The MG Comet has finally been launched in India with an introductory price of Rs 7.98 lakh (ex-showroom). This is for the base variant and prices for the other two variants will be announced on May 15. The car is already in showrooms ready for test drives.

It is MG’s fifth vehicle for India and is now their entry-level model below the Hector SUV. It measures at 2.97-meters with a wheelbase of 2.00 meters making it 300mm shorter than the original SS80 Maruti 800 and 200mm longer than the average auto rickshaw.

The Comet is powered by a 17.3KWh battery pack that powers an electric motor producing 41bhp/110Nm. The company claims a range of 230km and with no fast charging 0-100 per cent gets done in seven hours and 10-80 per cent in five hours.

Exterior highlights for the Comet include the stacked headlamps and tail lamps, large doors, electric badging on the side and a large cowl-like structure covering the front of the car. The Comet sees the return of 12-inch wheels with tyres in the size of 145/70 R12.

The interior of the Comet is a grey and beige colour scheme with sufficient space for four to travel. However, the front seats lack proper padding and because the floor is high, you get poor under-thigh support for the rear seats. The boot is only functional if you fold down the rear seats.

The cars that we drove for the review and video were fully loaded models with features of dual 10.25-inch digital displays, reverse camera and i-Smart connected car technology. All versions are expected to have dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, three-point seat belts all around and a TPMS.

As a car to drive, the Comet does its best work in city conditions where heavy bumper-to-bumper is the norm these days. It crawls in traffic with relative ease and due to its size and 4.2-metre turning radius is a breeze to make U-turns or parallel parking.

You get three driving modes- eco, normal and sport with little difference separating the first two and a significant jump when you move to the sport mode. You also get three levels of regeneration with the third level perfect for heavy traffic conditions while level-1 is more suited to open roads.

MG is offering high levels of customisation with the Comet courtesy of sticker packs, body skins and even colour packs. This is in addition to three monotone shades and two dual-tone colour schemes. We expect MG to release more such options in the coming months.

The Comet’s biggest rival is the Tata Tiago EV which is priced higher but has two more doors, a useable boot and the option of fast charging which in the real world offers a far greater degree of usability in terms of travelling longer distances.

Photography: Kaustubh Gandhi

MG Comet First Drive Review