The term "daily driver sports car" has a reason. Typically, purpose-built performance cars are loud, uncomfortable and they need pristine driving conditions to be usable. When they are included, they are usually subpar, because they are often bereft of the accessories we have grown accustomed to.
You might think these are small concessions for the chance to drive a top-tier performance vehicle, but if you spend $200,000 on a car that makes you miserable half the time, it's worth it. The line between sport and luxury is blurry thanks to improved technology.
It's a good idea to make fun cars more accessible, but they should feel different from your daily commute. Few modern sports cars distinguish themselves like this, so much so that I was slightly worried that the new McLaren GT would lose those characteristics as a result of making the car more accommodating. Some rough edges have been smoothed out, but the McLaren charm remains.
Alex Kalogianni's image was used.
The entry level model of the McLaren GT is a rear wheel drive two-seater. There is a variant of the motor found in other models that is fitted with smaller turbochargers. Peak power is more accessible sooner with this iteration because it delivers power lower in the rev band. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is used to transfer the power to the rear wheels.
The McLaren GT can top out at 203 mph with the help of launch control.
As with all McLaren cars, the GT is built on carbon fiber and has a curb weight of 3,384 pounds. It has a unique driving feel thanks to its electric-hydraulic steering. It all rides on a system of adaptive absorbers.
As a GT, this McLaren is meant for extended drives and so its defining feature is the large amount of storage space behind the driver and on top of the engine.
It has an active dynamics panel that allows drivers to modify the car's behavior, a 1,200 watt Bowers & Wilkins sound system, and the latest iteration of McLaren's custom in-car system. The center of the dash is where the McLaren GT user interface is located. Along with entertainment functions, it pairs with mobile devices viaBluetooth, gives access to a handful of car settings, and has HERE-powered satellite navigation.
The steering wheel has a digital gauge cluster behind it. The main function of that screen is to provide car behavior information, but some of the above info is pushed to that screen. There are tire pressure displays and other status indicators as well as the typical speedometer and tsar. The screen can be changed to better position vital information while in a track or dynamic setting.
McLarens are known for their driving dynamics and creature comforts, but the McLaren GT has a better balance between those two things. McLaren automotive goes heavy on performance and light on user-friendliness when it comes to this dish. The McLaren GT is meant to be its most accessible car yet, but that doesn't mean it's any less McLaren.
The cockpit is very performance oriented and can be seen sliding under the doors. The sparse cabin is dominated by a leather-and-steel steering wheel and there are two wheel-mounted paddle shifters. There is a 12.3-inch gauge cluster behind this that can be accessed from the steering column. The 7-inch screen sits above the active dynamics panel and the speakers look at you from the doors.
Alex Kalogianni's image was used.
This is the first sign that the McLaren GT won't stray too far from its sports car roots. There are some differences. It's hard to spot them when you're going from car to car.
The car's purpose-built feel is the next feeling. The fact that you are sitting in the carbon fiber monocell of a race- ready vehicle can't be hidden.
The McLaren GT makes noise. It is your soundtrack throughout the drive, so be damned. The McLaren GT requires the driver to be laser focused on the act of driving, as not being focused on the act of driving will fly. The steering feedback is good, the brakes are heavy and the haunches of the sports car obscure the rear visibility.
The sensation between all the systems working to keep the McLaren on course is visible when the GT is allowed to gallop. The heft of its steering gives drivers something significant to embrace. The system combo feels more responsive to the power steering that we are used to, it is meatier and heavier, but not with just pre-programmed motorized resistance. It is easy to see that the McLaren GT is doing its job.
The active dynamics settings determine how it does its job. There are two knobs for power and handling. With normal settings, the car's ride is as comfortable as it can be, and with the engine at its most tame. Sport causes the car to be a bit more aggressive and relaxes some of the stability control, and it also heightens the throttle response, as well as the transmission. The McLaren's most aggressive setting is track. There is no wiggle room, it is rigid. Control of traction? It's time to go off. Is the engine and transmission the same thing? It was unrestrained.
There is very little in the way of electronic hand-holding that can be found in the McLaren GT and the 570S. The lack of a computerized safety net demands a higher application of driver skill, just as it makes slip-ups nerve-wracking. The experience is similar to that of a Lotus Evora and the R8 V10
As exciting as it is to live life on the razor's edge with the McLaren GT, the bits in between are just as bad. A series of parking sensors and a backup camera make positioning the precious GT around much easier.
The true heart of the GT's problems lay with the in-car interface.
The car's in-house developed operating system is a weakness. McLaren is aware of this. It used to be better.
The units in previous McLaren vehicles were slower and less responsive than the 10-core-processor-poweredInfotainment system II. It's easy to use the touchpad, but it's not easy to find the desired menu. It usually requires a passenger-side co-pilot to give it the attention it needs or for the driver to pull off the road. When it comes to navigation, this could be something as simple as selecting a music input source.
The built-in system is still not as intuitive as it could be. If the address is found, there are limited options to choose from. It will insist that you find your way back even if you don't follow the route. Sometimes incorrect road data pushed our way, directing us to turn on roads that weren't there or not recognizing ones that were.
Drivers are out of luck when it comes to alternative navigation systems because the GT is not compatible with Apple CarPlay orAndroid Auto. There were many times when we wished we could use our own phone to find our way back home because of the large screen and orientation mirror.
This doesn't bode well for a car that's meant for long car journeys and doesn't have enough storage space. Whatever is laid across it is subject to a lot of heat because of the extra room on top of the engine. It is good for a couple pairs of skis, but not so good for electronics.
The McLaren GT is a true sports car, and it doesn't take away from that. They don't go far enough to distinguish this car from others in the lineup or to live up to its name. It is definitely the case when it comes to its tech.
The GT could have set itself apart with a more robust, user-friendly road trip oriented interface, easier to maps, bigger screens, and more modern mobile device compatibility, just to mention a few. The McLaren GT is an entry level sports car that sticks to the classics.
It doesn't deliver on the full experience but it does deliver on the tech side.
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