McLaren has come a long way over the past five years, and the 570GT is the culmination of its endeavours. And it is, without question, a huge achievement.
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But it’s also a different kind of sports car to the ones McLaren has made up until now. Why? Because the 570GT is an out-and-out road car – an automobile that’s been designed specifically to be used every day on regular roads by regular (and rather wealthy) drivers. It is, as the name suggests, a Grand Tourer – which is a car designed to be altogether more comfortable cruising along a motorway than it is thundering towards the next apex on a race track.
That’s not to say the 570GT is in any way the soft option among McLarens, however, because it really isn’t. The suspension may be 10-15 per cent less stiff front and rear and the steering rack might also have been re-engineered to be two per cent less manic in its responses, but beneath its elegant new rear window, the GT boasts exactly the same 562bhp 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 as the theoretically more sporting 570S.
Its seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is also identical to that of the 570S. The only real areas in which the GT differs from the S, in fact, are visually. That new window doesn’t just look more stylish, as it also hinges away from the kerb depending on whether the car is left or right-hand drive. Open up the rear hatch, and you’ll find a beautifully trimmed load area that boasts 220 litres of extra luggage space. On top of this, you still have a decent-sized boot in the nose, making this more practical than any previous McLaren.
Inside, the GT looks and feels similar to the S, yet it is different. The design is fundamentally unchanged, but the overall refinement levels and the absence of noise on the move distinguish the GT above and beyond the regular S. And you get slightly more equipment as standard, too, including full leather for things like the rear parcel shelf and the new electric seats.
On the move, the GT feels immediately more soothing and less excitable than the S. You notice the softer suspension straight away; it’s smoother and quieter overall. That steering might be slightly more relaxed, but it still turns in to corners beautifully, with a well rounded precision to its front-end bite.
As in the S, there are three drive modes: Normal, Sport and Track. In Normal with the transmission set to auto, the 570 is a remarkably comfortable, refined long-distance cruiser, notably more so than its louder, harder-riding sibling. In fact, when you climb out of the GT after a lengthy slog on the motorway, you feel a lot less shaken around than you would in an S.
And yet, if you twist the magic button on the centre console to Sport or Track, the GT shows its naughty side. With sharper responses from its suspension, engine and box, it turns from a relatively refined cruiser into a full-blown sports car in a heartbeat.
Our test model featured a sports exhaust system, and it sounded utterly magnificent at full throttle. It was quiet when we needed it to be, though, so we’d recommend specifying it from the extensive options list.
Straight-line performance is still blistering when you feel the need to bend the space-time continuum, with 0-60mph taking just 3.3 seconds (two-tenths slower than the S). The GT also has a 204mph top speed.
On the scales, this car is around 40kg heavier than the S, but it’s hard to tell. All the above means the GT actually has the broadest dynamic repertoire of any McLaren. Under one roof, it proves its worth as a genuine GT car, a genuine sports car and a genuinely drop-dead-gorgeous luxury car as well – all at the same time. It is, without a doubt, the best McLaren yet.
- Model: McLaren 570GT
- Price: £154,000
- Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power/torque: 562bhp/600Nm
- Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch auto, rear-wheel drive
- 0-60mph: 3.3 seconds
- Top speed: 204mph
- Economy/CO2: 26.6mpg/249g/km
- On sale: Now