MG Comet EV Review: Small City Car With Big Promises

MG Motor India’s newest car for the Indian market is a micro-EV, and it’s called the Comet. It is based on the Wuling Air EV sold in other Asian markets. So what’s the target audience for the Comet EV? If you drive 50 to 60 km a day, then this car is not for you. If you want to drive on the highways, at much higher speeds, using expressways for your daily commute, then this car is not for you. If you want to carry lots of luggage, then this car is not for you. And if you want a family car, well, again, this car is not for you. But you know what’s refreshing? For a change, it's not just me saying it; even the manufacturer is saying it too.

MG Comet EV: Design

The Comet is not a conventional car, and it’s not for everyone. It is purpose-built, and you know what it looks like, too. The idea is for it to be a city car; it’s very upright, and it gives you a sense of space in terms of being a tall boy. And then it’s very obviously different looking. So, in a way, it almost screams that yes, I’m an electric, and yes, I’m different. It has small wheels, which are very much intended to be like that for efficiency reasons and to help with the short turning area. You get a nice, big glass that is kind of incongruous with the belt line, and that’s a good thing because for people sitting at the back, obviously, the space is not a whole lot, so this gives you that sense of space.

You get the connected taillights, and brake lights down below, as well as a high-mounted one with big Comet badges and big MG badges. And you know, it looks kind of modern and quirky, and it most definitely looks different. The looks are polarising. Not everybody’s going to like them, and not everybody’s going to be like, “Whoa! I want one!” Think of it this way, for everybody hating this car, or saying that it looks weird if instead of this logo it had the Apple logo, you would be rushing to buy one of these, saying it’s so different, it’s so convenient. So, from the point of view of it being a city car, I think the design works, it has a big door, and the fact that it’s just a two-door also works.

MG Comet EV: Cabin

Now in all the variants, you will get a white and off-white theme, I quite like the soft-touch materials on the dash, and on the side panels of the door, and you also get a nice-looking white cover for the seats, but I feel that this light colour will attract dust and will require a constant clean-up. The all-white theme is in keeping with the modern, gadgety feel this car has. And honestly, the light palette adds to a sense of space.

Now, even though this is going to be under Rs. 10 lakh, MG has made sure that you get lots of features inside the car, so first of all, the party piece is going to be this, a single-panel, floating display, which is quite unique considering the fact that this is going to be a budget car. The UI is quite slick, it is quite smooth to operate and looks good. The vibrant colours used really pop out and look attractive.

A selector button tucked behind the steering wheel lets you choose between different modes- Eco, Normal, and Sport. You also have a knob that allows you to switch between the three regeneration modes. Apart from several functions that can be controlled from this screen, there’s also MG Assistant as part of the package, which also controls a lot of your vehicle settings. It responds to more than 100 commands and, yes, understands Hinglish as well.

MG Comet EV: Is it Spacious?

As I said at the start, this isn’t a family car. So, a lack of space goes with the territory. That includes storage in the cabin. But then remember that it is a tiny car and meant to be one because, if you look at the dimensions, you’ll see that it’s under 3 metres in length, with a wheelbase that is just over 2 metres. The second row is mainly for kids, or very short distances. Access to the back is easy. If you’re not above average-sized, though, it may not be as easy! Or as comfy! The tallboy design means the headroom is great. But on the whole, as I said, this is more for the kids.

The boot space, if you can call it that, is designed for a slim laptop bag. If you've got more stuff, the rear seats fold down individually, which is not bad, assuming you don’t have rear passengers.

MG Comet EV: How Does It Drive?

Interestingly, the Comet uses a battery pack sourced from Tata Autocomp, an ancillary unit of the Tata Group.

Now on most electric cars, you push down the accelerator and the car just zips ahead. You get that instant torque. I have to say that with the Comet, it’s not like that. But that doesn’t mean it’s slow or sluggish. Given the purpose you are using this car for, you get plenty of responses even though it may not be like a typical electric. What I mean is, it's nimble, you can switch lanes quickly, and you can do quick overtaking manoeuvres. In fact, driving it in traffic, given this car’s footprint, it’s fun thanks to its manoeuvrability. And because of that quick response.

It has a slightly exaggerated, kind of electronic battery acceleration and deceleration sound which you know goes with the territory. I like the fact that it is exaggerated in a small car like this, that makes me feel a bit good. There, you can hear it. I also have the car put on maximum regen mode, it’s got three settings there where you can have it on light, normal or heavy regen and I usually put it on heavy in every electric car, just maximises your range and gives you single pedal driving which is way more fun.

The Comet has a claimed driving range of 230 km on a full charge. MG says, if you drive in eco with heavy regen, it should do more! The Comet EV can only be charged via a 3.3 kW charger, a slow charging setup, that takes 7-8 hours for a full charge. Now the weird thing is – not only is there no fast charging possible, but you also can’t use anything over a 7.7 kW charger on this car. But the good news is you can plug it into a regular 16-amp power outlet.

MG Comet EV: Ride And Handling

The seating position takes some time to get used to. You can’t adjust the height of the seat, so it's slightly annoying. You will realise that you get a terrific view of the road ahead, you sit tall and upright thanks to it. The turning radius is low and that comes in handy while making a quick U-turn. The suspension setup is not ideal. And here’s where the tiny wheels hurt. Because you do end up feeling every pothole. And this is not the car for high-speed cornering.

MG Comet EV: Safety

The Comet meets India’s current crash requirements. But we do not have more stringent Global NCAP tests on it as yet. Dual airbags, three-point seatbelts for all occupants, and even seatbelt warnings for all. 4-6 airbags as an option would have been nice. Even at higher prices. The reverse camera has better clarity than most cars in the budget segment. TPMS, rear parking sensors and a manual parking brake round things off.

MG Comet EV: Verdict

Everything that I have told you about this car has its advantages, and why it has been done this way by MG, all of that is true, it's practical. On paper, it all makes sense. And all the people that say that yes, I want my car to be compact, or it should be easy to park or should be up to solve all my urban traffic and usability problems that I face in my current vehicle.

But the truth is when people go down to the showrooms, they still want a car that isn’t practical. That’s you know because you do want to show off, you want a bigger car, you want the height, you want its brutish looks of an SUV, and that’s all the reason why people buy a car, and it’s not just about practicality. And that’s where the price is going to make a huge difference. Even though I will tell you that this car is not comparable to the Tata Tiago EV, it is an inevitable comparison, not just for journalists, but even for consumers.

It is going to be a rival to the Tiago EV and MG has definitely undercut it by pricing it at Rs. 7.98 lakh (ex-showroom India). However, we wait to know the prices of all the variants because if the top variant of the MG Comet has priced below Rs. 10 lakh, then Tata might just need to go back to the drawing board with the Tiago pricing!