MG Cyberster GT review: A stylish and affordable electric sports car

MG has proved it is still more than capable of developing stunning two-door roadsters that will stop onlookers dead in their tracks. The Cyberster boasts powerful, muscular styling, is packed with technology, has four screens offering all manner of information and those powered scissor doors add a sense of drama to the mix.

The range is good, but not great especially as this car is going to be driven enthusiastically. And like all the other Chinese models, the warning sounds are on par with a school fire drill. It leaves us with a dilemma of either turning them off, which rather defeats the object of driver safety assist systems, or investing in some high-end earplugs.

The driving position is still quite high in its lowest setting, so taller drivers may have difficulty reading some of the dials, and there is a sensory overload with information. Do we really need the weather forecast for the next seven days?

However, with prices starting from a fiver shy of £55,000, you do get a whole lot of car for the outlay and you can also expect a whole lot of attention, too.

September weather conditions were not the kindest, but I still spent three glorious hours behind the wheel of the MG Cyberster, which was ample time for a motorway burst, tackling some twisting Cotswold country lanes, plus bustling congested town centres along the way.

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Independent rating: 7/10

The MG Cyberster is available in rear-wheel drive Trophy trim with 316 miles of range, a 0-62mph sprint time of 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 121mph. The range-topper, and our favourite, is the Cyberster GT with all-wheel drive and 276 miles of range. This shaves two seconds off the 0-62mph time and tops out at 125mph. Both models feature a 77kWh battery.

Our Cyberster GT was a comfortable motorway cruiser, effortlessly eating up the miles at 70mph, but came into its own when faced with twisting B roads.

At almost two tonnes, the grip is confident and there is little sign of body sway, but it does get a little fidgety over rougher road surfaces. There are modes to alter the performance and handling, regenerative braking settings, plus that obligatory red button as seen on most sports cars. Press that for even more zip if your nerves can take it.

Fast charging via a 150kW outlet takes 38 minutes from 10 to 80 per cent, but real savings can be made if using a 7kW home wallbox, which takes 10.5 hours to 100 per cent.

The Cyberster’s interior is snug, but not cramped or uncomfortable with powered seats to get a great driving position. These can be heated and there are memory settings to store favourite positions, which is handy if the vehicle is shared between drivers.

The driver sits quite high up for a roadster, so anyone over six foot may have to bob up and down in order to read some of the data on the multitude of screens. I say multitude as the Cyberster has four displays which, in turn, can be a bit of a sensory overload.

The flat-bottomed steering wheel, complete with GT badging, is nicely weighted and there are large controls for the gear selection, electric roof operation and the powered scissor doors, which can also be opened via the key fob as you approach the car.

The boot is quite large for this type of car and it can swallow 249 litres of kit, but there is no front trunk on the Cyberster. Designers have made clever use of the limited cabin space though with cup holders, a glovebox, central cubby, some rather pointless and flimsy compartments tucked into the doors, plus space for jackets and bags behind the seats.

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With the amount of loud beeping the Cyberster emits, it needs to have a decent sound system to drown them out. Thankfully the eight-speaker Bose set-up does just that. It’s also easy to connect a smartphone via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

There is a wraparound dashboard-mounted panel featuring three screens. In the centre is a 10.25-inch driver display highlighting all the vital driving data and this is flanked by two seven-inch screens. The left one deals with car settings such as tyre pressures, while the right one is for media and radio. It’s that screen that you can check the weather forecast and go searching for some perfect conditions for open-top fun. Finally, there is another screen for the climate settings. MG certainly hasn’t adopted the less is more policy here.

There are USB-C and USB-A ports to stay connected on the move, plus DAB radio, a navigation system, voice recognition and Bluetooth. With the tiny rear windscreen, reversing is made safer thanks to a 360-degree parking camera, plus sensors.

In a day and age where cars are arriving with very few physical controls, leaving drivers facing the distraction of being totally dependent on touchscreens, it is nice to see that MG is bucking that trend.

The surprising factor about the MG Cyberster is its competitive price. The Trophy model with its single motor costs £54,995, but in our opinion, it’s worth finding the extra £5k and upgrading to the all-wheel-drive GT version. It’s far more powerful and the performance figures are certainly not for the faint-hearted.

In addition, it’s reassuring to know you won’t need to factor in a raft of optional extras to get the car fully specified. If you want to add a red hood rather than the standard black one, it costs £500 extra, but that’s about all.

It’s worth noting, too, that the MG Cyberster comes with an impressive seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty for added peace of mind.

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On a 150kW fast charger, you can charge to 80 per cent in just 38 minutes.

With a starting price at under £55,000, the MG Cyberster is not cheap for a Chinese model. But it is well-priced when you look at potential rivals such as the Jaguar F-Type.

The batteries are covered by a seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty - any defects in that time should come under the warranty, as long as the car has been maintained according to the manufacturer’s schedule.

MG was a company steeped in sporting history, but designs became more practical and sensible under Chinese Ownership. Enter the Cyberster with its commanding road presence, decent EV range and competitive pricing. History brought bang up to date - let’s hope this is a sign of things to come from MG.