On the road in Laois: Does the MG Cyberster live up to its style?

The original British MG brand was of course famous for its two seat roadsters. I guess it was just a matter of time before the now Chinese owned brand harked back to that era with a two seat roadster of their own. Well now we have it. In this week's motoring column we are looking at the new MG Cyberster. The Cyberster is a two seat sports car and it's electric!

Two models are available, the Exclusive 340 bhp single motor rear wheel drive and the version on test here the GT with dual motors, 503 bhp and all wheel drive.

So how does it look?
My test car was finished in a gorgeous shade of metallic red which suits the car very well. I can tell you it drew quite a few looks. The shape of the car is very attractive with a long wide bonnet, steeply raked windscreen and lovely arrow shaped light clusters at the rear. The scissor doors add a touch of drama when entering and exiting the new Cyberster too. In short it's a snazzy looking piece of kit, which would not look out of place parked beside a Ferrari. READ MORE BELOW PHOTO

What is it like inside?
I really liked the interior driver centric design. Three small screens face the driver, the central one with configurable analog style digital instruments and the screens to the right and left contain navigation on the left and other data to the right. The screens are beautifully integrated into the dashboard design while the centre console boasts a neat touchscreen for the climate controls.

There are also a row of haptic “buttons” for ease of use of the climate controls. With the multi function flat bottomed steering wheel, beautiful two tone interior colour scheme, leather and alcantara look upholstery it all feels a very special place to be. It feels top quality too!

The level of standard kit is frankly excellent and too much to list here. In short you will want for nothing in this new MG roadster. The electrically operated scissor doors are a real drama and have sensors so you never risk opening them close to another object be it a car or a wall.

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The electric canvas roof folds or retracts at up to 48km/h in about 15 seconds allowing wind in the hair motoring in seconds. In short it's a great package but unfortunately with one major flaw inside this lovely cabin! Due to the big battery being underneath the floor both seats sit very high, so high in fact that the top of the windscreen cross member is pretty close to level with your forehead and uncomfortably close due the rake of the windscreen. The result is that you feel like you are perched in the car rather than snugly sitting down in it as you would expect of a sports car. It's practical for a roadster with a decent 269 litre boot and some storage behind the seats.

What is under the bonnet?

The GT as mentioned packs a punch with some 500 bhp and all wheel drive. It's quick for sure and like all EVs acceleration is very good. Driving it is simplicity itself. No start button, just jump in, select drive and go. For those who want a bit more variety there is a choice of drive modes, Comfort, Custom and Super Sport which peps things up even more.
The 77kW battery has a quoted range of 443 km but mine showed 363 from 90% but like all EVs it didn’t achieve that. I got 252 Km leaving just 10% in the battery.

So how does it drive?

The key ingredient of any sports car or roadster is an involving driving experience. Here the new Cyberster misses the mark. It has plenty of grip, but you cannot disguise the fact that it weighs almost two tonnes! The suspension has to cope with that weight and it shows in a ride that gets fidgety on less smooth surfaces and a lack of agility due to all that weight. In short this is more a boulevard cruiser than a true rival for a Porsche Boxster, BMW Z4 or indeed a Mazda MX-5 all of which reward the driver with a tactile finesse the Cyberster lacks.

My Verdict

Prices start at €69,900 for the Exclusive and €75,500 for the GT. I wanted to love the Cyberster, it's gorgeous to look at, beautiful inside and perfectly executed. But that very high driving position, fidgety ride and lack of agility makes it more of a cruiser than a sporting roadster.