Worth its wait in gold: MG Cyberster
Oi, oi what's that, then?" Yes, I was unplugging the new all-electric MG Cyberster from its charging point. Yes, I was in a multistorey car park. Yes, it was a couple of lads in a Ford Fiesta . Yes, there was no escape route.
Fortunately, they weren't so curious as to actually get an answer, though I'd like to think that, like so many who approached me in my smart red sort-of-cybernetic roadster, they'd appreciate the car for what it is – a stunning technological and aesthetic achievement.
A historic one too, because – oi, oi – this is nothing less than the rebirth of the MG sports car.
It's a long time since we've seen a new MG sports car – the MG F was really the last one, launched in 1995, unless you count the short-lived MG XPower SV of 2004, a re-bodied Qvale Mangusta and very much the automotive curiosity.
Anyways, it's been a long time, and many of us assumed that the MG sports car was dead, given that the marque is now owned by SAIC Motor , and their mainstream hatches, estates and SUVs are manufactured in China, and mostly with electric propulsion.
So, the Cyberster is a surprise, and even has a UK link because much of the design work was done here. That's about the best that we can hope for in the post-Brexit world.
It's a fine rebirth. Though it dwarfs any traditional MG roadster, the Cyberster is well proportioned, with a purposeful stance and rather classic lines.
To be precise, it measures 4.6 metres long by 1.9 metres wide – around the size of a contemporary Porsche 911 , and if you couldn't see the badge you might well assume (especially from the strong styling lines sweeping down the long bonnet) that this was some overdue new Jaguar .
It's also vaguely reminiscent of a BMW Z4 , or something Italian. Maybe we should just conclude that it's extremely handsome in its own right, and doesn't disgrace itself if parked alongside, say, a classically elegant MG B.
It does party tricks too, and that matters in a car that's supposed to be fun. It has, most dramatically, powered scissor doors that open vertically, thanks to a piston in the door jamb. They could be naff, but, on balance, I think not because they have practical justifications...
Being so wide, it would be all too easy to ding a neighbouring vehicle in a car park or at a charging station; and they also make ingress and egress much easier, an important factor for the older demographic that will be the main customer base for this model.
In GT mode , with a dual motor and effortless supercar performance (zero to 60mph in 3.2 seconds) it's about £60,000, with the slightly slower single motor Trophy available with a £5,000 discount.
It's only got two seats, no "frunk", negligible luggage space (two overnight bags, say) and you might think it's not much car for the money, but it compares well with its fossil-fuel rivals, and obviously beats them on refinement.
It's a proper sports car, pitched somewhere between an old-style roadster and a cruising GT, and even has a "launch mode" – which I didn't try because the display tells me it's for closed roads only.
It's plenty eager enough anyway, with not that much variation between its sport and comfort settings. You can turn on an electric humming noise or a bit of audio engine rumble, but silence suits it best – more authentic, as an MG should be.
I also liked the rear indicators, each arrowed in your direction of intended travel. The last time I saw this touch was on the back of a Routemaster bus , and I was charmed then too.
The triple screen dash displays are a bit small, and some of the key data is obscured by the steering wheel (eg the speed set for the adaptive cruise control. The seats, while comfortable, could also do with being a bit more "huggy", as if they need to control the G-forces.
As for range, the Cyberster is unusually sensitive to how you drive it, even for an electric car, and much depends on the ambient temperature.
In my experience on a warm day on the motorway you should reasonably expect 200 miles off a single charge, and it recharges pretty quickly too on a commercial charger, such as you now find in some numbers at the service stations. It charges at a rate of about half an hour to get from range anxiety to confidence (30 miles to 200 miles indicative range).
It's surprisingly fuel efficient too – about 10 per cent worse than a Kia Niro , for example.
MG reborn, then, and at the moment it resides in a class of its own. All-electric sports cars are promised by Porsche , Polestar and Tesla , but at the moment the only rival technically is the much softer and vastly more costly Maserati GranCabrio (circa £185,000).
Peerless, in other words, and a (relatively) affordable, green "proper" MG.
It is in fact born in the centenary of the old Morris Garages enterprise founded by Cecil Kimber; a fact noted in a discreet footnote of a decal on the lower rear flank. Well worth the wait.
