Pre-purchase questions

1. With an app like abetterrouteplanner.com you can plan and see how much charging is needed. The Cyberster is not in the list, but consumption of 'MG4 Extended Range - Luxury: heatpump' has similar range and consumption. In France on the highway all gas stations have fast charging infrastructure. Germany has plenty of fast charging infrastructure as well, indicated on the highway. Italy a bit less, look at abrp or chargemap. But there's electricity everywhere Best take 1 or 2 EV charging cards like 'chargemap' or 'e-motion', so you don't have to fiddle with a credit card or specific charging app. Tesla Superchargers also work, there you need the app and a credit card attached. The older Tesla stalls have a cable which is too short unless you take up 3 spots. But most locations have newer chargers with long enough cables.
2. Range mostly depends on outside temperature and speed (the slower you drive the less air resistance and the more range).
3. I've not done that on a very long trip, but with maximum regeneration in comfort mode, it will not matter that much, probably.
4. No idea.
5. I was very happy with the build quality. Much, much better than Tesla.
6. I use Android Auto but with a wireless dongle, so I don't need to plug it in. Yes, I need to move my head sometimes to see part of the screen, but I don't find it a big inconvenience.
The MG Pilot is very handy on the highway and doesn't have the annoying quirks of the Telsa 'autopilot' system.
It's very much a touring car, with a very good heating system and seat/steering wheel heating - I drive it open top in winter and love it

..... and it is not a little bit bigger than the MX5, but much much bigger. I have a MX ND since almost 10 years, so I know what you are talking about size and space.

Quality is high. Have it 7 months now. No issue at all. Just had the 1st service and all o.k.. No rattling noise like in the MX5.

Thanks both. Putting some of the routes I did last year in my MX-5 into A Better Route Planner shows a surprising amount of stops. Despite the MX-5's teeny fuel tank I would generally just stop once, twice at most when heading south through France.

My wife has an EV (Fiat 500e) but we only use it for short daily drives for a few reasons - the range is low (160 miles at most) and UK motorway charging is laughably terrible. The few times we've tried it there have been between 2 and 4 50kw Gridserve chargers, only 2 of which are CCS, and they'll invariably not work, or be occupied already.

What's the situation like with chargers in France? Is it a better? Or would I be pulling into a service station on an autoroute to be greeted by a similarly poor set-up?

I waiting for it to go below 50k then when the right spec appears im game. Considering Yellow or Red. I thought id like grey but not sure anymore. Lots of grey cars, with grey weather days. They do look good in the evening. Lol. I can wrap it if i want a colour change to something unique or non oem. And as one of the ppl said on Facebook. "When you get yours you can mod it how you like as you're very picky and all talk". .

Definitely want to do something with the rear lights. The reason not to go for petrol car right now is costs and maintenance when stuff goes wrong. Plus having a charger at home is nice.

Lead time on a New Cyberster is 3 months in UK. There are new ones in stock around the country. Why wait. Then again hasnt been test driven extensively by dealer staff if you order

The other thing that you might find is different is the weight of the Cyberster, compared to an MX- 5 or an Elise. Potentially twice the mass to be shifted in the bends.

1) Until a few days ago, I had the idea to always use the Tesla chargers when possible, as I have been doing for over 10 years. Not all superchargers are open to other brands though, be aware.. But honestly with what happens in the world today, I can not be that person anymore that advises anyone to give money to that company.
2) Range is always overrated. I hardly ever charge over 65% when I'm on a long trip. Fast charging and a good charging curve is key. The Cyberster unfortunately is not the best at this.

Cyberster charging curve

I pretty much agree with everything @internet says but with the addition of having an Electroverse card / account which is particularly useful off motorways I find (ie in cities and towns, overnight or tourism stops).
I agree with @m0rph that Mr Musk’s antics throw something of a “short-circuit into the works” and an ethical dilemma since as an ex-Tesla owner I experienced the Supercharger network as probably the most extensive, cheapest, most reliable and faff-free and is “open” to all CCS EVs across most of mainland Europe.
I’ve only done one euro trip in the Cyberster so far through Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and France (in cold December) and had no charging or range issues.
We also got quite a lot of shopping (mainly bottles) in the boot and behind seats as well as our good size suitcase and cold weather coats etc - so didn’t feel too constrained in space.
NB Portugal has taken a more national control of charging infrastructure and you might need a special card there (Miio), south-west Spain we found a bit sparse on charge points.
This year we plan to drive the Ireland Wild Atlantic Way and later on down to Slovenia and we aren’t too worried re charging opportunities.

Anon70 said:

The other thing that you might find is different is the weight of the Cyberster, compared to an MX- 5 or an Elise. Potentially twice the mass to be shifted in the bends.

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The competition of the Cyberster is not the MX5. Cars that have an exemplary reputation for great handling are performance and GT oriented in nature could be the BMW performance cars. The M3 Competition purported to be one of the finest handling cars weighs 3890 lbs. The M5 weighs 5251 lbs. A Mercedes GT63 4295 lbs. Tesla model 3 dual motor long range 4250 lbs. None of these cars get criticized for being overweight and unable to be aggressively tossed into corners and proven in many reviews. The Cyberster weighs 4380 lbs. Not substantially different to other highly praised performance handling aforementioned cars. Assuming the Cyberster wont handle competently due to weight goes against the reality of similar performance and weight ICE cars. The MX5 is not in the same category. I have a Cyberster. And I have a Tesla model 3 dual motor. And previous ICE car was a Mercedes C43. The Cyberster is in the same league as those and handles pretty darn well!

SunriseJak said:

The competition of the Cyberster is not the MX5. Cars that have an exemplary reputation for great handling are performance and GT oriented in nature could be the BMW performance cars. The M3 Competition purported to be one of the finest handling cars weighs 3890 lbs. The M5 weighs 5251 lbs. A Mercedes GT63 4295 lbs. Tesla model 3 dual motor long range 4250 lbs. None of these cars get criticized for being overweight and unable to be aggressively tossed into corners and proven in many reviews. The Cyberster weighs 4380 lbs. Not substantially different to other highly praised performance handling aforementioned cars. Assuming the Cyberster wont handle competently due to weight goes against the reality of similar performance and weight ICE cars. The MX5 is not in the same category. I have a Cyberster. And I have a Tesla model 3 dual motor. And previous ICE car was a Mercedes C43. The Cyberster is in the same league as those and handles pretty darn well!

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Understand all that but the OP history with MX-5's would suggest this as a reference point.

The change from ICE to EV will also mean a completely different engagement experience. If you are into finding the power band in the rev range, juggling 3 pedals and exhaust sounds, that will not be happening in an EV. However, you will be treated to a whole new set of ways to become engaged, instant power (from any speed), being able to enjoy the sounds of the countryside no need to visit a petrol station again.

Anon70 said:

Understand all that but the OP history with MX-5's would suggest this as a reference point.

The change from ICE to EV will also mean a completely different engagement experience. If you are into finding the power band in the rev range, juggling 3 pedals and exhaust sounds, that will not be happening in an EV. However, you will be treated to a whole new set of ways to become engaged, instant power (from any speed), being able to enjoy the sounds of the countryside no need to visit a petrol station again.

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Hi, I understand the general concept surrounding the user experience of a manual ICE car operation vs EV. My comment specifically addressed the notion of weight as mentioned in your statement regarding "twice the mass to be shifted in corners". Many of the Cyberster reviews have confirmed the intention of the Cyberster being a "GT" car and not an all out "sports car" and consider the MX5 to be a fun nimble car but not targeted at the same audience despite both being roadsters. Anyway both MX5 and the Cyberster have admirable characteristics and appeal but different in expectations/experience other than top down motoring.

Just adding my views on weight.

IMO the Cyberster is very close to a Mercedes SL500. Similar size, style and almost exactly the same weight. The SL was no Lotus Elise, but that's why I had the SL and no-one ever mentioned the weight in any road test/reviews etc. But it always comes up when talking EVs.

If I wanted a track car, the Elise would be the better option, but on today's roads any greater on-track performance is all completely irrelevant and small light cars have their downsides on our pothole strewn tracks laughably called roads these days.

The question of weight and drivers reaction to it always intrigues me. I currently have a TVR which weighs a smidgeon over 1 ton. I also have a Jaguar I-Pace which weighs roughly twice that. Most drivers interested in such issues will claim the TVR having the advantage being so light compared to the heavy electric Jag SUV - and they'd be utterly and completely wrong. The TVR is hard work and feels heavy, needing much effort to muscle it around, whereas the I-Pace feels light and nimble and dances along the road.

The reason is simple. The TVR has manual steering and gearbox whereas the Jag has light power steering and of course no gears.

My point is that this light 'feel' so many drivers crave is largely an illusion. No-one drives on the road at the sort of speed where actual lightness makes a difference. If they are, they won't be keeping their licence for long. I very much doubt there's any road in the UK where in the I-Pace I couldn't keep up with e.g. a Lotus Elise. On track would be a different story, but on the road - nah.

I similarly doubt an MX5 could get away from a Cyberster, no matter how much lighter it is.

It's all in the mind. Stop obsessing over weight. It will make no difference to how fast you are.

Fully agree

I was out in my Morgan today given the great weather. The driving experience is very different to my ZS EV.

The Morgan is fast and as a manual rear wheel drive with no traction control takes a lot of focus. 0 to 60 in 5s so it is no slouch.

The ZS is roughly twice the weight and on paper half the bhp but the ev delivers full torque from the get go. The drive experience with no gears is of a rapid car.

The cyberster I suspect will deliver more than you need or can legally use on uk roads. I wouldn't worry about the weight

Lol. You'll soon be able to get simulated manuals. I think Toyota put that on the backburner though. The fact gas pedals are now electronic ruins the whole heel toe movement. Guess old cars will hold value very well. EV offer a different experience in a world where gig economy riders, traffic, speed cameras and nuisances on the road. Having a manual in the city is very frustrating. I dont miss it.

GranTurismoEra said:

Lol. You'll soon be able to get simulated manuals. I think Toyota put that on the backburner though.The fact gas pedals are now electronic ruins the whole heel toe movement

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The Ionic 5 N (I think that's the model) has a fully simulated 'manual' experience with slight interruptions in the power delivery to mimic the gear shifts. Utterly daft idea IMO. Why try to simulate a worse driving experience. Beats me.

Toyota is trying to put the entire world's shift to electric power all on the 'back burner'. After the oil industry, they're the world's second largest lobbyists to halt the change to EVs. Everything they do is simply an attempt to delay the inevitable.

Why "The fact gas pedals are now electronic ruins the whole heel toe movement". Only applicable to manual cars of course and most of those have been Drive-By-Wire for years now with no effect on any heel and toe action you require.

Get an Octopus Electroverse app and Card. As new EV owners our first ever long trip was to De Efteling in the Netherlands. We live near the Humber Bridge and our first charge was at Cambridge Extra services. We then drove to the tunnel - the Engie chargers here were FREE. We then drove towards our destination and just drove for 1 hr - 1.5 hrs till we wanted a stop for food/toilet. Every Motorway service sign told you if they had chargers. All the chargers we encountered were compatible with the Electroverse card. When we arrived our hotel had "community chargers" in the car park for 7kW charging and guess what? were compatible with electroverse. As stated above France is very good charger wise AND MUCH CHEAPER than the UK. We charged up on the way back at a MaccyDs in Calais just off the A16 that was 150kW and 30c, not p, cents a kW. We are getting properly ripped off in the UK..... I think what I am trying to get across is we did no real planning and it all went fine.....1000miles with no issues....

Thanks for the replies, all. I'm still curious what the real world range is however, be that on the twisties or the autoroutes. I'd be going for the cheaper one, the Trophy.

Despite owning multiple MX-5s and an Elise I've always basically treated them like GT cars, in that I'm more interested in owning something which looks nice, is a drop top, and is fairly small. I've never gone for the larger roadsters, Boxsters etc as they're so much more expensive.

The whole petrol vs EV thing as a driver puzzles me - fossil burners make a lot of pointless noise, and they smell disgusting. And petrol costs a fortune. So I have zero attachment to them, I think they belong in a museum, but I do nevertheless have range and charging concerns.

When on long road trips around Europe obviously I never think twice about range even with the MX-5's tiny tank as there are petrol stations everywhere and none of them need an app or a special card I have to get in advance. And I can fill up an MX-5 in a few minutes. So as much as I have no love for petrol, that aspect of it is definitely a thing.

I'm still waiting on the details of my company's salary sacrifice scheme so I haven't even test driven the Cyberster yet, but it's good to know the lay of the land in advance. I'd be driving to the south of France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Germany in it, so I hope the charging networks of Europe are an order of magnitude better than they are in the UK. Honestly, I don't understand why I can't just tap Apple Pay and pay for a charge.

Moroboshi said:

Hi all, the company I work for is starting up an EV leasing scheme so I'm mulling over whether to get a Cyberster or not. I have a lot of history with roadsters, having owned an MX-5 mark 1, an MX-5 mark 3, a Lotus Elise mark 2, and now an MX-5 RF. Honestly I love MX-5s, but despite being of very average size the RF is so tiny it can be difficult to live with at times, especially when my wife and I go on long Euro road trips, which we do every year. It's possible, but it's quite the squeeze.

The Cyberster is a little bigger, but it's still a drop top and a roadster, and I'm more about cruising around mountain passes taking in the view than doing track days.

Anyway, before I've even had a test drive, a few questions are bouncing around inside my head which hopefully someone here can shed some light on.

1 - What is the charging infrastructure like in France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland? Is it a tangled mess of cards, apps, and needless complication? Or is it all just pull up, tap Apple Pay, then charge?

2 - What's real world range/consumption like on the autoroute etc? As in, sitting pegged at 130kph. I'm not so worried about autobahns, I don't see myself siting on those at silly speeds for long.

3 - What's range/consumption like on the twisties and the car is being driven in a more exciting way?

4 - What's the lead time on a new one?

5 - Any issues around reliability or build quality?

6 - Is having Car Play on the side screen as bad as all the reviewers make out? (as in, it's blocked by the wheel/hands etc)

Thanks!

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I can answer 4, 5 and 6. I haven’t taken it to the continent or the mountains yet.

The lead time for mine was about 3 days. It depends on the colour and whether you want the GT. I got mine from Wilson’s in Epsom and they have quite a few in all colours in stock.

No issues around reliability or build quality (yet). I bought mine at the end of last year

The side screen blockage is not a big deal at all. The only thing is that your phone has to be attached with a cable to use CarPlay (not Bluetooth). The native navigation in the MG is pretty good.

Finally, I love mine!

UKenGB said:

The Ionic 5 N (I think that's the model) has a fully simulated 'manual' experience with slight interruptions in the power delivery to mimic the gear shifts. Utterly daft idea IMO. Why try to simulate a worse driving experience. Beats me.

Toyota is trying to put the entire world's shift to electric power all on the 'back burner'. After the oil industry, they're the world's second largest lobbyists to halt the change to EVs. Everything they do is simply an attempt to delay the inevitable.

Why "The fact gas pedals are now electronic ruins the whole heel toe movement". Only applicable to manual cars of course and most of those have been Drive-By-Wire for years now with no effect on any heel and toe action you require.

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Thats mimicking an automatic sports car. The electronic gas pedal if mapped poorly like it is in the Nissan 370 has a delay in input. Assuming its like that many other cars. Whereas older cars dont have this issue. Depends on the car.

Hats of to Toyota. Attempting to bring back the LFA, MR2 and Celica. 10.9 million cars per year is no small feat. I have a feeling China soon will be taking number 2 and 3 spots in a few years. Starting with BYD.

I have Drive-By-Wire cars and Ride-By-Wire bikes. Accelerator/throttle control is instant and would have zero impact on heal and toe shifting, although why you'd be wanting to do that on the road escapes me.

Rapid downshifting on a motorcycle while blipping the throttle to match revs is for sure no worse on RBW bikes - I have examples of both.

That's not to say poor programming cannot be involved in some vehicles though. However, I've not come across that particular issue in any vehicles I've driven.

None of this is relevant to EVs though where I delight in the instant power delivery and lack of any requirement for a gearbox.

Toyota are not to be admired IMO. They are resisting the needed change away from ICE powered vehicles with all their might and although they may still be selling quite a few cars, their sales are dwindling and they are the most indebted company on the planet.

They are in serious trouble unless they get their act together and stop trying to delay the inevitable - oh, and lying about what they are about to launch. Take what they claim with a pinch of salt. I'd only believe anything Toyota say these days when I see it.