MG Comet EV Long Term Test: Living the microcar life

As promised, MG has replaced our (much missed) Astor with the cutesy, teensy-weensy, and eye-catching Comet EV. It came to me at a time when I was struggling with the onset of the Mumbai monsoon, arriving drenched to work every day on my scooter. Now, the Comet has been my companion for the past month and I have grown quite fond of it. Let’s take a look at it and the time I have been spending with this newest addition to our long-term garage.

Nothing can prepare you for the amount of attention the Comet garners on the streets. It not only turn heads but also makes people stop in their track, and point it out to others, while also managing to light up onlookers' eyes. Part of this credit goes to the funky fluorescent-y paint scheme. But more importantly, it’s the dimension and the unique proportions that grab attention on the roads the most.

It’s usually the sheer size and immense road presence that makes people give their undivided attention to something on the streets. But our Comet manages to do it effortlessly by simply being too cute! Not only does it grab unbiased attention, but people have walked up to me to know more about it, check out its interior and ask about its price. So now I have started keeping a count of how many heads our Comet turns or eyeballs it grabs. I promise I’ll give you that number in the next report.

Admittedly, I come from a family of full-sized people. But that’s no concern for the Comet. I have commuted with four family members on board and the Comet just whizzed past without faze. A few times, it was me chauffeuring three ladies of the family on their shopping trips. And with them came hefty bags of newly bought clothes. As you know, the Comet has no countable boot space with four people on board. But we stuffed those bags in with four of us anyway and none of us were complaining much, except those who were sitting in the back when it was time to get in or out. Otherwise, space was never an issue even for those subjugated to the back seat.

Another reason why so many people are intrigued by the Comet is the cabin. They can spot the rather large widescreen stacked on the dash from a mile away and they now know – it’s a luxury reserved for expensive cars. They also have a question about how to get in the back seat. A quick little demonstration of the one-lever that slides the passenger seat forward brings stupefying expressions to their faces.

As for charging the Comet, I am using our office’s AC charger to replenish the 17.3kWh battery. It’s a 7.2kW charger setup but the Comet only supports 3.3kW capacity. So charging takes much longer than I initially anticipated. But the good thing is for my 10kms of commute, the Comet consumes just 8 per cent of charge. This also means that it takes decently long for me to deplete the battery.

So I’ve been stacking up anything between 170-185 km of range in my usual driving cycle. And in the past month, guess how many times I have had range anxiety?! Zero, that’s correct. If you are still interested, it usually takes close to six hours for 100 per cent from a single digit of the remaining charge.

If I were to complain, it would be about the air conditioning. It’s monsoon and temperatures are fairly comfortable these days. But on days when the sun is out and bright, the air-con has a hard time cooling the cabin. It increases the load on the battery, which drops the range rather quickly. But once the cabin is nice and cool, it stays like that for a long time.

Full disclosure: I have been driving the Comet with the following settings – regen on high (of low and medium), and drive mode is usually on Eco (instead of Normal and Sports). These settings work best for everyday use and I’ve never had any need to change these settings.

Now, for the past month, in my routine-less and charger-less lifestyle, the Comet has made a nice place for itself. And I am quite surprised by it as are many people who know I am an advocate for ‘bigger the better’. But over the month I have admittedly grown quite fond of the Comet.

In the coming month, I will be taking a Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai trip in the Comet. And at the same time, I will be nearing 1000km with this cute, little city runabout. So stay tuned for the next update.

Product Details:

Make: MG

Model: Comet EV

Version: Plush

Odometer reading: 1901kms

Kilometres this month: 536kms

Average Range: 180kms

Price: Rs. 10.50 lakh (when tested, OTR, Mumbai)

Pictures by Kaustubh Gandhi