MG Comet Long Term Review: City Report

Range anxiety is real. And let no one tell you otherwise. But, it’s also a little overrated.

Take me for instance. We have had the MG Comet on our long-term fleet for a while. And, though I have driven the car on and off for short stints like fetching coffee, I never dared to take it home. I live 40km away from my workplace and don’t have a charger at home. That’s 80km of commute on a full charge.

Logic dictates that with almost 200km of true range on a full charge, commuting in the Comet — home and back — is a non-issue. But, I couldn’t get over the range anxiety and the ‘what ifs’ that come with it. Again, logic dictates that I can always call MG service for help if I run out of charge. Or choose a local charging station in one of the many malls if the charge runs low. But who wants the inconvenience of dealing with all that?

Then one day, a month back or so, I gulped some Mountain Dew and drove the Comet home. To say it was a revelation would be an understatement. I absolutely loved commuting in it! Yes, it can feel a bit bouncy at times. Its puny tyres can struggle for grip over uneven concrete roads under braking. It might not have any place to put my phone or wallet away, and using the cup holder can mean blocking off aircon vents resulting in poor cooling.

But, the joy of effortless and instant acceleration, the quick steering response, and the ability to squeeze into gaps no one but an autorickshaw would attempt at, make it an absolute hoot to commute in. It takes the boredom away and makes dealing with traffic a game of sorts. You don’t stop respecting other road users and their space, of course. But because you are quicker, more agile, and always alert — not to mention most other motorists are zoned out or too tired to enjoy the evening drive back home — you can have fun in the Comet without bothering many.

Sure, you might bruise a few egos en route, especially of those behind the wheel of powerful and large SUVs (relative to the Comet, mind). But before they can even think about reacting, you are gone.

It’s been over a month since I started using the Comet as my daily commute partner. And if all I use it for is to get home from work and back, I consume only 40 per cent charge after 80km of driving. I do this in the Eco mode on my way home and in the Sport mode when returning to the office. The roads are emptier in the morning, so clearly, there’s more fun to be had.

However, if I use the car over the weekend, the trip back to work on Monday morning can be nerve-racking. The Comet almost runs out of charge getting to the office, but thankfully, it never really has. And that’s my learning here — range anxiety will exist, no matter what the range is. And despite any range, living with an electric car will always require a degree of planning if you don’t want to inconvenience yourself at the worst possible moment. Also, if you already have an ICE-powered car at home, you can live with the Comet as the second daily runabout.

Plus, it’s fun, easy to park, and turns on a dime. It is now my default get-in-and-go car, the caveat being it is fully charged.

Pictures by Kaustubh Gandhi