MG Cyberster vs MG HS

What's the difference?

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.

There are a few niggles with the latest MG HS, for example the annoying driver-attention monitoring and expensive maintenance costs. We’ve not had a full sample of its open-road performance yet either, which may prove more telling.

Yet the HS is shaping up to be one of the most successful product updates of recent years, second only to, I don’t know, the MG3? The family SUV is also backed by a 10-year warranty and, despite the drastic improvements, doesn’t cost a whole lot more than before.

The entry-level Vibe is our pick, there's no need to spend more. It features all manner of safety equipment and a quiet drive but with cloth upholstery that doesn't get all sticky and sweaty in the Australian climate.

The end of 2024 is the tipping point where MG goes from cheap and cheerful to a real headache for established players. Perhaps not for the strongest in the segment like the RAV4 and Nissan X-Trail, but the HS is now an easy car to recommend for a family looking for a spacious SUV that drives their dollar further. The hybrid will boost appeal further when it arrives next year.

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

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.

Though the previous HS had shapely bodywork, the wheels sat too far in-board and the rear end looked awkward. It’s not the same story with the new model which is designed as a family SUV first, rather than a converted hatchback platform.

Part of the improved looks are better proportions. The new HS is 81mm longer, 14mm wider and rides on a 45mm longer wheelbase yet sits 21mm lower for a sleeker appearance.

The front end takes cues from the new MG3 and ZS design language with a broad grille and thin LED headlights. At the back, MG’s design team references the UK’s capital with ‘Shard’ lighting signatures that also appear in the alloy wheels.

It is still fairly anonymous, though perhaps that comes from a lack of familiarity with the brand. The painted wheel arch cladding and metallic-only paint give it a premium boost.

The biggest improvement is inside, where the HS takes plenty of inspiration from the excellent MG4 electric car with the hexagonal steering wheel (though here with perforated leather finishing), high-set controls and confident lines. It’s a welcome, modern change after the old car’s bloated cabin design.

There are soft-touch rubbery materials in all sorts of prominent places, including on the dash top, front and rear door cards as well as where the driver’s knees rest on the doors and transmission tunnel.

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.

There is nothing especially ground-breaking about the MG HS’s front cabin. The cupholders are medium-sized and the door bins have enough storage for a one-litre bottle, so this is no Skoda Karoq when it comes to clever cabin solutions.

Telling a tale of the HS’s Roewe RX5 base car’s earlier 2022 launch (and the staggering development speed of personal technology) the lack of USB-C charging ports is now frustrating with all USB ports regular old-school items. Apple CarPlay or Android Auto phone mirroring requires a cabled connection.

The centre multimedia screen is high resolution with day selectable light and dark modes. It was a little laggy to use MG’s software, however, especially when swiping across menu screens. 

There are four hard shortcut buttons beneath it that can jump to the home screen, activate the HS’s front and rear demister and turn the ventilation on and off.

To adjust the temperature you need to go into the touchscreen, though there is a persistent shortcut on the main menu.

A 12.3-inch digital cluster has several selectable info displays and can show navigation mapping and directions in Excite and Essence trims. 

The seats are comfortable and supportive and it's easy to find a good driving position thanks to power-adjust driver's seat and tilting/telescoping wheel adjustment. The front passenger does not get height adjust, though, and is set too high.

Where the extra size pays dividends is in the back seat which has ample room for passengers beyond 185cm, especially when it comes to leg space. The fold-out armrest is sturdy, too, with twin cupholders. Rear air vents are fitted to only the top-spec Essence.

For baby capsules or child seats the HS has ISOFIX anchors fitted to all three rear seats matched with a trio of top tether points.

The MG HS’s boot is about average for the class measuring 507 litres. It grows to 1484L with the 60:40 backrest folded. For reference, class leaders include the Toyota RAV4 (580L), Nissan X-Trail (585L) and Volkswagen Tiguan (up to 615L with rear seats slid forward). 

There are few amenities, with no 12-volt socket, only one (dim) boot light and no shopping bag hooks. The carpet isn’t bargain basement and the luggage cover is sturdy with additional separated storage compartments below the floor and netted cubbies off to the side. 

MG has also been smart in packaging a space saver spare tyre beneath the boot floor (and a cumbersome Styrofoam piece).

Shock horror, the new HS is 10 per cent more expensive than before… but that still makes it $33,990, drive-away, for the basic Vibe — easily undercutting established rivals from Honda, Mazda, Toyota and others. 

You get a lot for that extra $4000, too, right down to basic presentation. There’s no fridge-like solid white paint with all six hues either metallic or pearlescent for no extra cost. MG even offers the upper trims with the option of an eye-catching tan upholstery colour. 

The three-strong trim line-up starts with the Vibe: dusk-sensing LED headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, auto wipers, tyre pressure monitoring, a six-speaker sound system, nice cloth upholstery and six-way power adjust driver’s seat are standard.

The Excite sprinkles in 19-inch alloy wheels, perforated synthetic leather upholstery, navigation, fog lights and MG’s 'iSmart' connectivity system for a smart $36,990, drive-away.

The range-topping Essence gains a panoramic sunroof, rear privacy class, a power tailgate, front parking sensors, wireless phone charging, eight-speaker audio, 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat with memory, seat heating, dual-zone climate control, rear air vents and wireless phone charging for $40,990, on-the road. 

The short of it is that, although MG’s prices are up, even the basic Vibe is a more enticing proposition on price than the new Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Urban ($39,990, drive-away) and established Mazda CX-5 Maxx (currently on offer for $37,990, drive-away).

It also is much closer to the popular GWM Haval H6 ($31,990-$37,990, drive-away) — if only MG had brought ventilated seats to the flagship Essence then this mid-sizer would be (almost) sold on paper alone.

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.

The new HS petrol has a 1.5-litre, turbo-petrol, four-cylinder engine that develops 125kW at 5000rpm and 275Nm from 3000-4000rpm, with those outputs up 6.0kW and 25Nm on the old car.

MG claims new engine features, including the variable geometry turbocharger, centre-mount variable valve timing and a lighter dual-mass flywheel, add up to a 30 per cent improvement in engine response.

More importantly, the insulation is excellent. You barely hear any unpleasant engine noises out on the road and although the four cylinder’s tone isn’t sexy at full-throttle, it is warm and pleasant enough.

The HS petrol is front-wheel drive only which may rule it out for some buyers, but there is a saving grace. The new seven-speed type dual-clutch transmission behaved itself impeccably on a brief first encounter taking in awkward hill starts and reverse manoeuvres. It’s a huge improvement over prior efforts and more refined than even a Hyundai or Kia dual-clutch.

MG claims a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 9.6 seconds, which is about right for entry-level versions of the HS’s typical rivals.

MG no longer offers a more powerful 2.0-litre turbo but a plug-in hybrid with a punchy 223kW and an all-new full-hybrid option will join the line-up in the first quarter of 2025, details of which are yet to be confirmed.

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.

In the ADR combined (urban-extra urban) fuel efficiency cycle, the MG HS petrol is rated at 6.9L/100km, emitting 156 grams of CO2 per kilometre in the process. A 55-litre fuel tank gives the HS a theoretical driving range of around 800km.

We weren’t able to get a true read on the fuel consumption but the trip computer showed 8.1L/100km after an hour-long run. It lacks an idle start-stop system and requires 95 RON premium unleaded petrol.

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.

MG’s launch drive program was too brief to really get under the skin of the HS, which is a shame because the initial signs are extremely positive.

Compared to the old ZS, in which a gumnut hitting the roof was loud enough to distract you from your thoughts, the new car is packed with sound deadening for a vastly more premium experience.

The electronic power steering system has a natural ratio (2.6 turns lock-to-lock) and weighting in 'Comfort' and 'Sport' modes, which cannot be said for rivals such as the Chery Tiggo 7 and Haval H6.

This new HS rides nicely, too, with enough compliance from the suspension without sacrificing body control — at least around town. It has struts up from with a multi-link rear end which is not a given, even in this segment.

There were a few sharp-edged bumps that sent a shock through the body but that is to be expected on Sydney's awful roads. The new HS rides about as well as a Mazda CX-5 and believe us, that is a dramatic improvement.

Visibility out the front and sides are good as is the comfortable driving position, however I wasn’t able to move the driver’s side mirror far enough out for my liking. That’s a small blip in an otherwise strong first showing.

The MG HS has not yet been evaluated by an independent safety testing body such as ANCAP or Euro NCAP.

MG has fitted the new HS with seven airbags, including driver and passenger, front side, side curtain and a centre airbag.

The HS has a long list of active safety and driver assistance features, such as front and rear auto emergency braking with junction detection, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control with stop and go and driver-attention monitoring.

I can’t say all the aids are perfect but the adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist systems were less intrusive than those in Chery and Haval products.

The regularly-beeping driver-attention monitoring remains a constant frustration as it does across almost every brand at the moment.

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.

MG has recently moved to a 10-year/250,000km new car warranty in Australia which covers the HS and is the longest non-conditional offer in the market.

GWM/Haval, Kia and SsangYong remain at seven years while Mitsubishi requires you to service the car at a main dealer for its 10-year guarantee.

This long warranty period should help allay concerns for new MG buyers that the brand stands behind its products.

Less impressive is the cost of maintenance, which adds up to $2354 over five years/75,000km with a particularly steep $936 service at the four-year mark. There’s a big $1647 service at 120,000km, too.