The MG Windsor EV is convenience Pro Max. You walk up to it, the doors unlock on their own, you slide into the driver’s seat, select ‘D’ on the gear-selector stalk, and pull away. Quick, simple, easy, and super convenient.
Over the weeks and months we’ve had the car, I’ve even found it to be well suited to our traffic, especially when the need to overtake quickly arises. The electric motor makes a healthy 200Nm of torque, and with near-instant responses, overtaking becomes almost therapeutic.
Squeeze down on the accelerator and a wave of torque helps you breeze past the car ahead. What’s nice is that the e-motor doesn’t overreact or deliver a massive spike of torque the moment you touch the pedal, it’s well metered and measured, and that makes all the difference. So, the Windsor feels surprisingly swift and fleet-footed; just what the doctor ordered for our fluid traffic, where gaps and opportunities open and close quickly.
I even really like the strong brakes, especially how well they blend initial regeneration and later stronger action via the discs. Even the steering is light, direct and well-suited to urban use. Put all these factors together, and you can see why I found myself setting off to run a lot more errands in this car, with even long intra-city commutes handled with ease; podcasts on the clear audio system keeping me company.
What I’ve often found, however, especially when driving on a low battery, is that Eco mode is not as well calibrated. The responses are quite severely dulled down, and that means you need to keep using more and more throttle to get a move on. I soon switched back to Normal, almost every single time.
Where the Windsor also did well was that despite being a monovolume, the design has wide appeal. Sure, it has an unconventional profile, an unconventional cab-forward stance and an unconventional seating position. But the design works so well, first impressions from passengers are overwhelmingly positive. Many passengers commented on its modern looks and the spacious feeling in the rear. And doesn’t the stepped nose up front, with its chrome embellishments, work well?
The MG Windsor, however, also has its fair share of issues and irritants. For one, insulation is very poor. It’s tolerable at lower city speeds, but past 70 or 80kph, road noise gets so prevalent, you start looking around for a commercial vehicle overtaking you. There is none. Then there’s the fact that the ride often gets brittle and unsettled, and go faster, such as on the Coastal Road in Mumbai, and stability at speed is also nowhere near as good as it should be. Some of this is down to the Windsor’s raised ride height and tall stance. But hey.
Over the time we’ve had the car, I’ve also come across a litany of questionable details in the cabin. To begin with, the seats have diamond-quilted covers that prod you in the back and feel unnecessarily ‘textured’. Then a lot of the plastics feel low-rent and cheap, especially the faux wood and the top of the dash. This includes some of the toggle switches used for the aircon and, especially, the gear selector stalk. Then there’s the fact that the screen is a size too large and in your face, and the left bottom of the windscreen is obscured by it; especially irritating when you are parking in a tight place.
What community is saying on the Windsor?
Then, of course, almost everything is controlled from the screen. This includes adjustment of mirrors, drive modes and regenerative braking, among others. So, often, you find yourself stopped on the side of the road, diving into a menu. And more often than not, the said feature is difficult to find. Too much of a good thing here, for sure. It’s only right that buttons are coming back.
Then there’s the fact that while the fonts on the massive screen are huge, those on the digital ‘instrument panel’ are tiny and often difficult to read in a moving car. There’s also no spare tyre, only a puncture kit, of no use if you get a sidewall cut, and this version of the car gets no parcel tray; annoying if you have to leave a bag or luggage.
What of the battery and the range? The 37.9 kWh battery, charged for the most part at our office in Byculla, Mumbai, indicates a 100 percent battery range of around 320kms and has been delivering an average of around 6.5 kilometers per kW. So yes, while the MG Windsor is a lot of EV for the money and offers plenty of convenience, space and comfort, MG has a long to-do list for the facelift.
Sergius Barretto
Rahul Kakar
Ameya Dandekar
Saumil Shah
