MG Cyberster brings a breath of fresh air to the electric car world

From study to series
MG Cyberster brings a breath of fresh air to the electric car world

The range of convertibles and roadsters is shrinking, but with the Cyberster, MG is now breathing new life into something. While the front is quite conventionally designed, the rear looks like a spaceship. The upward-opening doors look great, but are rather impractical.

MG is celebrating its 100th birthday and is giving itself the greatest present. To mark the big anniversary, the Chinese company with British roots is now actually bringing the Cyberster, which was first shown as a concept car three years ago, into series production.

With estimated prices starting at around 60,000 euros, it will be the first new electric roadster almost 15 years after the Tesla and will be launched in Germany this summer. This means that MG will be at least a year ahead of Elon Musk, who will launch his new roadster next year at the earliest and will climb two or three price classes higher.

Long tradition and a bold look ahead

With the Cyberster, the Chinese are continuing a long open-air tradition and are reminiscent of famous models such as the MG B from the 1960s or the MG TF from the turn of the millennium. And thankfully, the Chinese have resisted the temptation to develop a hardtop. That's why a tight fabric hood folds up behind the two seats – at the push of a button and of course while driving too – as always.

But that doesn't mean the Cyberster is a retro car. Quite the opposite: while the front is still relatively conventional, the rear looks like a spaceship, with the arrow-shaped taillights flaring so wildly between the razor-sharp spoiler lip and the exaggeratedly large diffuser.

If no sound, then at least show

But the Roadster is most impressive in profile. The doors swing upwards, as is otherwise only known from super sports cars – and they even open electrically and with a remote control. You can hardly attract more attention with a car in this price range. However, they open relatively slowly and climbing through and around them can sometimes be tedious.

But there has to be a bit of a show, after all, the Cyberster, as a pure electric car, lacks any drama. Because when sports cars elsewhere are racing away with a loud roar, the two-seater whizzes out of sight as quietly as a whisper. But it is all the faster for that: Even with the basic engine, an electric motor with 250 kW/340 hp on the rear axle, it accelerates from a standstill to 100 km/h in 5.0 seconds.

And if you order the top version, you will reach the limit on the country road in 3.2 seconds with 375 kW/510 hp, all-wheel drive and launch control, and you will only see Lamborghini & Co. in the rear-view mirror.

Finally electric and emotional

In both cases, the maximum speed is just under 200 km/h and you have to get used to the sound of silence in an open car. But the Cyberster offers more emotion than most electric cars – and thus stands out above all from its often unfeeling and uncommitted Chinese competitors.

This is all the more true on a winding country road, even if the batteries are literally heavy in its belly. The MG weighs a few hundred pounds more than a conventional roadster and is carried a little further out in the bends.

Nevertheless, it cuts through the curves faster than you'd expect from the electric monotony from China. The steering is programmed to be sharper, the electronic monitors are a little more lenient with the driver than usual and intervene later. And because MG has kept the dimensions to just over 4.50 meters, it feels wonderfully easy to handle.

Finally, it's no longer just about arriving in an electric car, but you drive the Cyberster for the sake of driving – and sometimes for longer periods of time. After all, the battery has 77 kWh and the range is 508 standard kilometers at best. You can rest at the charging station because it has a maximum of 150 kW.

Screens instead of sentimentality

Inside, MG isn't riding the retro wave either, but is beaming the driver into the future. Because even though there is plenty of leather in the cabin, which is not too small but fits perfectly, and there are an almost frightening number of buttons on the steering wheel, the cabin is dominated by a digital triptych.

This is made up of three screens, is located behind the steering wheel and shows the driver all the relevant information. And as if that wasn't enough, there is also a tablet in front of the center console for navigation etc.

It's just a shame that they didn't take the opportunity to put the switches for the doors and the top on the touchscreen. Because they're so big, so ugly and so out of place, it's as if the head developer had stolen them from his grandchildren's electrical kit just before the end of the day.

Conclusion

But it was about time: while more and more convertibles and roadsters are being permanently closed, MG of all companies is taking us out into the fresh air – and in doing so is proving impressively that electric cars can also be emotional. In return, we are happy to overlook minor things like the clunky switches or the spectacular, but ultimately rather impractical doors.

Data sheet MG Cyberster AWD