It’s been a long time coming, but I finally got my hands on the all-new MG Cyberster GT – and yes, it was worth the wait. I missed the launch, missed the press events, nearly missed this drive too, thanks to a temporarily closed track at Millbrook. But I’m stubborn (or mildly obsessive), and I wasn’t going to leave until I got my go behind the wheel of what is arguably the most important sports car of recent times!
This isn’t just another EV. The range-topping Cyberster GT is MG’s bold, open-top love letter to its roadster roots – only now with dual motors, 496bhp (two and a half times the power of the MG RV8 from the early 1990s!), 725Nm and a 0-62mph time of just 3.2 seconds. That’s not quick, that’s warp speed for a sub-£60k convertible. So we’re not just talking all show and no go, but do these numbers translate into real excitement?
Let’s start with the drama. And there’s plenty. Just look at it! Long bonnet, short tail, hips like a Strictly dancer. And of course… those extraordinary scissor doors. Press the button, and up they glide like it’s auditioning for the Back To The Future remake. It won’t look out of place in a posh hotel’s car park full of supercars, and makes a Porsche Boxster look dull. It turns heads. And keeps them there.
Slip inside (after you’ve stopped playing with the doors like an overgrown child), and you’re greeted by a cockpit that leans firmly towards the driver. Alcantara accents, a full digital display setup, and sports seats that hug tighter than your uncle Javid at Eid.
It’s not Bentley-level posh, but it doesn’t need to be. To follow those show-stopping doors, it just needs to feel special, and it manages to pull that off too. Everything from the steering to the drive selector pod feels futuristic, with just a smidge of sci-fi flair.
And yes, it’s roomy enough for taller drivers. At 6ft 1.5in with long legs, I had no issues getting comfy, and in fact, I had to use the door-mounted seat control to move the seat forward rather than back!
Right, down to business. This isn’t a static showpiece. This is a powerful all-wheel-drive beast in a sports jacket. That 0-62mph time? Stamp the throttle in Super Sport mode, and you will be pinned back in your seat like you’re in a fighter jet. Without the after-burner noise, however. Nonetheless, it’s immediate, intoxicating, addictive, and surprisingly civilised.
There are Comfort, Sport, and Super Sport modes, and the difference in damping and throttle response is noticeable even at slower speeds. It’s super smooth, though. Less darty, more smarty. Around Millbrook’s tight city circuit and twisty hill course, the Cyberster felt planted, progressive and never twitchy. There’s no snap-oversteer here. It’s almost too well-behaved, too poised, to the point that you find yourself wondering, “Is this really an MG?”
Steering? Light, but responsive. Grip? Loads of it. Ride? Firm but not crashy. It’s not a raw driver’s car in the mould of a Lotus Elise, but it’s also not trying to be. What you’ve got here is something a little more grown-up – a gentleman’s grand-touring roadster, if you will.
On the Alpine course, I chucked it into corners with increasing confidence. Sure, I’d like a bit more bite from the brakes, but given how many journos had probably already cooked the pads, I’ll let that slide. The regen is customisable, and you can even go full one-pedal driving if you’re that way inclined. Frankly, I’d want more time with it. It’s a car you really want to take time to get to know properly, over some distance, over different types of roads. With a range of 275 miles, you’d have the confidence to try that too.
Modern MG makes family hatchbacks and SUVs. So, quite frankly, the MG Cyberster GT is a car none of us expected the Chinese-owned company to make. But boy, are we all glad they did. The EV sector needs more cars like this – exciting, sporty, charismatic machines that intrigue and entice.
£60k isn’t exactly cheap or accessible, and if we were hoping for an electric rival to the Mazda MX-5 (we were), then it’s a bit disappointing. On the other hand, the Cyberster is fast, stylish, genuinely fun to drive, and will get you into the most exclusive of venues as soon as those doors fly up.
This isn’t just MG reclaiming its roadster heritage. It’s MG rewriting it. And why not? Groovy baby!
