The MG Cyberster is really a new chapter in what an MG sports car is.
This review is done by ChinaDriven, which creates content about Chinese EVs on YouTube & Twitter.
The MG Cyberster is actually nearly here. After what seems like years of drip feeding, it's launch is imminent.
We finally got the chance to jump behind the wheel and put it through its paces. Exciting times for EVs as manufactures start producing more exciting cars.
I'll refrain from harking on about MG's heritage as I think it's a disservice to the Mg Cyberster. This thoroughly modern EV roadster really has very little to do famed MGs of the past, save for the fact it has two seats and a soft-top.
Beyond that, this MG Cyberster is really a new chapter in what an MG sports car is.
Price, Battery & Range
We won't get any official pricing until Guangzhou auto show in November, and that's likely to be only the Chinese market price. What we have been signalled is that in China the MG Cyberster range will cost RMB 350,000 at the top end.
Obviously, UK prices are much steeper, with a rough price of RMB 550,000 for the MG Cyberster AWD.
The MG Cyberster will be available with two battery sizes. The 231-kW RWD will have a smaller 64-kWh battery with a claimed range of 501km.
The more powerful RWD with 250-kW will use the larger 77-kWh pack, giving it the longest range of the model line-up, 580km.
The AWD get the same 77-kWh battery and a range estimate of 520/530 km.
Currently there is no charging info, but expect the industry standard 20-80 percent DC fast charging in half an hour.
Exterior
MG's marketing of course talks a lot about heritage and throwbacks to the MGB. But aside from the fact the MG Cyberster is a soft top convertible with two seats, there isn't really much commonality.
The MG Cyberster is a modern looking roadster, but it's styling doesn't scream EV, it's a far more traditionally styled roadster. And it looks incredible. Maybe one of the best looking EVs you'll be able to buy.
The front end's diving nose is a particular highlight, reminiscent of the front mid-engine Maserati GT. The defined hood lines, and front end's creases cascade to the middle of nose, giving it a sense of movement even standing still. Functional aero is found around the MG Cyberster including the rear diffuser and active intake grille up front.
It's classic roadster down the side, aggressive windscreen rake, low and long nosed with swollen haunches flowing into the rear end. A strip of gloss black rings the Cyberster below the window line, helps to further lower the perceived height of this low roadster.
The automatic electric scissor doors adding panache to an already exciting EV. Surprisingly for an EV the MG cyberster's 20-inch alloys fill the wheel arches well. They're wrapped in staggered Pirelli PZero tires, with 245/40 upfront and wide 275/35 in the rear.
The rear of the MG Cyberster is wide and low. There are some striking design features in the rear, the wrap-around LED light bar, and the large diffuser. Perhaps the most talked about is the large arrows for the indicators and lights.
Supposedly they are "half of the British flag," but their Mini nailed this in their rear light cluster, the MG Cyberster's implementation falls short. It's still a good looking rear, albeit unlike the front's more rational roadster front end, the rear feels more EV like, maybe it's the light bar and lack of quad exhausts.
Interior
The MG Cyberster has a selfish interior. The driver-centric cockpit puts everything within touching distance of the driver with the passenger separated by a central handle.
Slotting yourself between the Alcantara and leather, 6-way heated seat's aggressive side bolstering, you're greeted with three screens wrapping around behind the heated steering wheel.
A fourth is nestled in the centre console. All the screens are powered by a Snapdragon 8155, providing snappy response. The three screens behind the wheel are divided by their functions. The larger central screen is your digital instrument panel, flanked by two small touchscreens.
The left hand side deals with driving related things like car set up, whilst the right hand is the infotainment dealing with Sat Nav, Music and Apps. The centre console screen serves as another control panel, giving control over the A/C, information about battery and charging as well as ADAS features.
Couple of interesting features in the cabin include a latch on the rear bulkhead to attach a dog leash, to secure your furry friend. But my favourite is the scissor doors storage. Where normally scissor doors forgo storage bins because everything would fall out, MG has added small sunglasses pockets with doors to secure small items.
MG claim the MG Cyberster is going to be "affordable", but the interior materials and build quality appear to be of a good standard. Plenty of leather an Alcantara can be found, as well as some metal on the Bose surround sound speaker grills, and the paddles behind the wheel.
Those paddles although positioned traditionally as gearshift paddles are responsible for cycling through the driving modes and the brake regeneration levels, feel nice to the touch.
However, the plastic joysticks used to as secondary controls for navigating the touchscreens, however, are plastic and not of the highest quality. They don't feel very robust, almost like they could snap if used to aggressively.
In the middle of the wheel, you'll find two buttons, the left one is for the ADAS and the bright red one on the right is used to engage the Super Sport mode, which when pressed will give an audible sound as the three wrap around screens change to a sporty setup, complete with g-force meter and car vitals. Including battery and motor temperatures.
Tech
Being able to monitor the battery and motor temperature is more than just some nerdy feature, it serves a purpose. If the motors or battery start to overheat, then performance will be impacted. But with a press of a button the MG Cyberster will be able to manually initiate cooling of the key components to bring temperatures down and restore full power.
We found the scissor doors to be quite good. Rarely getting interrupted when opening which is a common frustration on automatic doors. The Cyberster's scissor doors have adjustable opening, but full 100 percent opening angle looks quite ridiculous as they open nearly perpendicular to the car, but enable easy ingress and egress, just be careful of low ceilings.
The MG Cyberster will come with a Level 2 Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) suite, although we didn't get a chance to use it on our test drive. We've heard from other media that it's a basic lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control system that performed equally to competitors with similar system.
As a "drivers'" car advance ADAS might not be something that concerns potential buyers, if using this as a proper GT crushing miles, a decent ADAS for highway cruising could be welcomed.
Driving
Probably the most anticipated aspect of the MG Cyberster, since drip feed of the Cyberster's release has been ongoing.
We've seen plenty of static reviews, but this was the first time for media to get behind the wheel. And boy oh boy, what an experience.
As I've alluded to the MG Cyberster is far more GT than race car. With a double wishbone in the front and multi-link independent suspension in the rear, the Cyberster has a supple ride. Managing to be comfortable without the aid of air suspension or Continuous dampening control (CDC).
And although not an outright sports car, it handles ever so sweet on road. The whole suspension was tuned by Marco Fainello, famed "veicolista" (engineer in charge of the set-up on track) for Scuderia Ferrari, setting up Micheal Schumachers F1 car, as well as heading development on the Ferrari FXX-K.
Having worked his magic on the MG Cyberster, we're rewarded with sweet riding roadster, with enough handling nouse that allowed us to really attack some curves.
For performance, the MG Cyberster is available with RWD and AWD. The RWD will arrive in two flavours, 230kW and 250kW, allowing for a sprint time of 4.6 and 4.8 seconds respectively. But if outright performance is what you need then the AWD boasts 400kW & 725Nm, launching the MG Cyberster from 0-100kph in a mere 3.2s.
However, from a standstill there is noticeable delay before the car launches, coupled with the vicious acceleration once on the move, leads us to believe if measured like a Tesla with a 1ft roll out, the Mg Cyberster could well be a sub-3s EV.
Hopefully we'll be able to get behind the wheel of a RWD and see if what lacks in outright performance and acceleration trades off in favour of dynamic ability with a lighter front axel void of the extra motor.
Conclusion
In summary, the MG Cyberster electrifies the roadster scene. Its striking design, accentuated by innovative scissor doors, sets it apart. Inside, the driver-centric cockpit harmonizes luxury materials with advanced tech.
On the road, it excels as a grand tourer, melding comfort with agility. Offering spirited RWD variants and a lightning-quick AWD model caters to varied tastes. The capacity to monitor and cool vital components underscores performance commitment.
While exact pricing awaits confirmation, the pledge of affordability, combined with impeccable craftsmanship, beckons prospective buyers. The MG Cyberster represents an enticing fusion of style, performance, and practicality, ideal for those in pursuit of an electrifying EV roadster experience.
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