supercar spectacle for the price of a big Golf

What stands out about the MG Cyberster GT?

The enormous rise of the electric car actually started with an open car: the first Tesla Roadster. But although the EV supply has exploded since then, there was never another open EV. Elon Musk repeatedly announced the arrival of a new Tesla Roadster, but so far these turned out to be empty promises. Until the arrival of the announced electric Porsche Boxster and Polestar 6, the MG Cyberster will be on its own.

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The strikingness of the new MG is not limited to the concept alone. MG has given the car a successful design, although the design has nothing to do with MG’s roadster tradition from the past. The only thing that refers to this is the anniversary badges on the sills. It’s a pretty big car, especially when you consider that it’s only a two-seater. It is over 4.50 meters long and 1.91 meters wide. This makes it 20 centimeters longer than one BMW Z4 and approximately the same size as the Jaguar F-Type, which will be discontinued in June 2024

Because a black ‘belt’ runs from the windshield to the rear, the MG Cyberster appears even slimmer than it is. The back has something of a look Polestarat the same time the large, arrow-shaped taillights catch the eye. The integrated tailgate spoiler provides a nice, subtle touch.

Of all design elements the à la McLaren in Lamborghini Up-hinged doors are the most noticeable. This is guaranteed to make you stand out. And you don’t have to worry about the car making a fool of you by punching you in the face during a door demonstration. Sensors in the top and side protect you from a nasty uppercut and the paint from damage from posts or other cars.

What’s good about the MG Cyberster GT (2024)?

When you give a car such a flashy design, the specifications cannot be left behind. Well, that is not the case with the MG Cyberster. The rear-wheel drive basic version is called Trophy Extended Range and has a power of 340 hp and a torque of 475 Nm. The battery pack measures 77 kWh and is good for a WLTP range of 507 kilometers.

Thanks to a second electric motor, the four-wheel drive Cyberster GT goes a step further with 540 hp and 725 Nm. Due to extra weight and friction, the range drops to 443 km. Still more than enough for a fun car.

With a hundred sprint of 5 seconds, the Trophy is already very fast. Do you get a kick out of burst veins in the eyes and karate kicks in the lower back? Then it is better to opt for the GT driven by us. He shoots (with launch control) to 100 km/h in 3.2 sensational seconds, leaving almost everything and everyone in amazement. For comparison, that’s almost a second faster than one Porsche 911 Carrera and only 0.3 seconds slower than one McLaren 720S.

Don’t think the Cyberster is a hyper-nervous device, though. As a driver you don’t constantly feel like someone who has just pulled the pin from a hand grenade. Select the ‘Comfort’ driving mode and the car responds calmly and controlled to your right foot, although it remains smooth. The top speed of the Cyberster GT is 200 km/h, the basic version is just below that at 195 km/h.

Because the battery pack is located in the car floor of the Cyberster, the center of gravity is low. In combination with four-wheel drive, this gives the car excellent road holding. If there is an advisory speed of 60 km/h in a long bend of a cloverleaf, you can ignore that with a very wide margin. Provided you have a free job, of course.

Extreme performance often goes hand in hand with plank-hard chassis. Not so with the MG Cyberster. Suspension and damping are quite forgiving; They leave the hard blows to the electric motors.

The Cyberster may have been developed in Longbridge, England, but production takes place in China. But the association with cheap Action plastic that the label ‘made in China’ still evokes among many consumers is refuted. The interior looks neat; all materials feel pleasant and beautiful stitching has been applied.

The complex scissor doors function well and the canvas roof opens and closes within 15 seconds. If it suddenly starts to rain during a ride, you don’t have to stop the car completely to close the roof. You can also do it while driving up to 48 km/h.

Whether the roof is open or closed, the volume of the luggage compartment remains 249 liters. In this market segment that is very neat, and more than enough for a few weekend bags. By the way, they have to fight for a place with the charging cable, because the Cyberster doesn’t have a frunk. There is a storage space with nets behind the seats, by the way.

What could be improved about the MG Cyberster GT (2024)?

When the term ‘roadster’ comes to mind, enthusiasts think of light-footed two-seater convertibles that you can throw and throw around. Are you also such a person? Then a test drive with the Cyberster will quickly clear your mind. It still manages to convince in long ‘windows’, but if you drive on a route with mainly short bends, it is somewhat disappointing.

For better throwing and throwing work, the almost 2 tons of the Cyberster GT is simply too much. We don’t want to make the comparison with a ballet dancing hippopotamus, but in short turns you simply feel the weight ‘pressing’ too much. The car also behaves somewhat wobbly and shows diving tendencies during aggressive braking. Moreover, the steering is too indirect and too vague for this type of cornering.

In other words: driving and steering behavior do not actually match the impressive performance potential. The Cyberster is therefore more of a fast touring car than a hardcore sports car.

The instrumentation of three linked displays looks sleek, but ergonomics it is not great. The left and right screens are partly hidden behind the nice-feeling steering wheel and your hands. We also don’t think it’s a good choice that the navigation screen is on the left.

Although the battery pack is only 11 centimeters high, you sit more on the stand in the Cyberster than desired. This makes you feel less involved in driving. An additional disadvantage is that you are more exposed to drafts than with many other convertibles. Taller drivers in particular run the risk of getting off with a runny nose and a stiff neck after an outdoor ride. And because the seat of the (electrically adjustable) chair is too flat, the buttocks and thighs are not the epitome of flexibility after longer stages.

During half a day of touring on highways, a lot of city traffic and many back roads, the consumption meter read an average of 22.8 kWh/100 km. That would amount to an actual range of about 330 kilometers, or more than 100 km less than the manufacturer’s specifications. Okay, where we could, we pushed the power pedal hard. On the other hand, we also recovered 16.6 kWh with the regeneration flipper.

Unfortunately, the Cyberster GT loads a lot less quickly than it accelerates. The fast charging capacity is an average 140 kW, which means it takes 38 minutes for the battery pack to go from 10 to 80 percent capacity. For many cars this is 8 to 10 minutes faster.

When will the MG Cyberster come and what is the price?

You can now order a 340 hp MG Cyberster Trophy Extended Range for 65,490 euros. Are there still 4,500 burning euros in your pocket? Then you can spend 69,990 euros on the lightning-fast GT. The standard color for the body is white, for all other colors you have to pay an extra 650 euros.

Do you want a red roof just as cool as the silver-gray car in the photos? The dealer charges 1,000 euros for this, and he adds an interior in matching red fabric and black leather look for free. The Alcantara-like Dinamica upholstery, on the other hand, also carries an additional charge of 1,000 euros.

This immediately gave us the entire options list. Electrically adjustable seats with memory, the well-functioning adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree camera, blind spot detection, traffic jam and high beam assistance are all standard.

What do I think of the MG Cyberster GT?

A roadster with a successful appearance, vowel-crushing performance, doors like a supercar and the price of an extra decorated Volkswagen Golf GTI. On paper that’s okay; because the MG Cyberster is a very nice car.

It is also very easy to drive. You operate the automatic transmission with buttons on the center console and you can vary the degree of regeneration with the left paddler. This works very well, especially in the city.

But I associate a roadster more with sharp steering, accompanied by a nice exhaust sound. For roughly the same money I would rather buy a BMW Z4. I make a big sacrifice in terms of pure sprint ability, but in terms of sharpness and purity the BMW is superior.

In that respect, the Cyberster may come too early and will have a better chance if new petrol cars are no longer sold. But taken soberly, the Cyberster is unbeatable; I drive privately at most twice a year on nice mountain roads, while in the Netherlands I could tour almost every day. And occasionally sprinting into the eyes of busybodies in roaring BMWs, Porsches and GTIs also has its charms…