As a Porsche owner I was invited earlier this year to be a part of a consumer review of the new Boxster Ev. ( no more new ICE Boxsters for us here in germany) They paid me to take part, all of it was very secret, was given an iPad with many many questions to answer, more than a hundred. Anyway I was very surprised of how many questions there were about the MG Cyberstar, the design, and if we would consider it as an option. It was almost like they saw the MG as their main competitor. Just saying 🤟
Good review. We own a yellow Cyberster Trophy, and we never get any warnings sounds now. You can permanently turn off some of them, such as the one warning that the speed limit has changed, which is the one that probably kept going off in your video. Others you have to turn off each time you start the car, but that takes seconds to do by swiping down on the screen to access shortcuts. All other new EVs do the same for NCAP rating reasons. And just close the door before you press the brake pedal, then you won't get wet!! You soon adapt to pressing the door close button as soon as you sit down. We're hoping MG do a software update to stop the wipers if the drivers door is open. But the doors make it a lot easier getting in and out of the car in narrow parking spaces. We're averaging over 3 mi/kWh on Scottish Highland A-roads driving it to the max! So 240 mile range in sub-10 degrees cold conditions with the roof down and the heating on full blast. It's a very easy car to live with. But yes, the driving position can be a challenge for anyone over six foot with short legs. I'm 5'8", and really like the driving position.
Don't turn off speed limiter. Insurance won't pay out if you have a accedent. New rules. Relation told me works for LV You can check this out for yourself
I currently own an SLK and the MG is much more my sort of car than the Boxter. Then there's Porsche running costs that aren't at all low in my experience. 310 horsepower is also way more than I require these days in the congested low speed limit area I live in. 25 years ago I'd have definitely put performance and handling ahead though, I'm obviously getting old. Great in depth comparison - thank you.
I find the Porsche design a bit dated now, I had a 944 years ago, only kept for 6 months, could not get on with it. Early days ( mid 20's )I have had 2 Midget's, 2 MGBGT's (1 V8) and 2 MGB Roadster's, also area sec. for the MG Owners Club. My 1990 Eunos Roadster V Spec was excellent. Back to the Cyberster, I love the styling very bold and modern. I agree the doors are a bit too much. standard doors would be better. The price for what you get is fair. I went electric this May with an Hyundai Ioniq 5, and I don't think I will go ICE again. Love the vid's cheers for now. Mike
There seems to be some ill informed EV haters on here. We have a 2023 MG4. It hasn’t missed a beat, battery is still 100%. We bought it to keep as long as possible and have full confidence in the vehicle.
I think the Cyberster is a great looking car and as an EV owner now I’d seriously consider it. I’ve owned 2 Boxsters previously and would agree they’re absolutely brilliant driver’s cars. I would definitely road test them as you have before committing to buy but MG have got a good package.
Yes safety systems can be a pain but I find no problem with basically the same ones on my MG4 trophy. Remeber you have to have this for NCAP rating so turning them off is default for most cars now
British journalists always point to the company history of the MG brand with patriotic pride and almost want us to believe that we are still dealing with royal design and engineering "made in Britain". It is a purely Chinese brand and unfortunately this is very obvious in the design. This "MG" is not a premium sports car that I get out of the garage at the weekend and sit in front of it on my garden chair and enjoy the view before driving for two hours on country roads just for fun.
Watching you shift the Porsche makes me want to try this experiment. Fit the electric roadster with a 6 speed gearbox, but a tiny gutless single motor, like with 1/3 the torque (116 vs. 350 lbs-ft). Use the gearbox's torque multiplier to help the mini motor perform, but spin that tiny motor faster, earlier, to get it to its peak efficiency. This delivers fun but reasonable acceleration. With electric motors, sure you cab deliver instant torque at zero RPM, but that is the zone where they are the least efficient, both because they are trying to deliver high torque through insufficient gearing, and because lowest RPM is lowest efficiency. Tune that gearbox to keep you revving that tiny motor high in the revs to maximize your progress and keep you engaged, but now you're also engaged in maximizing your efficiency too. Impossible? Maybe, but Brammo did it with an electric motorcycle before with a model called the Empluse. And Porsche and now Mercedes are engaging in a slick gearbox design that isn't overly bulky like DCTs of the past. They work more like a bicycle hub transmission, with complex sets of planetary gears to change the ratio of the counter shaft that was otherwise just a part of every EV drivetrain's reduction gearing. Is the 2026 Merc CLA onto something with a less powerful motor but a two speed to deliver an estimated 5.2 miles/kWh efficiency? I think so. So let's have the sports car world turn this theory up to 11. It could be like the Suzuki 50cc GP racing bike with 13 speeds. Engaging? You bet.
Those cup holders are slick. If they'd color them consistent with the rest of the console, they'd blend in really nicely as a hidden feature when you're not using them.
I’m disappointed. I was expecting a raft of petrolheads complaining the MG has no soul etc etc and they’ll stick to driving their 20 year old Focus instead 😂
Great review, Auto Angus. I looked up cyber and got "relating to, or involving computers or networks...". Not sure about the name. I'd walk right past and get into the other car.
Quite a good looking car until you viewed the rear end, those arrow rear lights was a deal breaker for me and I think the boxster has more street cred. It’s a no from me ☹️
In fairness I guess he’s building in the time wasted queuing for a free pump, filling carefully to the brim, manoeuvring and then going to the till. My quickest ever in 40 years was maybe six minutes and at worst half an hour. All assuming the petrol station was on the route. From home I would also factor in ten to twenty minutes to drive to somewhere with a reasonable price.
Despite being a stubbornly dyed in the wool petrol head I found your review well researched , balanced and interesting . Thanks. At the risk of nit picking though maybe should have compared with a Boxster PDK rather than a manual gear change Boxster. Now going subscribe to your channel .
Why does their 3d view of the car not show the car body. We need to see the overhangs if that is to aid in parking on close quarters. I appreciate you calling out that failure to engage reverse. Going forward when you meant to go backwards is an accident waiting to happen.
I prefer the larger single larger trunk of the MG to having split luggage that's more tiny front and rear in the Porsche, but agree, that it's a missed opportunity in the MG to not have a front trunk.
I think the Cyberster is a very good looking car and the ideal grand touring open top convertible for the future. At least, it has democratised the concept of a fast, nicely priced, stylish convertible. I unashamedly say I like it and appreciate MG for launching it. I don’t particularly care if MG is now owned by the Chinese folks. At least, they have given an iconic brand like MG a second lease on life. Let’s appreciate that fact.
What happens if your garage has a low roof, will the doors open or foul the roof? You admit to being 5'8" tall so the open door must be around 8'0" from ground level to edge of door when opened. It looks nice but totally impractical for me. Age has a lot to do about that but I do remember fond days of driviing Triumph TR4A sports cars. The 3 litre MGC went well too.
You don’t need Lambo doors to soak yourself. The other morning I zipped the windows down and up to clear the rain off them and you guessed it the auto wipers came on and dumped what seamed to be a litre of water on my lap. Lesson learned 😮
Thanks for this very interesting comparison, insightful with all the feels around the cars, not just specs. I'm myself very keen into EV and had the chance to test drive the Cyberster just recently. It was inspiring indeed for a new sensation, as you mention it in the closing statement. But coming from a drivers perspective, I felt a bit left down with the (please excuse eventual exaggeration) very effective but sheet metal feel of the suspension, as maybe known from Fords, the precise but numb steering, the lack of hold from the seats and the unprecise softness of the rather long running break pedals, which really makes you feel the weight of the car. Then I was wondering, whether the price tag is justified, given the lack of credibility of the "new MG" brand in the market, combined with stories of customers being ignored completely by MG?
The problem wth both of these cars is they are literally too fast.I looked at porshes etc earlier this year.I ended up with a manual 2024 MX5.Its a fun car and I can wring its neck......
Maybe a more ‘ like for like ‘ comparison would be to compare the MG with the Porsche 4.0 GTS with the wonderful PDK transmission .This gives a 0-60 of 4 seconds . Seem MG on road today, lovely car .
nah. we own an mg4 xpower alongside other performance cars. i suspect it would appeal to a particular type of car enthusiast.....but not one i would recognise.
I'll wait for the GT. I Die for real Coupe's. Love Caymans over boxter too. Loved the conclusion explanation anolagy with EV bikes. I constantly have to explain this, riding my Livewire. You're more into the road and lines. Input and output speeds than in ice Bikes. They distract with the gears and torque steering.
To be honest I am not taken with either. The Porsche is a very good analogue car but the button heavy interior is looking a bit dated and I guess the tech is also lagging behind. As with all Porsches the sticker price bears no relation to what you have to spend to add the essentials to a basic specification. £60k is an awful lot for a 40,000 mile reasonably spec’d 6 cylinder model. This will not be cheap to run even with just routine servicing. The Cyberster is too wide and flabby to be a sports car and yet I don’t think it quite makes it as a GT. The tech is obviously a bit laggy, the doors seem a bit gimmicky and the low header rail in relation to the seats is really a design defect. If I wanted a sports car I would either opt for a more basic 718 (probably used) and live with the 4 pot engine - but greater economy - or go for a Mazda MX 5 which look superb value.
If you want to compare 2nd hand cars, do both as 2nd hand in a few years time. A 2 year old 2nd hand Cybster will still be a lot cheaper than a 2nd hand Porche
Bearing in mind that MG as a brand have proven to be the most unreliable BEVs in the UK marketplace, I'm extremely reluctant to pay twice as much for an MG. Especially as the software and driver interfaces are slow, laggy and don't respond. I believe the residual values will be dreadful. As such I'm not even going to look at a Cyberster for two years.
I couldn't buy one because it's not an MG - MG died a long time ago and for me this should be called a SAIC, at least then people could judge it for what it is.
MG is going to lose so many sales to the beeping, assuming that happens on a test drive. Got to address that quickly. Our BMW i4 introduces a mild steering wheel shake if it sees you're driving on the white line (ie not centered in your lane). It's a useful reminder that simulates rumble strips, without being infuriating.
Great idea for a comparison. Probably time to retire "tickle your pickle", which online dictionaries describe as vulgar slang. I bought a non-running '74 MGB at age 21 and restored it myself, learning to rebuild the motor myself, do bodywork, paint, even upholstery. That led to a pair of Spits later. If you don't have kids, a roadster isn't an indulgence. It's slightly compromised transportation with some upsides. Maybe a pricy sports car is an indulgence if you have it as a weekend car. Frankly, modern cars (including EVs) aren't sustainable under zero emissions scenario, so if the car is to survive at all, it need to simplify and shrink dramatically. I know EV enthusiasts will argue that point, but the truth is, EVs only appear sustainable compared to ICE. In the larger view of all that we need to do to get emissions to zero, cars will be extinct, and sooner than you think. The irony is, the larger we build them today with big batteries for less compromise, the faster we get to that global collapse where car manufacturing dies out and we're riding public rail and using e-bikes and micromobility. Pro-tip: shift your car passion to e-bikes and even faster tadpole recumbent e-trikes if you don't want to be the angry old man shouting at the liberals for taking away your toys. I've long been disappointed in the MG-in-name-only for many years and was excited to see the return of an MG convertible 2 seater. This thing's too bling, too big, and too costly to say it's a roadster, but it looks like they did a pretty good job at their first effort. Maybe the MkII will use standard door, go on a diet, and shrink a bit.
Those MG taillights and actually the whole rear end is hideous. Won’t age well. The MG doors are silly. Won’t work in confined garages despite the sensors. Depreciation disaster. That Boxster is a much better sports car.
I’d agree about the rear end treatment, it looks OK on the squarer Polestar not good on the Cyberster compounded by the silly arrows. Don’t mind the doors but a cheaper, smaller, more sport/less GT ‘Midget’ version with regular doors would appeal to more buyers. A depreciation opportunity for the used buyer and even the Porsche’s going to hurt after a couple of years if you buy a new one!
Never noticed how distracting that second hand is on the chrono clock on the Porsche. I need a moving second hand in my line of sight like a Cyberster needs a fuel filler door. Some retro features like a miniature analog clock are less useful to a driver needing to keep their attention on the road. Funny how many folks will spec that clock because it's cool. BTW, one test for dementia/cognitive decline involves drawing and reading clock faces. That's important because though it's a skill we pride ourselves in having learned at a young age, there are multiple spatial geometric analyses used to do so. In other words, it requires attention, and perhaps more so with a pesky second hand traveling as you scan for the big hand and the possibly partially obscured little hand. Sound pedantic? Read the science.
You reference the MG heritage perhaps a little to much, this is a Chinese EV like any other, MG has been dead for decades, cars not just sports cars need to be an emotive experience for me, not a mobile white goods. In todays Geopolitics I know who’s economy I will support and it won’t be MG. Is it a good EV , it’s interesting to look at. But I commend you for trying to make the comparison and each to their own. Will the EV sell well in China I am sure it will. ❤
I think the MG doesn't have a Frunk to allow for the front motor in the 4WD model. Agree though a Frunk should be a std feature in any EV - even a front drive / front motor model. Our Kona EV doesn't have one however, remove the plastic cladding on top of the motor & there's enough space for an aftermarket frunk or even a home made crate to fit in there.
Even if the frunk was so small and shallow that it was only big enough to hold the charging stuff that would have been very useful so that that stuff didn't need to clutter up the boot and you didn't need to pack around it. Having said that, the MG has a very nice boot and from the look of it the space behind the seats shouldn't be underestimated. I tend to travel light and I suspect I could do a long weekend trip with a pair of weekend bags behind the seats without even needing to put anything in the boot.
But that’s the point, as that is the choice. And if you follow the new v’s used thought, this is the style of Boxster that you’d be looking at. I can’t compare it to one from the future……
Interesting commentary about MG throttle feeling like ICE. That's certainly retro. ICE cars lack power at lower revs, so we depress the throttle and wish for that power to arrive, but it does so in a ramp. A slow, crappy ramp. True a lifetime of driving ICE makes you anticipate that ramp, that lack of instantaneous power, but it's not necessarily a feature, more an inherent never conquered bug. Does that mean that EVs with their instantaneous torque delivery and copious power no matter your current speed, are too sensitive to pedal depression? I'd say no. If it feels that way, then you're either too used to ICE, or you more likely, you have too much power in the drivetrain which is most certainly the case with all Teslas that weren't spec'd as sports cars. The right way to bring back throttle lag, is to downsize electric motors and make you wait for the drama, not incapacitate how the motor controller ramps the oversized power, IMHO. Eitherwise you're just strapping a governor to a muscle car.
You can see that they took inspiration of the old MGs when they designed this car. Many brands were sold in the last years. And even European carmakers produce in China.
Every reviewer who comments on the seat height apparently is unaware the seat height is adjustable. Perhaps its not at it lowest position when they start talking about sitting on batteries. In its lowest position (set by the electronic seat adjustment) could possibly provide more suitable head room.
I have watched many reviews of this car including Jacks one, nobody has in fact clarified the 'absolute' lowest seat setting, and what was the setting while reviewing?. At this stage I can only assume the seats were at their lowest setting.
I set my seat at the lowest can comfortably make it for driving. I don’t like sitting “on” cars, so in the case of the Cyberster, it was on it lowest setting that it could go. Like I said, it’s fine for me, but I appreciate there are people taller than me, hence why I mentioned it.
@@TerryHickey-xt4mfAgreed. Not 1 of the dozens of reviews have referenced where the seat was set or if they even knew it was adjustable. I have the Cyberster GT. I'm a modest 5'7" hence I cannot comment on height position for taller folks. But in the lowest position with reasonable recline I am deep into the seat with difficulty seeing the front of the hood and it seems in that position I have rather copious headroom. In reality I keep the seat about midway and I'm smack in the middle of the screen. My buddy who is 6'1" and put the seat in the lowest setting and offered up no complaints with his view out the screen or headroom and did so with a bit more reclining (which on first effort is insufficient). The seat can be reclined further than people think by moving the seat forward and setting the recline to preference. Then back the seat up for leg length while holding the recline setting and the seat can be low and reclined making it more suitable for tallish drivers. I'm not saying all tall people will be comfortable but the settings are more flexible than is understood by the reviewers, as not 1 mentions their efforts in adjusting the seat.
as much as i like the mg after 3 years of ownership the mg wiill be worth peanuts , if you were buying the mg 3 year old , well that would be a nice buy , i like electric and after 28 ice cars its i nice change , i bought skoda enyaq coupe vrs , would i have bought the skoda for 55k + no , after less than 6 months old with less than 3k miles for 35 k , yes please , had for 4 months an so far spent £ 70 at octopus and its been faultless .............
The journalist is biased (apart from the fact that he's always driven ICE cars and has been conditioned to the NOISE of an ICE accelerating) the electric MG will have the SAME if not, better handling. It's immediate - Only you don't have the deep throaty sound of a flat six to accompany it. What I'm saying is that a young journalist who has only ever driven EV's will feel VERY differently. The Boxster will feel heavy and clunky and slow).
Erm, how do you figure out I'm biased? I've been driving EVs for 5 years now, which is as long as AutoEV has been running as a RUclips channel. I have both electric and combustion engine cars on my drive. I just like cars, irrespective of how they are powered. You are allowed to like and see the benefits of both. And handling has nothing to do with how a car is powered, but how its chassis is set up, and I am sorry, the MG doesn't handle as well as the Boxster. The Porsche will always have an advantage through lighter weight, therefore less weight transference, and better positioning o that weight. And that is before we discuss springs, dampers, centre of gravity, tyres, distribution of the weight. You can't just say the MG will handle the same as it's an entirely different car. Any motoring journalist (irrespective of age) who understands how to evaluate a car they are reviewing, will understand that. It's hard to suggest that the 718 feels heavy, clunky and slow when it it is lighter, has better weight distribution and I more powerful than the Cyberster. I'm sorry, but I find your remark a very odd thing to say, and very (factually) incorrect on many levels. And please also remember we are an EV channel.
Tata bought Land Rover and Jaguar and make a lot of those models overseas. Does that mean Land Rover doesn’t have a heritage? BMW bought Rolls Royce and don’t make them in Crewe, or with the old V8 anymore. Is the Phantom less of a Rolls Royce? MG have an engineering base in Longbridge and its design department is in London. Why can’t it keep its heritage? The company has had many different owners over the years (as has many brands), but does that mean it loses what has gone before?
1:01:04 ...but a Porsche Boxster Electric will set you back by at least 100k€ well equipped which is almost double the price of an MG. Yes, it will be better in many ways but boy, 50k€ plus the profit it can generate invested in an asset like BTC is quite something! And then, the MG is still a fantastic car...
In the future, pure badge snobbery will be harder to reconcile, Porsche are great vehicles, but new young byers are entering the market place with different objectives. It will be interesting to see how the next 10 years unfold.
If you had a base Cyberster why didn’t you compare it to a base Boxster? MSRP would have been closer and you would be comparing new to new not trying to make your argument on buying a used Boxster GTS.
@ then why not compare the Boxster GTS to the top level equivalent MG not the Trophy Edition? You’d be making more of an apples to apples comparison. I don’t think you ever even mentioned the base Boxster as a cheaper alternative to the more expensive GTS when searching for other comparable models to the Trophy. Nice review but one or the other of the two cars should have been switched to make it a fairer price comparison.
And MG could only provide us with the Trophy for the dates we had. I do get what you are saying, but we can only get certain cars at certain times and even then, on my if they are in the press fleet.
Same as Volvo and Lotus, they may be made outside of China but they are under Chinese ownership, and so are dozens of other manufacturers, even Daimler and VW have Chinese money funding them, M Benz are now going to be using Chinese engines. Give it 10 years and a lot more legacy manufacturers will be under communist control. The one thing they are good at now is vehicle manufacturing, the last couple of years have really really improved the quality.
Hopefully MG will correct the safety systems with an OTA update like Smart did with my #1 All the settings that default when you turn the car off can now be set into memory and activated with a simple swipe down and click. Huge improvement.❤
@ the difference is one swipe & click alters all the defaults like Lane keep assist, lane change assist, lane departure warning, speed limit reminder, brake regen level, driving mode etc.
The problem with the mg is it will have absolutely no value in 7/8 years time as the battery will need replacing, costing the price of the car. And that’s the whole issue with all electric cars, they have no long term value but cost an awful lot!
Lots of electric cars that are over ten years old with hundreds of thousands of miles on them on original batteries. Many ICE cars need new engines, and they aren’t cheap. This is a very tired viewpoint that isn’t really true I’m afraid,
@@AutoEV deluded! The second hand market in electric cars will never happen like it has with normally aspirated cars. The battery lasts nowhere near as long as a petrol or diesel engine as well you know.
Yet, you've failed to take my earlier point. Many EVs are now well over 10 years old with many high mileages under their belt. Yet still soldier on. If you don't like electric cars, that's fine. But you are trolling the usual rubbish out to make a point that isn't there. Many people like electric cars AND combustion engined car like we do. You don't have to drive one if you don't like it.
I don’t see any similarities between the two in terms of layout or style, so I wouldn’t call it a “copy” or a rip off. If that’s the case, then is the Boxster a rip off of the Mazda MX-5? Is that a rip off of a Lotus Elan? Or an MGB?
Swipe down on the screen for shortcuts to turn warning systems off. Very easy.
Is this for the MG or the Porsche?
@@izwizz520 For the MG Cyberster
As a Porsche owner I was invited earlier this year to be a part of a consumer
review of the new Boxster Ev. ( no more new ICE Boxsters for us here in germany)
They paid me to take part, all of it was very secret, was given an iPad with many many questions
to answer, more than a hundred.
Anyway I was very surprised of how many questions there were about the MG Cyberstar, the design, and if we would
consider it as an option. It was almost like they saw the MG as their main competitor.
Just saying 🤟
The Germans will learn fast no ones waiting for them. China are already testing flying cars for tourism.
Good review.
We own a yellow Cyberster Trophy, and we never get any warnings sounds now. You can permanently turn off some of them, such as the one warning that the speed limit has changed, which is the one that probably kept going off in your video.
Others you have to turn off each time you start the car, but that takes seconds to do by swiping down on the screen to access shortcuts. All other new EVs do the same for NCAP rating reasons.
And just close the door before you press the brake pedal, then you won't get wet!! You soon adapt to pressing the door close button as soon as you sit down. We're hoping MG do a software update to stop the wipers if the drivers door is open. But the doors make it a lot easier getting in and out of the car in narrow parking spaces.
We're averaging over 3 mi/kWh on Scottish Highland A-roads driving it to the max! So 240 mile range in sub-10 degrees cold conditions with the roof down and the heating on full blast.
It's a very easy car to live with. But yes, the driving position can be a challenge for anyone over six foot with short legs. I'm 5'8", and really like the driving position.
Are you happy with the comfort on those crappy British roads? I am now in an age where suspension and noise comfort starts playing a big role....
@@fragu123 Yes, very happy. I'm in my late 60s, so appreciate the softer ride of the MG. As was said in the video, it's more of a GT than a sportscar.
Don't turn off speed limiter. Insurance won't pay out if you have a accedent. New rules. Relation told me works for LV You can check this out for yourself
I currently own an SLK and the MG is much more my sort of car than the Boxter. Then there's Porsche running costs that aren't at all low in my experience. 310 horsepower is also way more than I require these days in the congested low speed limit area I live in. 25 years ago I'd have definitely put performance and handling ahead though, I'm obviously getting old. Great in depth comparison - thank you.
Porsche Boxsters have the lowest running costs of any of sports cars, by far. Who ripped you off?
You're not comparing a boxter to the cyberster?!
That's taycan the mick
I'll show myself out
😂😆😊
Very good……
@@AutoEVexcept it’s a Boxster not a ‘boxter’ so maybe closer to a Cyberster in name at least 😂
I find the Porsche design a bit dated now, I had a 944 years ago, only kept for 6 months, could not get on with it. Early days ( mid 20's )I have had 2 Midget's, 2 MGBGT's (1 V8) and 2 MGB Roadster's, also area sec. for the MG Owners Club. My 1990 Eunos Roadster V Spec was excellent. Back to the Cyberster, I love the styling very bold and modern. I agree the doors are a bit too much. standard doors would be better. The price for what you get is fair. I went electric this May with an Hyundai Ioniq 5, and I don't think I will go ICE again.
Love the vid's cheers for now. Mike
So many bongs, it is like an art students accommodation. Brilliant :-)
There seems to be some ill informed EV haters on here. We have a 2023 MG4. It hasn’t missed a beat, battery is still 100%. We bought it to keep as long as possible and have full confidence in the vehicle.
A great round up as usual, thanks for the detailed review, as I am now in my 70's and under 6 foot, it may just replace my existing MG ev.
Just to clarify, I am not yet dead by the way, re the 6 foot remark, the traditional depth I have been told.
Sat in one at the Geneva Motor show last year, I was impressed with the styling and ergonomics
Where you blindfolded?
I think the Cyberster is a great looking car and as an EV owner now I’d seriously consider it. I’ve owned 2 Boxsters previously and would agree they’re absolutely brilliant driver’s cars. I would definitely road test them as you have before committing to buy but MG have got a good package.
You are so good in what you do...! Compliments....😊
Thank you so much 😀
Got my Cyberster GT on Tuesday. Coming out of a Z4. Absolutely love it and 1% BIK tax as I own a LTD company. So happy.
You know you can turn the beeps off right?
Yes safety systems can be a pain but I find no problem with basically the same ones on my MG4 trophy. Remeber you have to have this for NCAP rating so turning them off is default for most cars now
British journalists always point to the company history of the MG brand with patriotic pride and almost want us to believe that we are still dealing with royal design and engineering "made in Britain". It is a purely Chinese brand and unfortunately this is very obvious in the design. This "MG" is not a premium sports car that I get out of the garage at the weekend and sit in front of it on my garden chair and enjoy the view before driving for two hours on country roads just for fun.
Watching you shift the Porsche makes me want to try this experiment. Fit the electric roadster with a 6 speed gearbox, but a tiny gutless single motor, like with 1/3 the torque (116 vs. 350 lbs-ft). Use the gearbox's torque multiplier to help the mini motor perform, but spin that tiny motor faster, earlier, to get it to its peak efficiency. This delivers fun but reasonable acceleration.
With electric motors, sure you cab deliver instant torque at zero RPM, but that is the zone where they are the least efficient, both because they are trying to deliver high torque through insufficient gearing, and because lowest RPM is lowest efficiency. Tune that gearbox to keep you revving that tiny motor high in the revs to maximize your progress and keep you engaged, but now you're also engaged in maximizing your efficiency too. Impossible? Maybe, but Brammo did it with an electric motorcycle before with a model called the Empluse. And Porsche and now Mercedes are engaging in a slick gearbox design that isn't overly bulky like DCTs of the past. They work more like a bicycle hub transmission, with complex sets of planetary gears to change the ratio of the counter shaft that was otherwise just a part of every EV drivetrain's reduction gearing. Is the 2026 Merc CLA onto something with a less powerful motor but a two speed to deliver an estimated 5.2 miles/kWh efficiency? I think so. So let's have the sports car world turn this theory up to 11. It could be like the Suzuki 50cc GP racing bike with 13 speeds. Engaging? You bet.
Those cup holders are slick. If they'd color them consistent with the rest of the console, they'd blend in really nicely as a hidden feature when you're not using them.
Your share is fantastic! It's informative and insightful. I've gained a lot from it.
Glad it was helpful!
nicely done mate
I’m disappointed. I was expecting a raft of petrolheads complaining the MG has no soul etc etc and they’ll stick to driving their 20 year old Focus instead 😂
Great review, Auto Angus. I looked up cyber and got "relating to, or involving computers or networks...". Not sure about the name. I'd walk right past and get into the other car.
Quite a good looking car until you viewed the rear end, those arrow rear lights was a deal breaker for me and I think the boxster has more street cred. It’s a no from me ☹️
10 minutes to fill a Boxster with petrol? What are you using, a 10ml syringe?
😂😆
😂😂😂
In fairness I guess he’s building in the time wasted queuing for a free pump, filling carefully to the brim, manoeuvring and then going to the till. My quickest ever in 40 years was maybe six minutes and at worst half an hour. All assuming the petrol station was on the route. From home I would also factor in ten to twenty minutes to drive to somewhere with a reasonable price.
@@jeffgrimston4565 I must be lucky. Nip in to the TESCO pump before shopping. Literally 90 seconds max. (Rarely a queue).
Despite being a stubbornly dyed in the wool petrol head I found your review well researched , balanced and interesting . Thanks. At the risk of nit picking though maybe should have compared with a Boxster PDK rather than a manual gear change Boxster. Now going subscribe to your channel .
Why does their 3d view of the car not show the car body. We need to see the overhangs if that is to aid in parking on close quarters. I appreciate you calling out that failure to engage reverse. Going forward when you meant to go backwards is an accident waiting to happen.
I prefer the larger single larger trunk of the MG to having split luggage that's more tiny front and rear in the Porsche, but agree, that it's a missed opportunity in the MG to not have a front trunk.
I think the Cyberster is a very good looking car and the ideal grand touring open top convertible for the future. At least, it has democratised the concept of a fast, nicely priced, stylish convertible. I unashamedly say I like it and appreciate MG for launching it. I don’t particularly care if MG is now owned by the Chinese folks. At least, they have given an iconic brand like MG a second lease on life. Let’s appreciate that fact.
What happens if your garage has a low roof, will the doors open or foul the roof?
You admit to being 5'8" tall so the open door must be around 8'0" from ground level to edge of door when opened.
It looks nice but totally impractical for me. Age has a lot to do about that but I do remember fond days of driviing Triumph TR4A sports cars. The 3 litre MGC went well too.
The doors are full of sensors (not unlike the a Tesla Model X) so won’t open against anything. They open as far as their perimeter will allow.
You don’t need Lambo doors to soak yourself. The other morning I zipped the windows down and up to clear the rain off them and you guessed it the auto wipers came on and dumped what seamed to be a litre of water on my lap. Lesson learned 😮
I think the scissor doors would prove very useful in a typical car park where everybody is too close.
When you were showing the Porsche at the beginning of the video, I thought at first it was the front! then I saw the seats..........
Thanks for this very interesting comparison, insightful with all the feels around the cars, not just specs.
I'm myself very keen into EV and had the chance to test drive the Cyberster just recently. It was inspiring indeed for a new sensation, as you mention it in the closing statement.
But coming from a drivers perspective, I felt a bit left down with the (please excuse eventual exaggeration) very effective but sheet metal feel of the suspension, as maybe known from Fords, the precise but numb steering, the lack of hold from the seats and the unprecise softness of the rather long running break pedals, which really makes you feel the weight of the car.
Then I was wondering, whether the price tag is justified, given the lack of credibility of the "new MG" brand in the market, combined with stories of customers being ignored completely by MG?
The problem wth both of these cars is they are literally too fast.I looked at porshes etc earlier this year.I ended up with a manual 2024 MX5.Its a fun car and I can wring its neck......
Point well made, and your choice of the MX-5 was absolutely spot on! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
Maybe a more ‘ like for like ‘ comparison would be to compare the MG with the Porsche 4.0 GTS with the wonderful PDK transmission .This gives a 0-60 of 4 seconds .
Seem MG on road today, lovely car .
that makes no sense as 4.0 GTS costs almost £80k bone stock or over £100k with similar specs and techs.
nah. we own an mg4 xpower alongside other performance cars. i suspect it would appeal to a particular type of car enthusiast.....but not one i would recognise.
You didn’t mention if the MG, like most Chinese/ Asian made cars these days, comes with V2L, V2X, V2G ability.
I'll wait for the GT. I Die for real Coupe's. Love Caymans over boxter too.
Loved the conclusion explanation anolagy with EV bikes. I constantly have to explain this, riding my Livewire. You're more into the road and lines. Input and output speeds than in ice Bikes. They distract with the gears and torque steering.
Nice bike you have.
To be honest I am not taken with either. The Porsche is a very good analogue car but the button heavy interior is looking a bit dated and I guess the tech is also lagging behind. As with all Porsches the sticker price bears no relation to what you have to spend to add the essentials to a basic specification. £60k is an awful lot for a 40,000 mile reasonably spec’d 6 cylinder model. This will not be cheap to run even with just routine servicing. The Cyberster is too wide and flabby to be a sports car and yet I don’t think it quite makes it as a GT. The tech is obviously a bit laggy, the doors seem a bit gimmicky and the low header rail in relation to the seats is really a design defect. If I wanted a sports car I would either opt for a more basic 718 (probably used) and live with the 4 pot engine - but greater economy - or go for a Mazda MX 5 which look superb value.
If you want to compare 2nd hand cars, do both as 2nd hand in a few years time. A 2 year old 2nd hand Cybster will still be a lot cheaper than a 2nd hand Porche
Bearing in mind that MG as a brand have proven to be the most unreliable BEVs in the UK marketplace, I'm extremely reluctant to pay twice as much for an MG. Especially as the software and driver interfaces are slow, laggy and don't respond.
I believe the residual values will be dreadful. As such I'm not even going to look at a Cyberster for two years.
I couldn't buy one because it's not an MG - MG died a long time ago and for me this should be called a SAIC, at least then people could judge it for what it is.
With that logic, Porsche, Audi, Bugatti and Lamborghini should be called VW, and Rolls Royce and Mini should be called BMW
MG is going to lose so many sales to the beeping, assuming that happens on a test drive. Got to address that quickly. Our BMW i4 introduces a mild steering wheel shake if it sees you're driving on the white line (ie not centered in your lane). It's a useful reminder that simulates rumble strips, without being infuriating.
Great idea for a comparison. Probably time to retire "tickle your pickle", which online dictionaries describe as vulgar slang.
I bought a non-running '74 MGB at age 21 and restored it myself, learning to rebuild the motor myself, do bodywork, paint, even upholstery. That led to a pair of Spits later. If you don't have kids, a roadster isn't an indulgence. It's slightly compromised transportation with some upsides. Maybe a pricy sports car is an indulgence if you have it as a weekend car. Frankly, modern cars (including EVs) aren't sustainable under zero emissions scenario, so if the car is to survive at all, it need to simplify and shrink dramatically. I know EV enthusiasts will argue that point, but the truth is, EVs only appear sustainable compared to ICE. In the larger view of all that we need to do to get emissions to zero, cars will be extinct, and sooner than you think. The irony is, the larger we build them today with big batteries for less compromise, the faster we get to that global collapse where car manufacturing dies out and we're riding public rail and using e-bikes and micromobility. Pro-tip: shift your car passion to e-bikes and even faster tadpole recumbent e-trikes if you don't want to be the angry old man shouting at the liberals for taking away your toys.
I've long been disappointed in the MG-in-name-only for many years and was excited to see the return of an MG convertible 2 seater. This thing's too bling, too big, and too costly to say it's a roadster, but it looks like they did a pretty good job at their first effort. Maybe the MkII will use standard door, go on a diet, and shrink a bit.
Those MG taillights and actually the whole rear end is hideous. Won’t age well.
The MG doors are silly. Won’t work in confined garages despite the sensors.
Depreciation disaster.
That Boxster is a much better sports car.
I’d agree about the rear end treatment, it looks OK on the squarer Polestar not good on the Cyberster compounded by the silly arrows. Don’t mind the doors but a cheaper, smaller, more sport/less GT ‘Midget’ version with regular doors would appeal to more buyers. A depreciation opportunity for the used buyer and even the Porsche’s going to hurt after a couple of years if you buy a new one!
Never noticed how distracting that second hand is on the chrono clock on the Porsche. I need a moving second hand in my line of sight like a Cyberster needs a fuel filler door. Some retro features like a miniature analog clock are less useful to a driver needing to keep their attention on the road. Funny how many folks will spec that clock because it's cool.
BTW, one test for dementia/cognitive decline involves drawing and reading clock faces. That's important because though it's a skill we pride ourselves in having learned at a young age, there are multiple spatial geometric analyses used to do so. In other words, it requires attention, and perhaps more so with a pesky second hand traveling as you scan for the big hand and the possibly partially obscured little hand. Sound pedantic? Read the science.
You reference the MG heritage perhaps a little to much, this is a Chinese EV like any other, MG has been dead for decades, cars not just sports cars need to be an emotive experience for me, not a mobile white goods. In todays Geopolitics I know who’s economy I will support and it won’t be MG. Is it a good EV , it’s interesting to look at. But I commend you for trying to make the comparison and each to their own. Will the EV sell well in China I am sure it will. ❤
😂so used to seeing a EV have a frunk and but this time only the ice has one, so confused.
I was surprised it didn’t have something at least!
I think the MG doesn't have a Frunk to allow for the front motor in the 4WD model. Agree though a Frunk should be a std feature in any EV - even a front drive / front motor model. Our Kona EV doesn't have one however, remove the plastic cladding on top of the motor & there's enough space for an aftermarket frunk or even a home made crate to fit in there.
Even if the frunk was so small and shallow that it was only big enough to hold the charging stuff that would have been very useful so that that stuff didn't need to clutter up the boot and you didn't need to pack around it.
Having said that, the MG has a very nice boot and from the look of it the space behind the seats shouldn't be underestimated. I tend to travel light and I suspect I could do a long weekend trip with a pair of weekend bags behind the seats without even needing to put anything in the boot.
You’re comparing looks of a Boxster, that was styled over 8 years ago.
But that’s the point, as that is the choice. And if you follow the new v’s used thought, this is the style of Boxster that you’d be looking at. I can’t compare it to one from the future……
Interesting commentary about MG throttle feeling like ICE. That's certainly retro. ICE cars lack power at lower revs, so we depress the throttle and wish for that power to arrive, but it does so in a ramp. A slow, crappy ramp. True a lifetime of driving ICE makes you anticipate that ramp, that lack of instantaneous power, but it's not necessarily a feature, more an inherent never conquered bug. Does that mean that EVs with their instantaneous torque delivery and copious power no matter your current speed, are too sensitive to pedal depression? I'd say no. If it feels that way, then you're either too used to ICE, or you more likely, you have too much power in the drivetrain which is most certainly the case with all Teslas that weren't spec'd as sports cars. The right way to bring back throttle lag, is to downsize electric motors and make you wait for the drama, not incapacitate how the motor controller ramps the oversized power, IMHO. Eitherwise you're just strapping a governor to a muscle car.
How can we call the MG a "legacy"? The brand was bought, nothing else remains. Just the name.
You can see that they took inspiration of the old MGs when they designed this car. Many brands were sold in the last years. And even European carmakers produce in China.
On 25 minutes of vid now...had 6(!!!) commercial brakes already!! Sorry AutoEV thsts a deal breaker for me watching your channel.
We don’t set the ads unfortunately. But I admit, that’s a huge amount. I’ll look into that, so thank you for raising it.
Think I got about 6 in the whole hour at approximately 30 seconds each.
Probably depends on location (I'm in Australia)
You tube do want you pay !
Every reviewer who comments on the seat height apparently is unaware the seat height is adjustable. Perhaps its not at it lowest position when they start talking about sitting on batteries. In its lowest position (set by the electronic seat adjustment) could possibly provide more suitable head room.
I have watched many reviews of this car including Jacks one, nobody has in fact clarified the 'absolute' lowest seat setting, and what was the setting while reviewing?. At this stage I can only assume the seats were at their lowest setting.
I set my seat at the lowest can comfortably make it for driving. I don’t like sitting “on” cars, so in the case of the Cyberster, it was on it lowest setting that it could go. Like I said, it’s fine for me, but I appreciate there are people taller than me, hence why I mentioned it.
@@AutoEV And you neglected to mention the variable seat setting and you had it in the lowest setting. Gives a rather incomplete comment.
@@TerryHickey-xt4mfAgreed. Not 1 of the dozens of reviews have referenced where the seat was set or if they even knew it was adjustable. I have the Cyberster GT. I'm a modest 5'7" hence I cannot comment on height position for taller folks. But in the lowest position with reasonable recline I am deep into the seat with difficulty seeing the front of the hood and it seems in that position I have rather copious headroom. In reality I keep the seat about midway and I'm smack in the middle of the screen. My buddy who is 6'1" and put the seat in the lowest setting and offered up no complaints with his view out the screen or headroom and did so with a bit more reclining (which on first effort is insufficient). The seat can be reclined further than people think by moving the seat forward and setting the recline to preference. Then back the seat up for leg length while holding the recline setting and the seat can be low and reclined making it more suitable for tallish drivers. I'm not saying all tall people will be comfortable but the settings are more flexible than is understood by the reviewers, as not 1 mentions their efforts in adjusting the seat.
Hold the button for long there is a beyond limit recline. Not sure the base tilts though
I’ll save you all a hour and 2 min .
Answer :Porsche .
Yep ....... SAIC thingy not even close ...... I'll stick with my 718 thank you and enjoy scything through the twisties.
Totally beautiful
The Porsche, the MG or the presenter
@richardcobern6287 the cyberster and the presenter
Comparing a Chinese toaster with a Boxster 😂
One more for the algorithm....🎉
Thank you.
as much as i like the mg after 3 years of ownership the mg wiill be worth
peanuts , if you were buying the mg 3 year old , well that would be a nice buy ,
i like electric and after 28 ice cars its i nice change , i bought skoda enyaq coupe vrs ,
would i have bought the skoda for 55k + no , after less than 6 months old with less
than 3k miles for 35 k , yes please , had for 4 months an so far spent £ 70 at octopus
and its been faultless .............
Mg it good ev car
The journalist is biased (apart from the fact that he's always driven ICE cars and has been conditioned to the NOISE of an ICE accelerating) the electric MG will have the SAME if not, better handling. It's immediate - Only you don't have the deep throaty sound of a flat six to accompany it.
What I'm saying is that a young journalist who has only ever driven EV's will feel VERY differently. The Boxster will feel heavy and clunky and slow).
Erm, how do you figure out I'm biased? I've been driving EVs for 5 years now, which is as long as AutoEV has been running as a RUclips channel. I have both electric and combustion engine cars on my drive. I just like cars, irrespective of how they are powered. You are allowed to like and see the benefits of both. And handling has nothing to do with how a car is powered, but how its chassis is set up, and I am sorry, the MG doesn't handle as well as the Boxster. The Porsche will always have an advantage through lighter weight, therefore less weight transference, and better positioning o that weight. And that is before we discuss springs, dampers, centre of gravity, tyres, distribution of the weight. You can't just say the MG will handle the same as it's an entirely different car. Any motoring journalist (irrespective of age) who understands how to evaluate a car they are reviewing, will understand that. It's hard to suggest that the 718 feels heavy, clunky and slow when it it is lighter, has better weight distribution and I more powerful than the Cyberster.
I'm sorry, but I find your remark a very odd thing to say, and very (factually) incorrect on many levels. And please also remember we are an EV channel.
SAIC bought the MG "badge " in 2007 .
It's not the same company, they are not made in the UK, they can't claim the 100 year history.
Tata bought Land Rover and Jaguar and make a lot of those models overseas. Does that mean Land Rover doesn’t have a heritage? BMW bought Rolls Royce and don’t make them in Crewe, or with the old V8 anymore. Is the Phantom less of a Rolls Royce? MG have an engineering base in Longbridge and its design department is in London. Why can’t it keep its heritage? The company has had many different owners over the years (as has many brands), but does that mean it loses what has gone before?
@@AutoEV Some people are simply stuck in time.
So at least Chinese are able to build motors you can rely on unlike British companies. It is fine that they break with that tradition.
An interesting video but a better comparison bearing in mind the prices wise might be the cheapest possible Porsche against the top spec Cyberster.
MG is way too heavy. Inertia is a b.....
Too many buttons for unnecessary features. Can’t anyone make a simple drivers car without all the tech nonsense ?
1:01:04 ...but a Porsche Boxster Electric will set you back by at least 100k€ well equipped which is almost double the price of an MG. Yes, it will be better in many ways but boy, 50k€ plus the profit it can generate invested in an asset like BTC is quite something! And then, the MG is still a fantastic car...
In the future, pure badge snobbery will be harder to reconcile, Porsche are great vehicles, but new young byers are entering the market place with different objectives. It will be interesting to see how the next 10 years unfold.
The looks of the MG are exactly what I would expect if a Chinese company copied the Porsche. I would still take the Porsche everyday 🤔
The MG design team is in the UK
If you had a base Cyberster why didn’t you compare it to a base Boxster? MSRP would have been closer and you would be comparing new to new not trying to make your argument on buying a used Boxster GTS.
Because Porsche GB don’t have a basic Boxster on their press fleet.
@ then why not compare the Boxster GTS to the top level equivalent MG not the Trophy Edition? You’d be making more of an apples to apples comparison. I don’t think you ever even mentioned the base Boxster as a cheaper alternative to the more expensive GTS when searching for other comparable models to the Trophy. Nice review but one or the other of the two cars should have been switched to make it a fairer price comparison.
And MG could only provide us with the Trophy for the dates we had. I do get what you are saying, but we can only get certain cars at certain times and even then, on my if they are in the press fleet.
I don't see MG as a legacy motor manufacturer, they are Chinese made cars with MG badges on them.
So do you see Volvo as a legacy manufacturer? Or MINI?
Same as Volvo and Lotus, they may be made outside of China but they are under Chinese ownership, and so are dozens of other manufacturers, even Daimler and VW have Chinese money funding them, M Benz are now going to be using Chinese engines.
Give it 10 years and a lot more legacy manufacturers will be under communist control.
The one thing they are good at now is vehicle manufacturing, the last couple of years have really really improved the quality.
@@AutoEVwell, they both have continuous design, engineering and manufacturing heritage despite changes of ownership.
So what? Even Mercedes is partially owned by Geely these days.
I would not buy this car, those useless doors and the silly lights? Schoolboy designed, front is great.
Let’s be real, that rear end of the MG is pretty ugly.
Its easy! Porsche won´t be here at all as a make!
As a Brit MG owner, I would never buy a Chinese badge MG
Hopefully MG will correct the safety systems with an OTA update like Smart did with my #1 All the settings that default when you turn the car off can now be set into memory and activated with a simple swipe down and click. Huge improvement.❤
You can also swipe down on the screen on the Cyberster for shortcuts to turn safety systems off. It's very easy
@ the difference is one swipe & click alters all the defaults like Lane keep assist, lane change assist, lane departure warning, speed limit reminder, brake regen level, driving mode etc.
EVs are a bag of shite that nobody wants
Except the best selling car in the world today is electric. But yeah, you're probably right......
The problem with the mg is it will have absolutely no value in 7/8 years time as the battery will need replacing, costing the price of the car. And that’s the whole issue with all electric cars, they have no long term value but cost an awful lot!
Lots of electric cars that are over ten years old with hundreds of thousands of miles on them on original batteries. Many ICE cars need new engines, and they aren’t cheap. This is a very tired viewpoint that isn’t really true I’m afraid,
Oh, and the battery is guaranteed for 8 years anyway, and the warranty for the rest of the car is 7 years.
@ yes 8 years just when the battery dies, car manufacturers aren’t stupid.
@@AutoEV deluded! The second hand market in electric cars will never happen like it has with normally aspirated cars. The battery lasts nowhere near as long as a petrol or diesel engine as well you know.
Yet, you've failed to take my earlier point. Many EVs are now well over 10 years old with many high mileages under their belt. Yet still soldier on. If you don't like electric cars, that's fine. But you are trolling the usual rubbish out to make a point that isn't there. Many people like electric cars AND combustion engined car like we do. You don't have to drive one if you don't like it.
The MG is just a really bad copy of the Porsche,I have a 718,I wouldn’t swap for a Chinese rip off .🙄
I don’t see any similarities between the two in terms of layout or style, so I wouldn’t call it a “copy” or a rip off. If that’s the case, then is the Boxster a rip off of the Mazda MX-5? Is that a rip off of a Lotus Elan? Or an MGB?
@ Boxter a rip off of a Mazda...lmao ,I’d keep away from the barmaids apron 😂🤣😂
But you are suggesting that the Cyberster is a Boxster rip-off? What a strange viewpoint.
@ Not as strange as comparing a Porsche,to a Mazda.....lmao 😂🤣😂
Naaaaaah Chinese that tells us everything ……end of……hate the stupid arrows at the back……and the 90s gull wing doors 🤢🤮