Mclaren gt. 2020 McLaren GT Supercar 2020-01-20

2020 McLaren GT First Review

In 2016 it launched , a slightly softer version of the 570S distinguished by a slower steering rack and a small additional trunk on top of the engine, beneath a glass canopy. So what to do when you're a small-volume manufacturer looking to make the most out of what you already have? Creating a new model that feels special and distinct from an existing platform. The and tick all of those boxes and are certainly the sort of cars that come to mind when you picture a new grand tourer: engine in front, rear-wheel drive, two-plus-two layout, semipractical trunk. It is the company's first dedicated and is based on the same platform underpinning the with the addition of a carbon fibre rear deck to house a glazed tailgate creating significantly greater storage capacity. Creeping through rush-hour traffic requires not only patience, but also exquisite timing. The company says you can fit a bag of golf clubs in the rear. The engine has new smaller turbochargers to improve responsiveness at lower speeds.

2020 McLaren GT Supercar

In addition to vehicle speed, gear selection and engine revs, the instrument cluster can also display turn-by-turn navigation, phone calls, chosen audio output and tyre temperatures and pressures. To us, it's like a baby Speedtail. It has to be comfortable. Cashmere will also be offered as a choice, since vegan-friendly vehicle interiors are now a growing trend. McLaren says 612 horsepower, and 465 lb-ft of torque, to be precise. Even the 20-inch front and 21-inch rear P Zero tires have been developed for a little extra squish in the sidewalls and reduced road noise.

2020 McLaren GT Review: How This GT is a Mission in Progress

The grand tourer has a 4. In short, t his is a car that redefines the notion of a Grand Tourer in a way that only a McLaren could. Sure, the idea of crossing continents at deliriously high speeds is delightful in theory, but the reality of increasingly congested highways sometimes limits those opportunities to mere minutes, not hours. Acres of leather adorn the cabin, and well-padded seats are designed to be comfortable over long distances. Throughout this drudgery, you'll need to pay close attention to your surroundings.

2020 McLaren GT: Here It Is

Heating and ventilation controls are also incorporated into the touchscreen, ensuring ease of use and reducing the overall number of switches and controls. Creating a new type of McLaren — and the first true Grand Tourer from the brand — saw the McLaren design team embracing the visual history of Grand Touring cars while remaining true to the philosophies that underpin all McLaren design. It feels unusually light, low and agile, and its ride quality is mostly superb, though mid-corner bumps can still occasionally thwack through the carbon-fiber structure. The seats are both power adjustable and feature heating elements. Its optional 15-spoke wheels 20-inchers up front, 21s in the rear would look at home on a moderately high-performance luxury sedan.

2020 McLaren GT First Review

Of the 18,000 vehicles produced since 2011, a huge portion of that total—4,863, to be exact—were sold in 2018, and the 2019 models are nearly sold out. The bumper sports the same aggressive centerpiece with two vents and sculpted splitter, but the latter is a bit smaller than other McLarens. Designed for distance, it provides the comfort and space expected of a Grand Tourer, but with a level of agility never experienced before in this segment. There's an easy solution to all of that, of course. Eventually, cashmere will be an interior option.

2020 McLaren GT Review: How This GT is a Mission in Progress

These are still positioned right down on the floor and offer strong support under heavier cornering, but the extra squish in the headrests and seat squab in particular offer welcome extra comfort. The interior is a cosseting space designed to delight on longer journeys, but with all the essentials for focused, high performance driving; the seating position, location of controls and forward visibility are as important here as they are in any McLaren. The electrically adjustable and heated seats were developed specifically for this car. The suspension, steering and brakes are all bespoke to the car and honed and optimised to provide an outstanding Grand Touring driving experience, with inherent balance, responsiveness and precision yet better ride comfort than any other McLaren. The engine may have started life destined to be a supercar, but it's been substantially modified to suit a different kind of driving. Above that is a many-layered sandwich of various insulating materials. As you'd expect, none of this comes cheaply.

The 2020 McLaren GT Is the Supercar of Grand

For a twin-turbocharged engine, it sounds closer to an old-fashioned V8 than anything else with a McLaren badge. McLaren says it has positioned the engine and its exhaust system as low as possible to free up more space. In addition, three active steering modes are available - Comfort, Sport, and Track. That said, there is a bit of compromise. There's also no mistaking the industrial noise even with our car's sports exhaust , the delivery and the punch of the gear shifts very much betray the supercar origins too.

McLaren GT

Nonetheless, you could certainly enjoy a long journey in a good amount of comfort from this driving seat. With the engine mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox, the rear-wheel drive McLaren blasts to 60 mph in 3. Metal stalks feel great to the touch and move into position with a beautifully weighted damping, and knurled knobs click into place with the precision of a Swiss watch. It has to be quick. The sports car is on sale now, with first customer deliveries in October 2019. Unveiled for the 2018 model year, the upgraded Aventador now sports a more aggressive exterior design, a larger, motorsport-inspired diffuser, and generates 130-percent more downforce. Still, when we grabbed the laptop out of the briefcase after our drive, it was uncomfortably hot to the touch.

2020 McLaren GT First Drive Review

The driver interface operates in a similar way to a smartphone and the seven-inch central touchscreen is used to select from vehicle functions such as satellite navigation, Bluetooth telephony, media streaming and voice activation. There's even a strip of chrome that traces an arc over the side windows. But a Grand Touring car isn't all about acceleration, so McLaren tuned the exhaust to have a sonorous, baritone presence. And the way the twin-turbo motor squeezes you into the new memory foam seats. It provides increased assistance at low speed, making the car more comfortable to drive in urban conditions and while parking.

2020 McLaren GT Review: How This GT is a Mission in Progress

Its historical products include the legendary F1 and P1 — both revered as some of the most formidable street cars ever produced. The brakes and steering are dialed in to be stable and comfortable at speed rather than sharp and responsive. It goes like stink, its ride is spectacular, and we can think of no other car in this class with this amount of cargo space. The dual-zone climate control and air conditioning system come standard. Similarly, the steering requires more effort, but in turn gives the car more poise and stability at speed. A new rear upper structure enables the engine to nestle closer to the ground for a lower center of gravity, all while retaining the full structural rigidity of the original. Engine, Ride, and Handling Behind the driver and passenger rides a 4.