This new MG is available in single and dual-motor variants, and although it’s not intended to be a supercar, it can beat plenty of them, especially in GT guise, writes Tim Barnes-Clay.
The Cyberster offers superb exterior looks, an opulent interior full of digital screens, and a couple of gorgeous colour schemes.
The MG handles well, too – although track day enthusiasts and professional drivers may feel the weight challenges it, as I’ll discuss later.
How Much is the MG Cyberster?
It is not cheap, with the entry-level Trophy model costing £54,995 if you buy it outright – just a few hundred pounds less than an entry-level Porsche 718 Boxster and £10,000 more than an entry-level BMW Z4.
You will fork out £5,000 extra for the higher-powered Cyberster GT. And it’s priced at £59,995, more than the performance version of the BMW Z4, the M40i.
Admittedly, part of the Cyberster’s cost is the premium you pay for electric cars, and of course, it’ll be much cheaper to run than all the alternatives.
Performance and Drive Comfort
The Cyberster GT model I’m testing gets from zero to 62mph in just 3.2 seconds, hitting a maximum of 125mph – the first figure beating plenty of supercars.
By comparison, it’s 5.0 seconds and 121mph in the Trophy edition – but both feel even quicker thanks to the instantaneous response from the accelerator pedal.
You get slightly less ferocity unless you use the ‘Super Sport’ driving mode, while Launch Control only sweetens the deal as you sprint seamlessly off the line.
The driving modes are accessible from one of the touchscreens. One of them is Custom mode, which enables you to tune various functions, including the throttle response and steering weight, to suit your taste.
The MG Cyberster is also surprisingly comfortable for a sports car, with the suspension treading the tightrope between soft absorption and firm responsiveness very well indeed, despite the large 20-inch alloys on my GT car (you get 19 inches on the Trophy).
Around corners, things are trickier to judge. On the face of it, the Cyberster handles excellently – but that’s taking into account the MG’s hefty weight, which is over two tonnes – and the GT version I’m driving is 100kg heavier than the entry-level Trophy edition.
Body roll is very well controlled – and, in fact, hardly existent. Moreover, the turn-in is executed on point with precision thanks to the accuracy of the steering, which weights up nicely.
However, if you’re a true sports car fan, you’ll inevitably find that the MG Cyberster’s excess mass makes it more challenging to thread around bends than its competitors.
The Mazda MX-5, for example – long regarded as one of the best-handling sports cars – weighs around half that of the Cyberster. Meanwhile, the Porsche 718 Boxster is around half to three-quarters of a tonne lighter than the MG.
The steering lacks the level of feedback you get in the Mazda and Porsche, and the additional weight means the Cyberster simply doesn’t have the sprightliness of its rivals. Mind you, the Cyberster has plenty of agility.
So, if you’re the type who takes track days seriously, your expectations might be challenged – but for the vast majority of us who want to smile on a twisty B-road, it’s utterly superb.
Space & Practicality – How Big Is It?
The MG Cyberster is a sports car, so it isn’t huge.
There are also no rear seats, so this is hardly a vehicle that’s useful if you have more than one child to take to school.
Like the Cyberster’s handling, though, it depends on how you look at it. A glance at the boot space figures suggests the MG is comparatively practical.
Two hundred and forty-nine litres is offered, and although a BMW Z4 can do better, the MG has around double the boot capacity of the Mazda MX-5 and the Porsche 718 Boxster.
As for the rest, the space in the two seats is plentiful, and even taller drivers will be able to stay comfortable. The sports bucket seats are absorbing and don’t tire you out or strain your back, even on a long drive.
I completed 114 miles on my test drive without feeling like my arms were falling off, nor did I need to see a chiropractor afterwards.
Interior Style, Infotainment and Accessories
The MG’s interior is gorgeous. My GT test car came with dual-colour upholstery.
Dark shades are also used on the doors, the seat corners, and the lining on the dashboard’s centre, which rises to cocoon you in the driver’s seat.
The rest of the cockpit is equally inviting. I use the word ‘cockpit’ as that’s what it feels like, with the dashboard rising to separate you and your passenger and enveloping you behind the wheel.
Furthermore, whereas most cars have one or two digital screens, the Cyberster has four. Three of them are contained within one unit, which sits centrally behind the steering wheel, comprising a 10.25-inch digital instrument screen in the middle and two seven-inch screens on either side, which control infotainment.
The fourth separate screen sits in the diagonally sloped centre console and controls most of the functions specific to the Cyberster’s setup, including driving modes.
While this all looks amazingly cool, there’s an overload of information, with everything from media details to weather forecasts to battery statistics in constant view. It will impress people, no doubt, but a sports car is intended to be driven. So, on my test drive, I initially asked myself, “How am I supposed to focus on driving when dozens of bits of data constantly surround me”? It really isn’t a dealbreaker, though – just a niggle, and one you would get used to.
In addition, the steering wheel obscures some of the information, no matter how much you adjust your seating position (it appears MG originally intended to use an aviation-style ‘yoke’ wheel, as offered in some Teslas, before changing its mind).
Instead, a chunky flat-bottomed sports steering wheel is offered. It has plenty of buttons to control various functions, two race-style buttons (including a red ‘Super Sport’ button), and brushed aluminium spokes.
There are no physical buttons to control the air conditioning, but there is a row of haptic feedback selections on the dashboard to change the temperature and regulate the speed of the fans.
Fuel Economy, Real-World MPGe/Range/MPG
Of course, with no engine, there’s no miles-per-gallon figure.
The Cyberster is fitted with a 77kWh battery, providing a claimed range of 316 miles in the Trophy version, while the GT version can manage 276 miles.
Don’t expect these figures to stack up in practice – especially if you drive the Cyberster as it’s intended to be driven.
My test drive covered many roads, including long rural straights, villages, dual-carriageways, and twisting, hilly asphalt. Without driving like my beard was ablaze, I was on course for around 230 miles in the GT, albeit on a partially rainy day.
The maximum charging speed is 144kW, meaning a 10-80% charge takes 38 minutes, while a 10-100% top-up takes ten and a half hours on a 7kW home wall box.
Reliability
MG has an up-and-down reputation for reliability. But its fleet of all-electric vehicles has shown signs that it may be improving things for MG, but it’s still too early to tell.
Servicing needs to take place every year (or every 15,000 miles), and MG offers a seven-year warranty, matching Kia‘s. However, MG’s warranty is limited to 80,000 miles, whereas Kia offers 100,000 miles.
Quality & Finish
The MG Cyberster is very well built and engineered to a high standard.
Everything feels premium inside and there’s little in the way of cheapness to the interior, helped by the amount of aluminium, colour scheme, and plenty of soft-to-the-touch materials.
The sports car seems sturdy and well screwed together, while its ability to hold the road so well in corners only adds to my confidence that it’s solidly built.
Trim Levels & Standard Equipment
As I’ve already covered, the MG Cyberster comes in two trim levels, although their equipment lists are nearly identical.
The Trophy and GT versions get the triple-screen cockpit display I mentioned earlier and the seven-inch fourth touchscreen.
They also get a digital radio, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, navigation, voice control, a Bose premium audio system, front and rear parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, metal sports pedals and keyless entry.
The heated seats have six-way power adjustment and memory function. They feature leather-style upholstery with Alcantara inserts, a heated steering wheel, and electrically adjustable lumbar support.
There are also power-folding door mirrors and very cool upward-opening scissor doors.
The difference is that the Trophy model features 19-inch alloys, a single electric motor producing 335PS, and rear-wheel drive. At the same time, the GT edition gets 20-inch wheels, two electric motors producing a total of 496PS, and all-wheel drive.
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