion

The three variants of the MG Windsor; Excite, Exclusive and Essense, are priced at INR 9.99 lakhs, 10.99 lakhs and 11.99 lakhs respectively with the BaaS scheme. However, if you do not want to get the BaaS and want full ownership of the car and battery upfront, then you will have to pay an additional INR 3.5 lakh for the battery on each variant. 

We checked the top-end Essense variant and we believe this car justifies its price tag of INR 15.49 lakh (ex-showroom, without BaaS). We found the performance of the car to be at par with its competitors if not better.

The cabin experience too is elevated by the cushy and comfortable seats along with a fully panoramic glass roof for an airy feeling. The performance, space, comfort and practicality of the MG Windsor, combined with the aggressive pricing could make it a no-brainer over other cars like the Tata Nexon EV and Mahindra XUV 400.