NEW YORK, March 20 — The current darling of McLaren enthusiasts is the 720S, a 710-horsepower spaceship of a car that costs US$285,000 (RM1.12 million) and drives like lightening.
But don’t let the star power of the 720S blind you to another car in the British automaker’s line-up that — all things considered — is better-rounded and, quite possibly, may be more fun to own. (It’s certainly easier to own.)
I’m talking about the McLaren 570GT Sport Pack, which represents the best of two worlds. It’s super-fast and precise, and it offers real practicality for day trips and weekend adventures. Where the 720S is stiffer, longer, and essentially lacks meaningful storage space, the 570GT Sport Pack is more generous. It won’t rattle you to death on imperfect surfaces, it’s easier to manoeuvre in parking lots and back alleys, and its footwells and back are more spacious. Not to mention that, at US$208,900, it’s cheaper to buy and maintain.
This is the McLaren you want to drive farther, and more often, than the others.
The best of both worlds
Here’s how McLaren accomplished this feat. It started with the body of the original 570GT, which has luggage space and softer steering and suspension. (The GT, which stands for “grand touring,” is the more convenient, more comfortable model in the 570 line.) Then the automaker added the sharper handling dynamics of the 570S Coupe.
The resulting 570GT Sport Pack has a V8 engine that gets 562hp and 443 pound-feet of torque, the quick handling and eager power of the S, and the beautiful, leather touring deck and roomy, carbon fibre-framed rear glass hatch of the GT.
What’s more, I took a poll of the valets and car photographers (carparazzi) at the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva during the auto show earlier this month. The consensus: The 570GT Sport Pack was the best-looking among all the aforementioned McLarens, including the top-of-the-line 720S.
I agree.
It has deep, swooped sides, a leering front smile rimmed by sly LED headlights, and a spoiler-topped rear end shaped like a rocket, all set on 10-spoke, super-light forged wheels with Pirelli P Zero Corsa rubber. Like the rest of the McLaren line, the 570GT Sport Pack looks as if it rolled right out of a little kid’s dream and onto the street.
Race-quality engineering
When I got behind the wheel of a silica-white, right-hand-drive (you know, British style) 570GT Sport Pack in Geneva, I’d most recently driven the 720S. I was eager to see how this “lesser” car would compare.
Despite being cheaper, with 148 fewer horsepower, and admittedly tamer — I’d argue, better — styling, the car was more of a treat to drive than the 720S. A common critique of McLaren is that it makes perfect-on-paper cars that lack soul. This one, at least, has more soul than some.
Its lightweight, carbon fibre monocoque shell weighs about as much as the average dude — and driving in it feels like flying. The narrow sport seats position you satisfyingly deep, and they recline slightly so you feel like a pilot. The carbon-black leather steering wheel and black metallic components gleam like jewels. It comes standard with normal, sport, and track-driving modes; stability control; front-nose lift; and glorious, twin-hinged dihedral doors that almost levitate as you open them.
The car accelerates from zero to 62 miles per hour in 3.4 seconds; its top speed is 204mph. On Switzerland’s smooth, wide roads, it required no effort to cruise at 100mph — or to pass.
To me, preferring the 570GT over the 720S is like appreciating the beauty of Gisele (no one would argue the supermodel isn’t alien-level stunning), but loving someone else in practice.
Improvements to make
This isn’t to say the 570GT Sport Pack is perfect. It’s not. McLaren’s vertically oriented, central-control touchscreen and its associated systems aren’t intuitive and remain overly complicated and slow. These challenges push the driver way past the point of general annoyance into the realms of distraction, frustration, and utter disbelief. They can seriously kill the buzz of excitement that comes with driving such a car.
And despite the GT styling, which offers a rear deck behind the two seats, perfect for holding coats and bags, there are no pockets or simple cutouts in the doors to hold cellphones or water bottles. The sole cup holder in the centre console doesn’t cut it, either. If this is supposed to be a car for touring, it should have places to put the things you take on tour — namely, coffee, water, a cellphone, or charging cords. This isn’t too much to ask. And the gaping holes in the centre bottom of sport seats don’t help — they seem to attract iPhones and wallets with the gravitational pull of a black hole. Good luck fishing that stuff out.
Visibility is a further issue in the 570GT Sport Pack, since the rear deck, when full of coats and luggage, blocks all sightlines directly behind the driver. The sloped, angled pillars in the centre of the car block sightlines directly in front of and behind the shoulders at 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock. None of this is good when you’re travelling at a fast clip down the highway.
These aren’t deal breakers, but McLaren needs to focus on improving them. The brand’s Sport Series line, which includes the 570GT Sport Pack, is responsible for more than 60 percent of total sales. Based on my conversation with sales boss Jolyon Nash, these cars will continue to play a large part in McLaren’s life.
As well they should. Where cars like the 720S and the recently announced US$1 million Senna attract the hype, there’s a reason the Sport Series line is doing so well. Versatile, thrilling cars such as the 570GT Sport Pack have broad appeal and are attracting new drivers to the brand. — Bloomberg
