Does the MG Windsor EV Pro live up to the ‘“Pro” nomenclature? We had an opportunity to find that out during our first drive on the scenic routes around Guwahati
Story: Gaurav Davare
Photography: Kalidas M
Normally, the word “pro” means an abbreviated form of “professional” but in the ever-evolving world of technology, it also tends to denote something bigger and better than an already existing product. The Apple iPhone 16 Pro or, in more recent times, the Sony Playstation 5 Pro console come to mind. Now, JSW MG Motor India have joined the “Pro” game with the Windsor EV Pro. Living up to that nomenclature won’t be an easy task because the standard MG Windsor EV is already quite a successful formula of electric mobility at an affordable price. So, I’m here in Guwahati to see whether all the additions really enhance the already positive appeal of the standard EV.
Park the standard Windsor EV and the Windsor EV Pro side by side and you’d be hard pressed to find any difference—the unique minimalist body style that tends to divide opinion has been retained. Move around to the sides and the 18-inch alloy wheels have a different dual-tone design. Personally, I prefer this sporty spoke look to the standard model’s design even though the latter is more inclined to the clean theme of electric vehicles. You’ll also notice an unfamiliar body shade because this is the Aurora Silver option. It is one of three new paint options (the other two being Glaze Red and Celadon Blue) available that add some diversity.
Head inside and you’ll immediately notice the new dual-tone Ivory White theme replacing the existing Knight Black theme. While I understand this theme can add a bit more premium ambience to the cabin, keeping it clean is going to be a tedious task as bright colours like this can get dirty quickly. It would’ve been nice to have the Knight Black theme as an option, but the MG Windsor EV Pro is limited to the dual-tone Ivory White theme.
Apart from this, pretty much every nook and cranny of the cabin is identical to the standard model. Based on the top-spec standard Essence, the sole Essence Pro variant retains all the bells and whistles like the big 15.6-inch touchscreen that can handle most of the car functions, including wireless smartphone connectivity, 256-colour ambient lighting, reclining rear seats, a nine-speaker audio system, ventilated front seats, and a 360-degree camera. There is added convenience in the form of a powered tail-gate, but if you look at the boot, the available space has decreased from 604 litres to 579 litres. Impressively, though, the overall cabin experience, right down to the comfortable seating experience, remains largely unchanged. The reason for the boot space reduction and the retained cabin experience is just round the corner.
Now to what arguably for most would be the true meaning of the Pro model: a larger 52.9-kWh battery pack. The 136-hp electric motor, however, has been retained and, naturally, a bigger battery means added weight. Unfortunately, we don’t have an official kerb weight figure. So, does it affect the driving experience? Well, having driven this car on what one can describe as heaven on earth—the mountainous winding roads of Guwahati, all the way to Meghalaya and Umami Lake—I can safely say the experience is largely the same.
Impressively, the bigger battery pack hasn’t affected acceleration or the overall driveability of the electric motor, although it would’ve been nice to have a more potent motor to really drive home the “Pro” identity. There is a small, almost negligible, difference in how it corners as understeer kicks in a little earlier and the tyres screech for relief a touch earlier than on the standard model.
So far as range is concerned, the claimed range has gone up to 449 kilometres on a single charge, an increase of 117 km as compared to the standard model. During this first drive, I set out with 425 km left on the odometer at a full charge and after nearly 200 km of driving in a variety of driving styles and drive modes, I had 170 km of range left. So, managing to get up to 350 km of range in the real world is possible if you drive judiciously. This means while the standard model is more limited to city travels, you can realistically plan an outstation trip with the Pro model.
Not only does the battery get gains, its fast charging capability has also gone up from 45 kW to 60 kW. This is enough for a 20 to 80 per cent charge in less than an hour. Another cool addition is Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) and Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) charging technology whereby the EV can be a power source where the plug-point is usable for powering appliances or for charging another EV. We actually saw V2L in action, powering a cooking stall as well as a Sony PS5.
To round off all the new bits in the MG Windsor EV Pro is the Level 2 ADAS suite of safety assists. After trying out assists such as Automatic Emergency Braking, Traffic Jam Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Lane Departure Warning, a good thing to note is the sensitivity, well calibrated to Indian roads where any intervention is gradual and predictable. I particularly appreciated the Bend Cruise Assistance that works in conjunction with Adaptive Cruise Control where it adjusts the vehicle speed before an incoming curve.
Priced at Rs 18.10 lakh (price post 8,000 bookings) and at Rs 13.10 lakh under the Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) programme (both prices ex-showroom), it’s hard not to consider the MG Windsor EV Pro as an appealing option. For a premium of around Rs 2 lakh, it’s like an extra layer of mozzarella cheese on a pizza with longer range and more kit, which seems like a fair deal. Thus, it lives up to the “Pro” tag and should continue the Windsor EV’s strong momentum in the electric space.
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