Lifting the lid on MG's Cyberster EV

We deliver first UK drive verdict on all-new electric roadster as famous manufacturer returns to its two-seater convertible roots

- Dean Gibson

● 4WD GT flagship makes 496bhp for 3.2-second 0-62mph sprint

● £60k price tag puts MG in competition with Porsche and BMW

AE THE arrival of the MG Cyberster marks a significant moment in the story of the now Chinese-owned brand. With the old Morris Garages MG having a rich history of sports cars, any flagship performance model from the new MG will have a large weight of expectation placed upon it, because not only will it need to attract potential buyers, but it will need to please the enthusiasts, too.

With a list price that's a fiver short of £60,000 in top-spec GT guise, it also marks uncharted territory for MG when it comes to pricing. That puts it in the same ballpark as the BMW Z4 M40i and Porsche 718 Boxster, but aside from having a folding canvas top, the Cyberster is about as far removed from those two models as it's possible for a two-seat roadster to be.

Firstly, it's all-electric. There's a 77kWh battery set between the axles, while this top-spec GT model features an electric motor at both ends for four-wheel drive and a total output of 496bhp. That's a significant 200bhp more than the Boxster delivers, and 160bhp more than the Z4.

Then there's the MG Cyberster's size.

At 4.54 metres long and 1.91 metres wide, it's bigger than a Porsche 911 Turbo, while a gross weight of 2.2 tonnes is around 200kg more than the drop-top Stuttgart sports car when fully laden. Despite this, the MG has a 0-62mph time of just 3.2 seconds, which isn't far off what the Porsche cabrio can achieve.

While the Cyberster is big, that two-seat body manages to hide its dimensions well, and the car's proportions ape those of a front-engined machine, with a long bonnet, a set-back cockpit and short bootlid. From the front, its pointed nose sweeps up and back to create a smooth shape, while the rear end is broken up by a set of fussy LED lights.