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What makes a good open top car? Well it should look good, preferably roof up or down, and…. well to be honest that can be enough. So how does the MG Cyberster deal with the first big test? Well look at it! We know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but in this instance we think we are on pretty safe ground by saying most people will think the MG looks great.
The feel good vibe continues inside where there are lots of swoopy lines and interesting design elements. It is a big step up in design intent from the more mainstream models, and possibly one of the biggest indications of this are the doors. Yeap it has scissor doors. That is the kind of feature that you will see on a concept car and make a mental note that once the bean counters are finished definitely won’t appear on the production car.
So is the Cyberster just style or is there any substance. Firstly lets get the niggles out of the way; there are lots of screens where we would love to see more physical buttons for the most used functions but at least the graphics look good. Secondly this isn’t a sports car, it is well resolved but ultimately the kerb weight combined with a friendly but not overly adjustable or engaging chassis set up puts the MG in the fun open top category. Is that a problem? We don’t think so, but it is important to understand upfront or you might be disappointed.
As a fun open top car, it is really rather good. There is something intriguing about a convertible electric car. Partly the novelty, partly the reality of how connected you are to the outside world when there is no engine noise, the result is a totally new experience. When combined with a suspension set up that is both composed and compliant, a great view out, and the feel good interior, the Cyberster is an appealing package.
A modest 74 kWh hour battery provides an official range of over 300 miles (sensible) and with the ability to draw up to 144 kW at an Ultra Rapid charger, charging is quick enough to make longer trips easy to plan. Speaking of which, the 249 litre boot is modest but enough to accommodate weekend bags, which feels about right for a low slung convertible.
We think that MG has made a real effort with the Cyberster. It could have cut corners and relied on the looks alone, but it does have a feel of a car that has been thought through and spent more than a few hours in the hands of the engineers. The result is a thoroughly enjoyable car, with a sensible range, strong performance and even enough practicality to make it useable. However there is one more stand out feature; the price! Yes MG is leveraging the advantage of being a Chinese brand, but the Cyberster does feel like a much more expensive product that could command a higher price, so fair play for MG keeping things sensible.
Read our full MG Cyberster Trophy review
Estimated real world range: 220 – 316 miles
Official range: 316 miles
Official electricity consumption: 167 Wh/km
Battery pack: 77 kWh (gross) 74.4 kWh (net) lithium ion; 8 year / 100,000 mile warranty (70% SOC remaining)
Recharge time: 7 kW charge approx 10 hours 30 mins; Rapid CCS 50 kW approx 1 hour 10 mins (10 – 80%); Ultra Rapid 144 kW 30 mins (10 – 80%)
Please note that CO2 emissions quoted for electric cars are not directly comparable to diesel and petrol cars. This is because CO2 emissions quoted are calculated by Green Car Guide and include the emissions created at the power station turning fuel (e.g. gas etc) into electricity and in transmitting and distributing the electricity to an end user. They do not include the actual production of the fuel (e.g. gas extraction and refinery emissions). Petrol and diesel emissions are supplied by car manufacturers and are based solely on the fuel burnt in the engine (tailpipe emissions) and do not include the production of the fuel or distribution to a fuel station. In practice this means that electric car emissions are over-estimated relative to petrol and diesel. For instance if an electric car, a petrol car, and a diesel car are all reported to emit 100 g/km CO2, the electric car actually has lower emissions.
