Wow. MG’s Cyberster is a knockout.
You can see why the company lavished so much time and money developing a car that realistically few people will buy.
The Cyberster (great name) provides a direct link between the modern Chinese company and the storied British manufacturer from which it takes its name.
It’s a modern interpretation of a very old idea, based on such classics from the company’s past as the famous MGB sports car from the 1960s.
MG says Cyberster isn’t just here to be another car, it’s here to make a statement and continue to propel the legacy of MG into the modern era, with discrete badges that celebrate its 100th anniversary.
As impressive as it is, however, the fully electric roadster is not without its flaws.
STYLING
Believe it or not there’s actually two versions of the car, although they both look exactly the same. In April this year MG added a cheaper, less powerful, rear wheel drive version, presumably for those who like the style but who don’t feel the need to compete with Ferrari.
Cyberster RWD is priced from $115,000; Cyberster AWD from $129,000 – both prices before on-road costs.
Our test vehicle was the top-of-the-line twin-motor, high performance all-wheel drive model finished in Diamond Red Metallic.
Standard kit in the AWD includes 20-inch alloys, Alcantara leather trim, two-zone climate air, heated power-adjust seats (but not cooled), a heated steering wheel, sporty metal pedals, ambient lighting and sun visors with a mirror and illumination.
There’s also LED lights front and back, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, auto high beam, and front and rear parking sensors.
There are six colours from which to choose: English White, Sterling Silver Metallic, Camden Grey Metallic, Mayfair Blue Metallic, Royal Yellow Premium and Diamond Red Metallic. They can be teamed with a red or black cloth roof.
English White is the only colour that does not incur a charge. Sterling Silver Metallic, Camden Grey Metallic, and Mayfair Blue Metallic add $1000 to the price. Royal Yellow Premium and Diamond Red Metallic $1200.
There are also two interior colour options: Century Red is standard; Victory Grey adds $1000.
Cyberster is covered by a 10-year/250,000km warranty and that includes the battery.
However, the convertible roof is only warranted for five years.
INFOTAINMENT
Infotainment comes in the form of two 7.0-inch touchscreens which flank a central driver 10.25-inch centre screen. The two smaller screens are partially obscured by the steering wheel most of the time and being small are difficult to operate on the move. However, they can also be controlled from the two unlabelled buttons on the wheel. It’s a learning experience.
Dark mode works best, especially in bright sunlight which makes them hard to see.
There’s Bluetooth, voice control, FM and DAB+ digital radio (but no AM), satellite navigation, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and eight speaker Bose audio for both grades.
Access to connected services is free for 12 months.
USB-A and -C ports are provided as well as a 12-volt outlet in the boot (Not sure why – the car fridge isn’t going to fit).
SAFETY
Cyberster remains unrated for crash safety.
It is fitted with four airbags and a 360-degree camera, blind spot monitor, as well as Autonomous emergency braking (Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User, Junction & Crossing, Backover and Head-On).
There’s also a lane support system with lane keep assist, with lane departure warning, emergency lane keeping and rear cross-traffic alert with braking, plus an advanced speed assistance system with a speed sign recognition system.
And get this, door open warning prevents the doors from being opened into the path of an oncoming vehicle or cyclist. Firstly, they’re too slow and secondly, they go up, not out? LOL.
ENGINES/TRANSMISSIONS
The two electric motors in the AWD model generate a total 375kW of power and 725Nm of torque, propelling the car from 0 to 100km/h in a supercar 3.2 seconds, with a top speed that is limited to 208km/h.
RWD is rated at 250kW and 475Nm, with 0-100km/h taking 5.2 seconds (199km/h top speed). Not to be sneezed at.
DRIVING
Built on the same platform as the MG4, Cyberster is 4.5 metres long and weighs in at 1985kg.
One of the more eye-catching features of this two-seater is its electric, scissor-style doors.
They are what turn it from a sports car into a fully-fledged, electric supercar. It just had to have them (red upholstery too). Unfortunately, the doors are also Cyberster’s main weak point. Although they look sensational, they are totally impractical when it comes to day-to-day use.
Getting in and out is laborious, especially if you forget something and have to open the car again.
What’s more, as we discovered, they don’t actually work if the car is parked on a slope. Yep. They open a few centimetres, but that’s as far as they go.
WTF? The first time it happened we were perplexed. What to do? How to get out?
Should we call for help?
Some deep breaths later, we decided that brute force was called for and using both hands we were able to push the doors far enough upwards to get out. However, it required force to close them again and we were concerned this operation could
damage them, although this time we had the advantage of leverage.
Older or infirm folk might find this task beyond them. How come this anomaly wasn’t picked up in the research and development phase?
We’ve been to factories where robotic arms open and close doors 24/7, thousands of times a day for weeks to ensure reliability. The doors don’t always respond to the key fob either.
Also of note, your seatbelt must be fastened or the car will not move off when you put it in Drive. Great idea, but highly impractical in execution.
This combined with the clumsy doors made positioning the car for our photo shoot extremely difficult.
Still, Cyberster is a head turner and heaps of fun to drive – easy or flat out.
The roof is made of cloth and takes 15 seconds to raise or lower and this can be accomplished at speeds of up to 50km/h. When dropped it does not impinge on boot space which at 249 litres is surprisingly large.
There’s also a bit of storage behind the seats.
A puncture repair kit is provided.
Convertibles are great fun, especially in Spring or Autumn, but you can forget dropping the roof in summer because it’s too damn hot.
In case things are a little library-like with the top up, you can tell the sound system to generate a traditional engine note or a more futuristic electric sound.
Of course, there’s always music to fall back on and the car is equipped with eight-speaker Bose audio, but sadly we couldn’t get any sound out of the system.
Cybester is a lot of car and inexperienced drivers could easily get themselves into trouble.
There’s plenty of examples of drivers putting the boot into their new Ferrari and Lamborghini, only to wrap the car around the nearest power pole, stunned by the sudden response of the accelerator.
Just saying.
The seats are comfortable and supportive once you’re in, but the dash feels a little cramped and busy. The right screen is wasted.
Unlike other MGs, the blinkers are on the left which is kind of understandable, given that it is probably targeted at the American market.
Over the shoulder vision is terrible with the roof up and it is also difficult to see the extremities of the car, but cameras are provided to compensate for this.
Disconcertingly, the reverse camera displays to the right of the steering wheel, instead of centre of dash.
The 360-degree camera is so tiny however that it is almost useless – day or night.
Ride quality is quite good overall, but can become a bit unsettled on back roads.
A low centre of gravity and sticky Pirelli rubber sees the car corner flat with plenty of mid-corner grip.
However, undulations in the road can really unsettle the suspension (the driver too), suddenly snapping the car sideways.
The regenerative brakes are discs all round, with Brembo calipers up front, but braking could be stronger.
They don’t quite give the driver the confidence to go really hard into corners. That said the car more than makes up for this on the way out.
The driver-assist systems work okay, with the usual caveats, but the car slows unnecessarily on bends with cruise active.
Range for the AWD is 443km; the RWD 507km, under the widely accepted WLTP test procedure.
With energy consumption rated at 19.1 kWh/100km, we were getting 19.4 kWh/100km after about 300km of driving, some of them pretty quick.
During this period the car reportedly recovered 21.6 kWh of energy from regenerative braking, believe it or not?
The button on the left of the steering wheel labelled KERS can be used to modulate the level of braking, right down to one-pedal driving where it is not necessary to physically apply the brakes.
The red button on the right selects drive mode: Comfort, Sport, or Custom, or Super Sport. Comfort mode is fine and the one in which we spent most time. Be careful with the latter.
There’s Launch mode too for impressing the neighbours, in case they aren’t impressed already.
Both models are fitted with a 77kWh ternary lithium-ion battery.
Recharging can be performed in as little as 34 minutes with the right DC fast charger.
But this is from 30-80 per cent which leaves you 50 percent out of pocket.
Three phase AC power takes nine hours – that’s to 100 per cent. The supplied granny charger is good for 144 hours.
SUMMING UP
Bravo. What a great effort.
Cyberster is not as surgical and one of the most engaging EVs that we’ve driven so far.
The price is a bargain for this type of car too and it could well become a collectable item in years to come.
But the tech already feels a little dated and those scissor doors need some work.
Whoever signed off on them has rocks in their head, or doesn’t have a job anymore.
RATINGS
Looks: 8
Performance: 8.5
Safety: 7
Thirst: 7
Practicality: 5
Comfort: 7
Tech: 7.5
Value: 9
Overall: 7.4
