Originally a British car company (now it’s owned by China’s SAIC Motors), MG has been making cars for a little over 100 years and built its reputation with its affordable and fun to drive sports cars and roadsters. But the last roadster it introduced was the MGF, back in 1995.

Then in 2023, the MG Cyberster made its global public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, and it’s just been launched in our country at Rs 75 lakhs. So it has been a long time in the coming.

MG was well aware of this and says that though the Cyberster is all electric and powered with battery technology, it is inspired by their classic roadsters, especially the famous MGB.

So does the MG Cyberster live up to its legacy? Recently, I had the opportunity to find out when I got to drive it at the BIC (Budh International Circuit) in Greater Noida, which has hosted both Formula One and Moto GP World Championship races.

While I am always delighted to drive on a racetrack, this outing was even more special as I could dig into memory and compare it with the experience of driving a 1952 MG-TD at the MIC (Madras International Circuit) racetrack in Sriperumbudur, a few years back. This was when I did a “Classic Track Day” with Chennai based car collector and friend, Ranjit Pratap.

Another cherished experience is participating in the inaugural FHVI Classic Drive from Bangalore to Mysore, in a 1947 MG TC very kindly loaned by friend and car collector Dr. Ravi Prakash, who also organized the event.

The joy of driving these classic MG’s and pushing them to their limits, will remain with me forever. Those hot laps I did on the racetrack in the 1952 MG-TD, were sheer bliss and comparable to some of my finest driving experiences.

During the Bangalore Mysore Classic drive, they also had a gymkhana event where I set the fastest time in the pre-1950 category in Dr. Ravi Prakash’s well-maintained 1947 MG TC, and what fun that was too.

Even more pleasing was the fact that my timing was amongst the fastest overall, quicker than some cars with double the power! And what all this clearly proves is that MG used to make cars that were light and agile, and loads of fun to drive.

But what about the MG Cyberster – can it match the talents of its forebears? Just looking at the Cyberster will please most auto enthusiasts. Simply because after making family oriented vehicles with barely any resemblance to their sporting predecessors, MG finally has a good looking two-seater convertible, with the typical roadster like proportions of a long bonnet and short rear. Due to its sleek flowing lines, the Cyberster has a fairly low drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.269, so it’s aerodynamically quite efficient too.

However, it’s the scissor doors that are the most dramatic aspect of its styling. At the push of a button they move upwards (or downwards) electrically, and make getting in or out easy. They are also enormous “attention grabbers” and you can expect a crowd to gather (and shoot reels); every time you operate these “Dramatic Doors”.

Now let’s get the show on the road, rather track. The MG Cyberster has dual motors and all-wheel drive and a powerful battery pack that can deliver a massive 510 bhp and 725 Nm of torque! The claimed range is 580 kms. All impressive numbers.

And when you use launch control to get going by holding (and then releasing) the brake pedal with your left foot and pressing down on the accelerator with your right, you can race from 0 to 100 kmph in just 3.2 seconds. That is almost as fast as a F3 racecar! Yes, the MG Cyberster can disappear as fast as a ball hit from the middle of Sachin’s cricket bat.

When you put pedal to metal, the torque comes in so instantaneously, that you are thrown back violently in your seat, and you better not try this if you have Spondylitis or any neck problem. In fact it’s best to rest your head against the headrest, and only then unleash all that electrically generated brute energy.

As EVs don’t have an engine, there is no sound. But MG has built in an engine sound simulator that attempts to provide the sort of music expected in sports cars. But in my view this artificial sound is not authentic enough, and does not exactly match the inputs or movements of the accelerator pedal. It’s like seeing a dubbed film, where the lip movements and sound are not exactly in sync. And in case you are aware of what the actor’s voice actually sounds like, and in place of that you have a dubbing artist, it’s a bigger letdown.

The Cyberster is packed with modern software and technology and has four driving modes and various brake regenerative levels that you can play with, to set up the car to match your preferred driving mood.

But what cannot be changed is the fact that being an EV and having to carry heavy batteries, the MG Cyberster weighs almost 2 tons! And this mass makes its presence known while changing direction- as if it’s telling you that despite the use of advanced technology, fat tyres, etc, weight will apply its own force. I am not saying the Cyberster is not a good handling machine. It’s just not as agile or light on its feet, as you want a car with such an athletic form to be.

The substantial weight of the batteries also means the car’s suspension is set up to limit the vertical and lateral movement of the mass. But it takes a few cycles to do it, and this does lead to a somewhat lumbering ride. The steering is precise, but has a synthetic and slightly vague feel. Compared with the ever so connected and direct steering of those classic MGs, this one communicates like its speaking with an alien via translators, whose primary language is also a foreign one.

The good thing about the batteries being mounted under the floor though, is that the floorpan has moved up, as a result of which you sit higher than in most sports cars, which one will appreciate if like me, you are on the other side of 50 or 60.

The bottom line is that times have changed and with all the new technology, and especially electrification and battery power, it was never going to be easy for the MG Cyberster to emulate its celebrated ancestors from a bygone era. Yes the steering could be more talkative; it could change direction more nimbly, the sonorous sound is missing, and so on. But all these are personal observations, of someone who is a dyed in the wool enthusiast.

Actually, it’s great that a legacy brand like MG, once again has a good looking and sporty car like the Cyberster, in its showrooms. One that allows you to make a dramatic and eye-catching entry or exit.  And if it’s rapid (rocket like if I may say) acceleration you are looking for- just press the red “Super-Sport” button on the steering wheel, use launch control, and race to 100 faster than most internal combustion engine supercars did until a few years back.

However, I have always believed, “It’s not how fast you get to 100, but what it feels like getting there, that’s important”. And here the MG Cyberster just cannot match its predecessors. So call me old fashioned, old school, whatever – but for me – it’s the classics that triumph – simply because of their simplicity, mechanical feel, and ability to engage, entertain, and connect. Connect with your soul. And I don’t see any car that you have to connect to a charger, doing that anytime soon.