MG Windsor First Drive : We were very impressed with the MG Windsor when we first drove it last September, declaring it the best MG EV so far. The market was on board, and the MG has consistently been selling over 3,000 units a month since its launch in September 2024, becoming the world’s best-selling EV month in month. So how good is it, and how would it perform in our rigorous real-world tests?
The Windsor’s distinctive styling borrows from multiple body styles, fusing the traits of an MPV and a hatchback with an SUV element. This image is from our test car, and as is set on fancy options like piana black body cladding and roof rails to show off its SUV side (tall stance and 186mm ground clearance help too). But the lack of jagged creases and low-slung folds suggest as much a wind-tunnel-optimized design as aesthetic, while the large 18-inch wheels are in-sync with their proportions. Its mono-volume shape and mighty flanks give the car phenomenal road presence.
While shorter in length and height compared to the Creta, the Windsor’s width is at a staggering 1,850mm wide, which makes it wider than not just every other midsize SUV on sale, but also it’s bigger sibling, the MG Hector.
The front benefits from a unique two-tier design, with a stubby, raked-forward bonnet on top and a rounded nose down below. Right up front, the horizontal daytime-running-lamp strip and illuminated MG logo are there to take center stage, with the headlights positioned lower in the bumper, just above a panel that mirrors chrome. On the flanks, door-mounted mirrors, a chrome window surround that stretches the length of the car, chrome door accents, and pop-out handles add visual flair to the vehicle.
And out back, a tasteful pair of tail-lamps joined by a light bar adds some character to the rear, which features the front’s two-tiered design on the boot lid. The rear spoiler adds to the sporty karakter as well. On the downside, there is no rear wiper and washer and the vertical boot tends to dirty up the rear windscreen pretty quickly.
The Windsor’s wide-opening doors and tall stance make it easy for older passengers to climb in and out. Inside, the centrepiece is a giant, horizontally oriented 15.6-inch touchscreen that dwarfs even the instrument cluster, which at 8.8 inches is smaller than the Comet’s 10.25-inch unit. The flat, table top-style top of the dash incorporates built-in cupholders, an ingenious use of the larger surface area.
The cabin features a mostly black theme with dark brown, wood-like plastic inserts on the dashboard, centre console and doors. Champagne Gold highlights and tufted seat upholstery add to the character of the interior. The circular Champagne Gold speaker grille-like decorations seen on the doors are merely aesthetic, as the actual speakers will be mounted lower. There’s plenty of ambient lighting throughout the cabin to help set the scene.
Driving controls consist of a left stalk drive selector — Mercedes-style — and a right stalk wiper controls. The two-spoke steering wheel has toggles with dual functions, which will take a while to learn. The left toggle cycles between left and right mirror or climate controls, while the right toggle cycles between volume and multi-information display menus. As with the MG Comet, there’s no conventional start-stop button, so to fire up the motor you need to press the brake pedal twice (with the key inside the car).