Ford E-Transit vs MG Cyberster

What's the difference?

Wow. This is state-of-the-art EV van engineering – complete with sporty handling and an excellent ride – yet it maintains all the usual Transit attributes.

The Tesla of electric vans? Maybe.

The only thing remains is pricing and how the E-Transit Custom behaves and drives on Australian roads… and we’ll have the answer to those by the end of this year.

But as it stands, Ford's European mid-sized van is keeping the innovative spirit of the original alive.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The Cyberster is certainly an impressive thing in a lot of ways, but if you were expecting a perfect sports car from MG, you'll be a bit disappointed. 

It's quite expensive if you're looking for a nice EV, but on the flip side it's quite cheap if being fast is your main concern.

If anything, the Cyberster is an exciting look at what the brand is capable of, even if it's a bit rough around the edges.

It may look like the old Transit Custom but the new one has been completely redesigned and rides on an all-new platform.

It’s more aero efficient and the wheelbase has been stretched with the front wheels pulled forward to liberate more leg and foot room.

The roof remains under 2.1-metres high for easier car park clearance, but there’s more space inside due to a lower floor that’s aided by new side steps. This, along with wider side apertures, make for easier loading and unloading.

The E-Transit’s traction battery is integrated into the lower-floor structure, adding significant rigidity as well as a lower centre of gravity, benefitting dynamics and control, as does the switch to an independent rear suspension set-up that conversely improves packaging.

Key cargo-capacity facts are: 3450mm (maximum load length), 6.8 cubic metres (Standard Roof load volume), 9.0 cubic metres (High Roof load volume, up to 1011kg (payload), 3225kg (Gross Vehicle Mass) and 2300kg (maximum braked towing capacity).

More info pertaining to the Australian-market E-Transit Custom will be revealed later in 2024.

MG reckons the Cyberster draws on the proportions of classic roadsters like its MG A and B from the ‘50s and ‘60s.

And I reckon that’s about where the comparison ends, really.

But don’t get me wrong, I think it’s got some pretty angles and nice elements.

It’s got the long bonnet, but its cabin isn't set so far back and its aerodynamic lines and curves probably weren't a priority back then either.

This is the standard colour, English White, which is more like off-white or cream or beige.

You can have a red roof on the lighter colours, white, silver, and grey, but red and yellow Cybersters have black ones.

The tail-lights at the back were inspired by the union jack, but they’re probably one of the elements on this car I'd put in the ‘tacky’ column.

It isn’t just parcels and packages that benefit from all the engineering advances made in the new-gen Transit Custom.

Big doors open to a new, lower and larger cabin. With the front wheels pushed forward, it’s flatter, with more space for three-abreast seating. And, now, the driver enjoys better cross-cabin access right to the opposite door with fewer obstacles.

To aid entry and egress due to its flat base, the E-Transit Custom scores a “squircle” (squarish) steering wheel. It’s one of the few visual distinctions in an otherwise fairly mundane, though well-made, interior. Material quality is of the hardy but pleasant variety.

Our test van was the optional Sport model as-yet not confirmed for the EV (though it’s coming for the diesel), with darker hues, upholstery stripes and a few more luxury features.

Australian-bound E-Transit Customs will be closer to the European Trend spec, which we factored in strongly when assessing the electrified newcomer.

Both grades sampled included Ford’s optional ‘Mobile Office’ that will be made available in Australia. Among other things, it provides a three-position wheel, from the regular position to roughly 45- and 90-degree angles.

The thinking here is for drivers to respectively either rest a laptop or have an in-situ table – complete with a squircle-shaped tray – tilt all the way forward for meal times. A lockout device prevents vehicle operation in anything but the home position.

Handy, though note that two of the three vans we drove with this feature had a rattly wheel in the normal driving position. Ford promises a fix for production is coming.

Other Mobile Office additions include various mounting points for accessories.

The driving position is 4WD-high, with the vast windscreen and very deep side windows providing panoramic views. Because of the rear bulkhead behind the seats, a camera-fied rear-vision mirror, along with the sizeable exterior mirrors, provide sufficient side/rear vision.

The driver’s seat is supportive and comfy if not that shapely, and it seems more fully padded than the flimsy cushions of the (narrower) centre and passenger seats.

The latter both hinge forward to reveal a massive storage cavity (ideal for charging cables) as well as the load-through hatch as per the previous-gen Transit where fitted.

Speaking of storage, Ford’s engineers have repositioned the passenger front airbag from its traditional dashtop home to above the windscreen header, liberating a second glove box fit for housing laptops.

The dashboard’s 13-inch touchscreen is perfectly sized and driver-angled. It uses Ford’s excellent SYNC 4 multimedia system, is powered by a 5G modem for OTA software updates for around 30 modules, and is functional, fast and intuitive. It also comes with Alexa voice commands.

Ample ventilation, big grab handles, massive door pockets for bottles, additional storage areas including behind the configurable digital instrumentation pod, several cupholders, USB-A and -C outlets near shelving areas for minimal cable entanglements, plenty of LED light sources and an armrest/tray, highlight Ford’s many decades of experience building mid-sized vans.

On the launch drive's smooth German roads, wind and road noise intrusion were impressively subdued for a van (especially so given the quiet e-motor operation compared to the clatter of a diesel), though the large frontal area means at speed you won’t mistake this for a luxury EV.

Still, being roomy yet cosy, practical yet thoughtfully presented and solidly built without feeling cheap, the E-Transit Custom's cabin is right on the money – a secure and inviting workhorse first and foremost.

Keep in mind, too, that the cargo area will likely include Ford’s 'Load Area Protection Kit', bringing a moulded load floor liner and protection for the sides and rear doors. Because, this is a workhorse, after all.

A three-screen dash sounds a little daunting at first, but it’s not that far from the giant screens in some new cars now.

The central 10.25-inch screen is info only, while the flanking 7.0-inch screens are touchscreens, as is the climate control screen in the console.

As much as I’m a fan of physical buttons where possible, this car shows that multiple screens means you don’t need many sub-menus.

Basically, this feels like a lot, but you get used to it relatively quickly.

And while it also seems like MG’s software has become more intuitive and less laggy, the placements of the screens is a little annoying - the side screens on the dash are blocked by the steering wheel, and the central touchscreen is a bit fiddly.

Like I mentioned, no wireless phone mirroring is a let-down and there’s not really an obvious place to put a phone, but the ability to level out the cup holders is kind of interesting and the central storage where the USB-A and C ports are is big enough.

There’s a narrow bit of storage behind the seats, but the boot is actually 249 litres and seems much more usable than you might expect.

It's also worth noting the Cyberster comes with an AC slow charging cable as standard, but not a DC fast-charging cable for plugging in at some charging stations.

The MG Cyberster finds itself here as the only electric convertible sports car on offer, which means it’s hard to compare its $115,000 price tag to any direct rivals.

The Kia EV6 GT and Hyundai Ioniq 5 N are the wrong shape, the Porsche Cayman has the wrong running gear and most other things with doors like this are a lot more expensive.

So what does $115,000, before on-road costs, get you?

It’s only available in one variant, with pretty much the only cost-option being paint colours.

Aside from the scissor doors, there’s the electric folding roof, triple-screen cockpit with another centre panel, an eight-speaker Bose sound system, heated electric seats and steering wheel, and ambient lighting.

The exterior lights are all automatic intelligent LEDs, and you can open the doors with the key fob.

It is, however, missing a couple of things.

No phone charger might be down to space, but no wireless phone mirroring is a bit annoying, and the manual steering wheel adjustment feels a little cheap in a six-figure EV.

Mated to a large battery pack sharing tech with the Ford F-150 Lightning truck, the E-Transit Custom's single, front-mounted electric motor delivers 160kW of power and 415Nm of torque to the rear wheels via a single-speed auto.

As usual, 'Eco', 'Normal' and 'Sport' modes are included to suit the driver’s mood.

One of the reasons Australia won't bother with the 100kW version is its electronically-limited 117km/h top speed; the 160kW can manage all of 133km/h.

Keeping all that performance in check are a strut/leaf spring arrangement up front and a semi-trailing arm independent rear suspension borrowed from its larger sibling.

Full technical specifications will be revealed closer to the E-Transit Custom’s local launch at the end of this year.

Okay, here’s where the Cyberster gets impressive.

Its dual-motor set-up combines a 150kW front motor and a 250kW rear motor for a total of 375kW.

Peak torque is a hefty 725Nm.

All that is enough to get you and two tonnes of MG from zero to 100km/h in 3.2 seconds.

Sure it tops out at 208km/h, but the rush of hitting highway speeds is already enough to put your licence at risk.

Ford's official energy consumption figure for the E-Transit Custom is 21.8kWh/100km and the trip computer in our Sport grade test vehicle read 21.6kWh/100km, which is about on the money for this size of van.

With the 64kWh Nickel Cobalt Manganese battery pack that’s 'shrink-wrapped' low down under the load area to help achieve that low floor, the WLTP range figure is 308km for the 160kW (and 337km for the 100kW E-Transit Custom Australia is likely to miss out on).

Ford reckons these numbers are roughly four times the average-daily mileage for van drivers in Europe.

Brake-by-wire regenerative-braking tech allows for one-pedal braking, which in turn helps recharge the battery pack. If you lash out for a big 11kW Wallbox accessory, the standard 11kW AC on-board charge allows a full overnight top-up.

As the E-Transit has a 124kW DC fast-charge capacity, a high-capacity station can replenish the battery from 10-80 per cent full in under 45 minutes.

The MG Cyberster has a 77kWh battery and a claimed efficiency of 19.1kWh/100km.

While that means its claimed driving range of 443km relies on a bit of energy to be recuperated from braking, something you don’t really get on the highway, it actually works in the car’s favour during dynamic driving.

After 264km of driving on a test loop that included some urban but mostly highway and rural driving, the Cyberster’s trip computer displayed a 19.4kWh/100km average consumption.

The battery sat at 27 per cent, with 108km estimated range remaining.

While 443km of total range seems optimistic for a car that’s likely to be driven relatively quickly a lot of the time, the efficiency of the Cyberster held up better than you might have expected.

For every one of its four generations since 1965, the Transit has set the pace for driveability, as if Ford of Europe was determined to stamp its dynamic authority in the commercial vehicle space.

The original broke the van mould by being far more car-like than any that came before, offering the availability of a powerful engine, responsive steering and safe handling.

That the E-Transit Custom maintains the philosophy is no surprise; that it ended up being so fresh and rewarding to drive – albeit on German roads carefully chosen by Ford – should be a warning for rivals to raise their standards.

Let’s start with the lofty yet cocooning driver environment, which immediately sets you at ease and in the mood. Nothing awkward or uncomfortable to report here.

Shift the natty little column wand into D, and the instant throttle response of a good EV seems slightly too good to be true in what is a boxy workhorse. Acceleration is urgent yet smooth, humming away as the speed builds in a big yet measured way.

That’s all good and well, but given the sheer mass of this mid-sized van, the second big test is how measured and controlled the handling is, especially at speed.

Again, there’s ample feel from the squircle wheel, as the E-Transit tips crisply into corners, glides through fast curves and generally maintains its composure when turning up the pace.

Credit, no doubt, to the new trailing link independent rear suspension system, which must take a lot of the credit in making the Ford van handle so confidently.

It also does a great job absorbing bumps and isolating the occupants from the road surface underneath.

We tried the standard Trend-spec 15-inch wheeled version, as well as the 17-inch Sport version, which does have a slightly firmer edge, but then seems ever keener through corners.

One of the E-Transit Custom’s true achievements is that – with no diesel engine to drown other noises out – the lack of wind, road and tyre noise intrusion is just so relaxing. Its refinement and ability to combat fatigue augers well for EV van drivers of the future.

Again, keep in mind that we’re on slick Euro roads in specially-prepared launch vehicles, equipped with ballast in the back to emulate a load (and hunker down the rear).

Ultimately, the true test will come when behind the wheel of the E-Transit in Australia. But, our first drive revealed what is surely the most modern and enjoyable van we’ve yet to experience: fast, fun, secure and comfortable.

There’s good news and bad news about the Cyberster from behind the wheel.

The good news is it’s quite easy to drive this thing very fast. 

The bad news is it feels like it would be quite easy to get sick of as a day-to-day car, depending on your situation.

The first thing I noticed is the seat feels a bit high, even at its lowest setting. That's likely due to the placement of the battery pack under the floor of of the car.

Following that, if you’re taller than me (I'm five foot 11), it feels like the wrong road surface will have you nudging your head into the roof liner.

That mechanical roof should take about 15 seconds to lower or raise, and that can be done at speeds up to 50km/h.

It could be a symptom of trying to keep 1985kg tied down, but some of Melbourne's highways and arterial roads between 70 and 100km/h had the Cyberster bobbing quite a bit.

But the suspension doesn't let individual bumps intrude too much into the cabin, so it’s not all bad.

Similarly, there’s good and bad when it comes to the steering and braking.

The first being that the steering seems pretty accurate, even though the feedback is a bit numb. 

The braking on the other hand is handled by some pretty capable Brembos up front that pull the heavy roadster up quickly, but don’t always clamp as hard as you might expect when approaching a traffic light at 60km/h.

But stopping’s one thing, and going’s another.

There are three main drive modes, Comfort, Sport, and Super Sport, which mainly alter the acceleration intensity. And they feel well calibrated.

Comfort keeps things calm and cruisy, Sport is plenty for the road, and Super Sport has the potential to draw the attention of the authorities.

There’s good adjustability when it comes to regen braking, and even a decent single-pedal driving mode.

Aside from a couple of particularly heinous roads, the Cyberster held mostly flat when cornering at high speeds, but the potential for its suspension to let its wheels lose their footing might - or should - stop you from pushing the MG too hard.

At high speeds, there’s a bit of wind noise that you really can’t complain about if you’ve just purchased a drop-top, but the noise, vibration and harshness is decent, all things considered.

My only gripe with the interior fit out is that the passenger seat wobbles a little, and rattles on the surface behind it before moving it forward.

It’s impressive what this car can do in terms of performance, it’s just a shame it’s not more playful.

The Cyberster hasn’t been tested by ANCAP but as a niche sports car, it may never get tested.

The good news is it rides on the same platform as the MG4, which has five stars.

It’s got frontal and side airbags, plus all the usual new-car tech like adaptive cruise, lane-keep assist, blind spot warnings, collision warnings and avoidance, and speed limit warnings.

The Cyberster’s active safety is actually mercifully restrained, giving a couple of relatively quiet dings when exceeding the limit before you turn it off, letting you do the steering even when lane-keep is on, and in my case, only giving me a driver attention alert when I yawned while at a red light.

As with all Fords, a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty with (a conditional) seven years of roadside assistance is anticipated. All high-voltage components including the battery are subject to an eight-year/160,000km warranty.

With dramatically fewer moving parts, Ford reckons operating costs can be reduced by up to 40 per cent compared to the diesel-powered Transit Custom equivalent with service intervals likely to match its big EV bro’s at 12 months/30,000km.

The time-saving convenience this brings is one way Ford reckons helps to justify the circa-30 per cent premium the EV commands.

Note, though, that these figures are based on European data and may take in regional EV subsidies and incentives not available in Australia.

Expect capped-price servicing to be another incentive.

All that info and more will drop closer to the EV’s launch closer to the end of this year.

MG has a 10-year/250,000km warranty that’s pretty impressive by industry standards, and the warranty also covers its EVs.

It’s important to note that the convertible roof is one of a few items (including 12-volt batteries and light bulbs) that MG covers for less than 10 years. In the case of the roof it’s only five.

It’s worth closely reading the fine print before you crack into buying a car, regardless.

There are also ten capped-price services which occur every 12 months or 25,000km, ranging from $246 to $785. The average price per service is $503.40.

MG also offers free roadside assist for the period of the warranty.