1/3/2025 The two-seat Cyberster from MG is a stunning-looking electric sports car at a price point that demands attention. It looks fantastic, with hints of Maserati and even Ferrari in its exterior styling. It has a wonderful party trick of motorised scissor doors that open slightly outwards and then upwards.
Believe it or not, getting in and out of the cabin is very easy – even for a man of my generous proportions. Everywhere I went while testing the battery-powered rear-wheel drive MG I had people approach to admire the car (I’m sure they found me attractive too!!!) and when I informed them of the starting price of €70,000 they were impressed.
At the moment there is no natural rival for the Cyberster EV. Inside the cabin, the seating is not overly sporty with chairs similar to those in a grand tourer as there is little in the way of hip-hugging side bolsters. There is room behind the two seats for a couple of soft bags (I even stowed my Steinberger bass guitar there one time). The cabin is generous when compared to another favourite of ours the Mazda MX-5. The fabric drop-top roof is operated by a centre console-mounted button – as are the doors (the doors work via the key fob also). The roof falls into its own dedicated area, which means that the modest boot volume doesn’t vary with the roof up or down. The boot is shallow but surprisingly usable considering the stunning body shape. The interior height can accommodate an aircraft cabin bag.
So there’s loads to love with the Cyberster until… the dash layout. In front of the driver there is an impressive looking amount of digital displays focussing on the driver in a cockpit-like manner. The sad reality is the multiple small digital displays are poorly positioned and frustrating to use! With time behind the wheel, you’ll understand how to make them all work and function – although I could not get Apple CarPlay to work despite numerous cables and eating the manual! The displays without the steering wheel in place are all easily readable – see where I’m going here? It is as if the designers forgot that a steering wheel and the driver’s hands would obscure the view. The designers need to go back to the drawing board to improve the driver’s interaction in this area and then the car would be a fantastic machine – for now, MG the best I can say is ‘I love it’ but I could be head over heels in love with Cyberster – it is that impressive!
Power comes in two forms; a rear wheel drive (single motor) ‘Exclusive’ or all-wheel drive dual motor ‘GT’. Both are quicker than they need to be. The GT can do 0-100km/h in 3.2 seconds. I always find swift cruising is the most you need to do in any convertible. Our test car could dice with a Superbike but behind the wheel, the car encourages you to chill. The ride is good for a convertible with minimal scuttle shake thanks to the car’s stiff underside. Steering is neutral and offers little in the way of feedback – again less of an issue for cruising. another way in the Cyberster you will take the long way home to enjoy the view not high G-Forces.
A 77kWh battery is standard. MG quotes some impressive figures for max range from full stating the Cyberster is capable of delivering up to 640km (city use) or 507km (GT 545km/443km). As with all EVs these claims need to be interpreted properly and adjusted as so many factors affect the reality. In our GT we managed to safely get 270kms or so. This made Dublin-Cork is doable with a few cruising kilometres left over. The MG Cyberster is a hoot and we loved it despite its faults! Michael Sheridan
