McLaren GT - Test Drive
Discussion
I thought I would do a littlle write up after having a good drive of the new McLaren GT this week. My 540C was in for a service and took the chance to try out the GT, in stunning papaya spark. Most of this review will just be as a direct comparison to my 540C.
I must admit when I first saw the colour, it looked very flat. The weather was dull, and there was no pop to the paint at all. However under sunlight, there is a lovely flake through it which really looks the business.
IMG_20200811_110713 by justinking1986, on Flickr
Looks -
Looks are obviously subjective, so I guess this is actually quiet irrelevant. My thoughts on the GT are, it looks superb from the drivers door backwards, and especially the rear 3/4, but the front bumper looks a bit slab sided to me and doesnt seem to flow aswell with the car and certainly not with the rear of the car. It is a good looking car, but I don't think it sits quite right and I can't quite put my finger onto why. The back end for me, is the best part. The front end apparently has better ground clearance than the Audi A4. Thats possibly why I think it looks a bit odd. The bumper is certainly less raked than the 540. Interesting comparing a couple of similar pictures -
IMG_20200811_114800 by justinking1986, on Flickr
DSC_2986 by justinking1986, on Flickr
DJI_0330 by justinking1986, on Flickr
540C by justinking1986, on Flickr
Interior -
So I've always been a huge fan of alcantara/suede, and usually prefer it over leather. I wanted my 540C with the alcantara but the interior in the GT really was lovely. It definitely feels a lot more spacious and luxurious than mine. The new seats are very comfy, and can see what McLaren have done here. It would be very easy to spend a lot of time in these seats. The actual interior space felt bigger aswell. I'm not sure if it actually is, or if it was just the panoramic roof playing tricks.
There are some lovely interior touches aswell, such as the aluminium (?) paddles, vent controls, and the IRIS is significantly better. Much easier to use, more detailed and even the DAB works well. A huge step forward. The ambient lighting doesn't really do it for me, although I didn't drive at night so maybe didnt get to fully appreciate it.. The rear storage is a lot bigger obviously. The front boot taking an airport suitcase and the read with soft bags, there is a lot of luggage capacity.
The main display is actually a bit busy for my liking, there is a lot of information on it compared to the 540C, even just looking for the time took longer to find than it should. Simpler the better for me, I also prefer the reverse camera display being on the IRIS screen, rather than the dashboard. I found when reversing my arms were blocking the image. Seems a backwards step IMO.
Front nose lift is now just a button on the right stock, rather than a toggle on the left stock. Simple change but it is much slicker to use.
IMG_20200811_102226 by justinking1986, on Flickr
IMG_20200811_102627 by justinking1986, on Flickr
IMG_20200811_102657 by justinking1986, on Flickr
IMG_20200811_102711 by justinking1986, on Flickr
IMG_20200811_140241 by justinking1986, on Flickr
I did have an interesting 5 minutes with it half way through the drive... A quick stop start of the engine sorted it. No issues, but a bit of a worry initially
IMG_20200811_133411 by justinking1986, on Flickr
Driving -
DJI_0316 by justinking1986, on Flickr
The GT feels quite a bit bigger on the road than the 540C, I'm not sure if that is down to the interior feeling more spacious or whether it really is much bigger. I'll need to dig out the dimensions. It also 'feels' heavier. I had a good chat with Lee at McGlasgow about it and it really isn't much heavier, its just the dampening making you think so. It has a more softer edge to it, compared to mine, and makes it quite relaxing to drive.
Noise - my god. What a noise. I absolutely love the noise it makes. The active exhaust which I believe is new to the GT, comes on in Sport and Track mode. It has a wonderful gutteral, snorting V8 noise. Much more induction, wooshing and hissing. I wish my 540C sounded this good. It actually reminded my of brothers old V8 Mustang, deep burbling noise when accelerating. Lovely.
Power - I think its probably very evenly matched with the 540C. It feels torquier, but also heavier. It is much less pointer, but I found myself riding the wave of torque much more than revving it out. It is alarmingly easy to pedal quickly across a country lane. Considering it was my first drive in one, I felt straight at home (to be expected I guess) and really had a great spirited drive in it. I preferred driving this, the additional torque is superb. The 720S must be an animal.
DJI_0324 by justinking1986, on Flickr
DJI_0321 by justinking1986, on Flickr
Braking is much more progressive. Although powerful and certainly stop the car, they have a lot less initial bite than mine which I was surprised at. This ca was on 4k miles, and mine is on 10k. I would have thought the opposite. But I guess that was the whole point.
Conclusion - So overall I thought it was a bloody brilliant car. I can really see why McLaren built it. Its still exciting, but has a softer edge to it which might suit some. If I can make a comparison, the 540C feels more like a Lotus Exige, and the GT is like the Evora. The DNA is still there, just more refined. I am not quite convinced on the looks. The front end just doesn't look quite right to me, but that really is a minor complaint. Well worth trying if anyone is looking to buy a McLaren of some sort. Had this been out 3 years ago, it's possibly the one I would have went for.
I must admit when I first saw the colour, it looked very flat. The weather was dull, and there was no pop to the paint at all. However under sunlight, there is a lovely flake through it which really looks the business.
IMG_20200811_110713 by justinking1986, on FlickrLooks -
Looks are obviously subjective, so I guess this is actually quiet irrelevant. My thoughts on the GT are, it looks superb from the drivers door backwards, and especially the rear 3/4, but the front bumper looks a bit slab sided to me and doesnt seem to flow aswell with the car and certainly not with the rear of the car. It is a good looking car, but I don't think it sits quite right and I can't quite put my finger onto why. The back end for me, is the best part. The front end apparently has better ground clearance than the Audi A4. Thats possibly why I think it looks a bit odd. The bumper is certainly less raked than the 540. Interesting comparing a couple of similar pictures -
IMG_20200811_114800 by justinking1986, on FlickrDSC_2986 by justinking1986, on FlickrDJI_0330 by justinking1986, on Flickr540C by justinking1986, on FlickrInterior -
So I've always been a huge fan of alcantara/suede, and usually prefer it over leather. I wanted my 540C with the alcantara but the interior in the GT really was lovely. It definitely feels a lot more spacious and luxurious than mine. The new seats are very comfy, and can see what McLaren have done here. It would be very easy to spend a lot of time in these seats. The actual interior space felt bigger aswell. I'm not sure if it actually is, or if it was just the panoramic roof playing tricks.
There are some lovely interior touches aswell, such as the aluminium (?) paddles, vent controls, and the IRIS is significantly better. Much easier to use, more detailed and even the DAB works well. A huge step forward. The ambient lighting doesn't really do it for me, although I didn't drive at night so maybe didnt get to fully appreciate it.. The rear storage is a lot bigger obviously. The front boot taking an airport suitcase and the read with soft bags, there is a lot of luggage capacity.
The main display is actually a bit busy for my liking, there is a lot of information on it compared to the 540C, even just looking for the time took longer to find than it should. Simpler the better for me, I also prefer the reverse camera display being on the IRIS screen, rather than the dashboard. I found when reversing my arms were blocking the image. Seems a backwards step IMO.
Front nose lift is now just a button on the right stock, rather than a toggle on the left stock. Simple change but it is much slicker to use.
IMG_20200811_102226 by justinking1986, on FlickrIMG_20200811_102627 by justinking1986, on FlickrIMG_20200811_102657 by justinking1986, on FlickrIMG_20200811_102711 by justinking1986, on FlickrIMG_20200811_140241 by justinking1986, on FlickrI did have an interesting 5 minutes with it half way through the drive... A quick stop start of the engine sorted it. No issues, but a bit of a worry initially
IMG_20200811_133411 by justinking1986, on FlickrDriving -
DJI_0316 by justinking1986, on FlickrThe GT feels quite a bit bigger on the road than the 540C, I'm not sure if that is down to the interior feeling more spacious or whether it really is much bigger. I'll need to dig out the dimensions. It also 'feels' heavier. I had a good chat with Lee at McGlasgow about it and it really isn't much heavier, its just the dampening making you think so. It has a more softer edge to it, compared to mine, and makes it quite relaxing to drive.
Noise - my god. What a noise. I absolutely love the noise it makes. The active exhaust which I believe is new to the GT, comes on in Sport and Track mode. It has a wonderful gutteral, snorting V8 noise. Much more induction, wooshing and hissing. I wish my 540C sounded this good. It actually reminded my of brothers old V8 Mustang, deep burbling noise when accelerating. Lovely.
Power - I think its probably very evenly matched with the 540C. It feels torquier, but also heavier. It is much less pointer, but I found myself riding the wave of torque much more than revving it out. It is alarmingly easy to pedal quickly across a country lane. Considering it was my first drive in one, I felt straight at home (to be expected I guess) and really had a great spirited drive in it. I preferred driving this, the additional torque is superb. The 720S must be an animal.
DJI_0324 by justinking1986, on FlickrDJI_0321 by justinking1986, on FlickrBraking is much more progressive. Although powerful and certainly stop the car, they have a lot less initial bite than mine which I was surprised at. This ca was on 4k miles, and mine is on 10k. I would have thought the opposite. But I guess that was the whole point.
Conclusion - So overall I thought it was a bloody brilliant car. I can really see why McLaren built it. Its still exciting, but has a softer edge to it which might suit some. If I can make a comparison, the 540C feels more like a Lotus Exige, and the GT is like the Evora. The DNA is still there, just more refined. I am not quite convinced on the looks. The front end just doesn't look quite right to me, but that really is a minor complaint. Well worth trying if anyone is looking to buy a McLaren of some sort. Had this been out 3 years ago, it's possibly the one I would have went for.
justin220 said:
Thanks chaps. On reflection, I really liked it to drive. I really loved the sound it makes
Did you ask Lee about numbers?!Or is it a spider next?
Mines goes in next week; loaner being dropped off but when speaking to them this morning they have a napier 600LT spider just in, or either coming in along with a 620R in Volcano Orange, so really looking forward to seeing them when I go to collect mines.
Great right up and this is the same car they brought to Aberdeen a few weeks ago and under the sun it looked stunning.
I never test drove it, but just looking at it I thought it was way wider and bigger than the 570S.
I think a 570S Spyder would be an awesome thing but I think a Mclaren not for me simply due to where they are for servicing and where I live is not practical to travel 500 mile round trip to get a car serviced.
I never test drove it, but just looking at it I thought it was way wider and bigger than the 570S.
I think a 570S Spyder would be an awesome thing but I think a Mclaren not for me simply due to where they are for servicing and where I live is not practical to travel 500 mile round trip to get a car serviced.
650spider said:
Did you ask Lee about numbers?!
Or is it a spider next?
Mines goes in next week; loaner being dropped off but when speaking to them this morning they have a napier 600LT spider just in, or either coming in along with a 620R in Volcano Orange, so really looking forward to seeing them when I go to collect mines.
He mentioned numbers to buy but its not what I'd be wanting to change for. Great car, but just not for me. The Napier LT was there, and it looks superb! Or is it a spider next?
Mines goes in next week; loaner being dropped off but when speaking to them this morning they have a napier 600LT spider just in, or either coming in along with a 620R in Volcano Orange, so really looking forward to seeing them when I go to collect mines.
As always Justin your write up is great and the Photos really superb.
I drove one for a shortish 45 min test drive it was a mclaren visit the dealer
thing shortly after the launch date.
I also found the torque interesting compared to a 540/570.
Note i do think a 540 map seems to have more torque than a 570 anyway
(plus the softer suspension).
The GT very smooth, very quick even if if feels slower perhaps due to less drama
compared to the 570.
My test drive was just for fun and I had no real urge to take it further.
Just enjoying the 570 spider at the time.
The 720 is an animal, as is often the case,its where most of the Mclaren fan club end up, so did I.
No doubt a 765 spider would be to aim for next, but goodness knows what will happen in the world in the next few months years. Plus I don't think you need anymore than a 720 on the road.
Go on you know you want to, amazing bargains out there at the moment.
I drove one for a shortish 45 min test drive it was a mclaren visit the dealer
thing shortly after the launch date.
I also found the torque interesting compared to a 540/570.
Note i do think a 540 map seems to have more torque than a 570 anyway
(plus the softer suspension).
The GT very smooth, very quick even if if feels slower perhaps due to less drama
compared to the 570.
My test drive was just for fun and I had no real urge to take it further.
Just enjoying the 570 spider at the time.
The 720 is an animal, as is often the case,its where most of the Mclaren fan club end up, so did I.
No doubt a 765 spider would be to aim for next, but goodness knows what will happen in the world in the next few months years. Plus I don't think you need anymore than a 720 on the road.
Go on you know you want to, amazing bargains out there at the moment.
justin220 said:
Thanks. Like I said, the GT was superb. I really liked the power delivery. Its just not the car for me. I'll need to try a 720S at some point to see what the fuss is all about 
GT is an excellent car. It beats 720S on ride comfort. But 720S beats it on *everything* else, and the coupe even roughly matches it on luggage capacity.
To be fair, there is *nothing* like the 720S from any manufacturer at anywhere near the price point.
I enjoyed the GT review as I’m seriously tempted by some of the nearly new GT offers. I’d never buy a new McLaren again after losing a fortune on a new 570S I bought in 2017. It was replaced with a 911 Turbo 991.2 and currently driving a 2019 Vantage, which I really do enjoy but these nearly new GT’s look such great value. I suspect that they are not selling in the expected volumes.
Like others, I wish the front end was lower and I reckon it’s a very colour & wheel sensitive car, but I’m tempted by a couple I’ve seen online. I will take it on track at some point but it’ll be mostly used for some swift motoring on some of Scotland’s best roads and a European trip next year.
I’d love to hear from others who driven one as I’ve not had that pleasure yet. I thought my 570S ride quality was actually pretty good but found it very unstable under hard braking on any road that was not smooth, but otherwise really enjoyed my time with it.
Like others, I wish the front end was lower and I reckon it’s a very colour & wheel sensitive car, but I’m tempted by a couple I’ve seen online. I will take it on track at some point but it’ll be mostly used for some swift motoring on some of Scotland’s best roads and a European trip next year.
I’d love to hear from others who driven one as I’ve not had that pleasure yet. I thought my 570S ride quality was actually pretty good but found it very unstable under hard braking on any road that was not smooth, but otherwise really enjoyed my time with it.
ituned said:
I thought my 570S ride quality was actually pretty good but found it very unstable under hard braking on any road that was not smooth,
GT has a *far* better ride than 570S, which itself has a good ride for a supercar. I didn't notice issues in braking, but I didn't drive it on track so can't say I've tested braking thoroughly at all.ituned said:
570S ....... very unstable under hard braking on any road that was not smooth, but otherwise really enjoyed my time with it.
How is it compared to your new Vantage? My V12V is particularly poor in this regard - and makes for a big nod towards the Super Series Macs with their hydraulic set-up.12pack said:
ituned said:
570S ....... very unstable under hard braking on any road that was not smooth, but otherwise really enjoyed my time with it.
How is it compared to your new Vantage? My V12V is particularly poor in this regard - and makes for a big nod towards the Super Series Macs with their hydraulic set-up.My Vantage is being filmed on my favourite roads this Saturday, for a YouTube feature on Jayemm on Cars channel. I hope he likes it. :-)
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