Try and think of a two-seat electric roadster. Once you’ve come up with ‘Tesla Roadster’ and realized that it hasn’t been on sale for years, and that Musk’s delayed flying-machine sequel may never happen, I’d like to direct you to a real car that currently exists: The MG Cyberster.
MG, in case you didn’t know, isn’t the same company that used to make the MGB your dad coos over. It’s owned by the Shanghai Automobile Industry Corporation (SAIC), and it’s doing quite well. The MG4 EV is a common sight on European roads, and the firm’s various hybrids and EVs can be found in most cities without looking too hard. Most of the cars are affordable, sensible affairs, and all the better for it. But this is MG, the king of the Brit sports car manufacturers (for a bit in the '60s and ‘70s, anyway), and the lineup wouldn’t be complete without something a little bit racy. Enter stage left: The Cyberster.
(Full disclosure: MG loaned me a Cyberster for this review.)
Gallery: MG Cyberster Review
On sale in European and other international markets, the Cyberster is in a class of one. It’s the only ragtop two-seater EV out there, and while some may use that as an excuse to rest on their laurels and phone the job in, MG has put a lot of effort into this one.
It’s available either as an all-wheel-drive, dual-motor 503-horsepower GT, or rear-wheel-drive single-motor 335-hp Trophy. Each boasts a 77kWh (74.4kWh usable) battery to deliver a WLTP range of 276 or 316 miles, respectively. I tested the dual motor GT in silver, with a ‘please don’t wear new jeans’ light gray interior.
There’s a respectable 8.8 cubic-foot trunk in the back, too, so you can put plenty of stuff in there, and the cabin’s got enough storage to fit your day-to-day knick-knacks. The cabin is festooned with screens: three in front of the driver and one in the center console. The two that flank the instrument panel are touch-sensitive and control various aspects of the car, as does the one lower in the cabin, which gives the whole thing a Star Trek-y vibe.
It’s a long car, at nearly 15 feet, which is needed because of the whacking great battery, and at 6 feet, 3 inches, it’s pretty wide. Sitting 4 feet, 4 inches high, it’s not the squattest of things, but a black cowl around the window line helps hide its visual weight and draws your eye lower.
Every sports car, whether it’s in a class of one or not, needs to have some theater about it. The Cyberster’s party piece is fancy doors. They both open upwards, and you can open them by prodding the button on the door… or you use the key. Press the key for the left or right door on the fob and it’ll gracefully rise as you approach. It’s a neat touch, and made me smile every time I hopped in for a drive.
Inside you’ll find big, comfy seats, and a spacious cabin. It's tech heavy, but there are still buttons to press should the mood take you. The paddles behind the wheel either shift regen levels, or switch the car between comfort, sport or custom drive modes. You’ll spy a big red button on there as well: the ‘Super Sport’ button. That’s for moments of silliness, effectively equivalent to a “Sport Plus” or Track mode.
Once you’re on the move it’s a quiet, slick affair. Comfort mode keeps the GT’s silly power in check, allowing you to glide up to speed briskly, but not uncomfortably. Being a heavy car, the Cyberster does bounce around a bit over rough city asphalt. London’s roads are a patchwork of awful repairs, so I let plenty of grunts and groans fly over my time with the Cyberster.
With the roof up, the MG keeps you nearly insulated from the world outside, though it can get a bit creaky when the car’s disturbed by uneven tarmac. While it takes the shine off the experience a touch, there’s little you can do about physics. If you want to drop it, the whole process happens quietly and quickly with no fuss. Plus, the GT’s heated seats took the edge off a chilly London evening.
Sports cars are often used to pose around town, sure, but they should also be capable on twisty roads. On country lanes in comfort mode, the powertrain’s briskness is wonderful. Numbers build, fall and build again with ease. Sport mode makes the Cyberster a far more angry car. The pace becomes frantic to the point where your stomach starts making interesting shapes every time you press the throttle.
Far more extreme is ‘Super Sport.’ It’s out-and-out hooliganism, and unless you’ve got your wits about you I can see how you might end up getting yourself into trouble. The world gets VERY blurry when you mash your foot down. It’s a neat party piece, but not one you’ll want to use too often if you want to keep police away from your doorstep.
Twisty roads reveal one of the Cyberster’s weaknesses, though. It’s heavy. If you’re pressing on, enjoying the power, and generally being a hooligan, the car feels awfully bouncy. Being a bit of a chonker, undulations and anything other than mirror smooth roads upset it enough that it stops being fun and starts being a bit ‘cling on and see what happens.’
If you want a composed ride when you’re giving it some, you won’t find it here. This is a swift cruiser. Dial the pace back a bit and it settles neatly. 10/10ths is for straight lines. It steers smoothly enough, and MG’s rightfully proud of the Brembo brakes at each corner. When you can hit 62mph from rest in 3.2 seconds, chunky stoppers are a blessing.
The GT with its silly power and all-wheel drive promises to manage 3.7mi/kWh on a run, which I guess could be possible if you drove like a saint. I managed to get an average of 3.1kWh in mixed driving—a lot of highway, a decent chunk of town and some time on bendy roads I know well.
Being a modern car, there are touch screens. They fit well here, but they can be fiddly. To adjust maps, music or to flick through menus you need to look quite closely. This wouldn’t be a problem, but MG has a suite of advanced and intrusive active safety systems fitted to the car. I figured out how to turn most of them off, but I couldn’t figure out how to turn off the sensor on the wheel that tracks your eyes. If the car doesn’t feel you’re paying close enough attention to the road ahead it’ll scream at you. Loudly. This wouldn’t be a problem if I didn’t need to go into the car’s various screens to do things, but I did. The car itself created the issue, and then yells at you for dealing with it. How irritating.
So if you’re looking for an MG sports car just like the cars of old, this… isn’t it. It’s too heavy, its ride too compromised. The MG Cyberster is a cruiser. It’s perfect for gently gliding along at a steady pace, taking the world in as you go. It’s a start for the ‘affordable’ EV sports car category, and it’s a damn good one. Just take it easy out there.
Alex Goy is a freelance journalist based in London. He likes British sports cars, tea, and the feeling of the mild peril that only owning a British sports car can bring to your day.
