Hey, I trust you are doing well. I thought of writing my viewpoints on a GT car that has been launched by McLaren. In my opinion, all the cars in the McLaren stable can be used as a GT car due to their versatility. But this car, in particular, has been focused on being a Grand tourer, it has more space to hold more luggage, more comfortable and is better suited to longer journeys. The Car in the spotlight today is the McLaren GT, a first time GT specific offering by McLaren. This car would likely be competing with the likes of the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera and the Bentley Continental GT. Now let’s see the good things and the not so good things about the McLaren GT.
Design:-
Like the other McLaren who have an active spoiler at the back that gets activated at certain speeds. Instead, the spoiler has been integrated into the design of the car, to keep it more simplistic. Also, you might notice that the exhausts have been placed lower as compared to other McLarens and that is done to increase the boot space. We know that McLaren never puts fake vents in their cars and I appreciate them for it (Audi you should learn from McLaren). Being a GT the car is long, it’s as long as a DBS Superleggera. The design of the GT stands out from other McLarens, it has a teardrop shape in the back which makes it look sleeker and aids the aerodynamics of the car. The wheel design is also unlike any other McLaren on the road. They are 21 inches in size and they are not as aggressive as you find them on other McLarens, they are plain, simple, and have been designed with a minimalistic approach. Headlights are muted from other cars like the 720s and the 570s. Designed as a Mid-engine car, the McLaren GT can also be driven as a Proper supercar if you manage to find a good set of B roads. From the front, it’s unmistakably McLaren, though the splitters aren’t that aggressive, the lines are smooth and flow over the car without a break and that’s what makes the McLaren GT so gorgeous. Now let’s talk about the heart of the car, the engine, and how it drives.
Engine & Performance:-
In terms of the engine you won’t find anything muted, it’s as wild as you would find the engines on other McLarens and when you see that the car starts at 1,60,000 Pounds, you desire something special. A 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine at its heart which produces 612 Horsepower and 465 Pound ft. of torque, coupled with a Rear-wheel drive system and a 7-speed automatic transmission through the power is sent to the rear wheels. One thing that I would like to say proudly is that despite being a GT car, the GT hasn’t lost its supercar characteristics. It still manages to do 0 to 60 Mph in just 3.1 seconds. Talking about quarter mile timings, an AMG GT R does a standing quarter-mile in 11 seconds and it’s a proper track-focused supercar, the McLaren GT despite being a Grand tourer does the quarter-mile in just 10.7 seconds. There is no sacrifice on the top speed of the car too, if you find a road good enough the GT would be able to achieve a top speed of 203 Mph. Around the corners, if you are in the right mode, you will be able to pull some pretty good corners in this car. McLaren never loses their attention on brakes and they make it good enough to stop the car in emergencies. The standard GT comes with cast iron discs while you can upgrade them to Carbon ceramics if you have the money to do so. With the right amount of money, the GT can be made into a stunning GT car. The air intakes on the GT have been put together with very intelligent thought, the side intakes on the car not only cool the engine down but also keeps the luggage area cool and prevents It from getting above 40 degrees. The GT drives like a proper supercar, there is no denying that. Now let’s see what the inside feels like in the McLaren GT.
Interior:-
The McLaren GT despite being a Grand Tourer, has the interior laid out like a Proper Supercar and I appreciate this fact as the Car doesn’t lose its Supercar Characteristics while being a GT. The materials as expected are top-notch. Right from the seat stitching to the seat positioning is spot on, everything feels like worth the price you pay for this car, except…… One thing and that is the rearview mirror, it doesn’t belong certainly in a supercar that costs so much, it looks like McLaren has picked it out of a Dacia or something like that, I have talked about this issue before as well in the 720s but since it’s a thoroughbred supercar people don’t pay much attention to it, but in the McLaren GT which is a GT car, the interior needs to be as best as it can get but it isn’t. Visibility is supremely great, for a car that’s a perfect hybrid between a Supercar and a proper GT car. But the McLaren GT is not all good, it has some bad things too, for example, the resolution of the Parking camera in the GT feels like it’s from a car that was made in the ’90s, the cruise control isn’t up to date too, the cruise control on the Continental GT is far better than this one. For a GT car, if you compare to its arch-rivals the Bentley Continental GT and the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera the GT sits relatively lower and thus you get the supercar stance. Also, I would like to acknowledge the fact that of all these 3 cars, the McLaren GT has the coolest doors of all, the dihedral doors which have made their way on to all the McLarens, from the F1 to the Speedtail. The GT is without a Doubt the car in which you would look the coolest when getting out.
Conclusion:-
The McLaren GT is a Great car, it’s not the best GT car in the market for sure but it’s surely the one with the highest fun factor. Sure, it has its positives and negatives just like every other car, but if you in the market for a new GT car, the McLaren GT certainly deserves a chance.
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Ciao
