© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
What Is It?
It’s going to be a good day when a car this beautiful shows up in the driveway. At AutoNXT we test a variety of cars each year, but this one certainly stands out — the all-new McLaren 570GT. The latest model to join the McLaren Sports Series, the 570GT is designed to provide comfortable surroundings without giving up any of the brand’s legendary performance. As accompanying press materials note, the 570GT is the “most luxurious and refined of any McLaren to date.”
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
In Good Company
Competitors to the UK-bred McLaren 570GT include supercars such as the Lamborghini Huracan, Ferrari 488, Acura NSX, Audi R8 and the Porsche 911 Turbo S. Our test vehicle came equipped with a Bowers & Wilkins audio system, carbon fiber sill finish, carbon fiber interior components and a fire extinguisher for a total MSRP of $215,540.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Classy Performance
It’s not easy to combine extreme performance with everyday drivability and comfort, but the 570GT does an awesome job of doing exactly that. And best of all, it’s wrapped in one of the most attractive packages on the road. Beautiful from every angle, the 570GT is all sexy curves that commingle to form the perfect GT silhouette. Our test car was painted Blade Silver, which adds another level of class to this already amazing automobile.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Powerful
Like the 570S, the 570GT has a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 putting out 562 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. Power gets directed to the rear wheels via a quick-shifting 7-speed gearbox. Performance numbers are in line with some of the fastest production cars on the road: 60 mph comes up in just 3.3 seconds and 100 mph in 6.6 seconds — but the numbers don’t do it justice.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Smooth and Fast
In the 570GT, full throttle from a standstill results a very slight delay, followed by a launch worthy of NASA. Power delivery is amazingly smooth — especially with those very fast shifts — and by the time the driver’s endorphin-engulfed brain registers a look back at the speedometer it is showing triple digits. With enough road, the 570GT will hit 204 mph — we’ll simply have to trust McLaren’s word on that one.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Excellent Handling
As expected, this McLaren is not merely a straight-line car. The 570GT’s suspension and steering have been tuned for more comfort — especially on long drives — but McLaren has done an excellent job of retaining the brand’s legendary performance. Grip from the custom Pirelli tires is impressive, and with downforce provided by the integrated rear spoiler and unique aerodynamic front bumper, the ride feels solid and stable when the road gets twisty.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Easy to Drive
Unlike many supercars that possess excessive power to churn out extreme performance, the 570GT is extremely easy and comfortable to drive. During our few days of testing around the Seattle area there were plenty of occasions when traffic slowed to a crawl, but aside from the human frustration at the reduced speeds, the 570GT behaved flawlessly while cruising along at 30 mph. Leave it in automatic mode with the normal suspension setting and this McLaren is as easy to drive as a Toyota Camry.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Good Visibility
Visibility from the cockpit of the 570GT is good thanks to its sloping hood, so the driver sees nothing but road over the steering wheel. Sizable mirrors and a large rear glass panel help the driver remain aware of surrounding vehicles; however, parking can be difficult. The 570GT has a rearview camera as well as radar-based parking aids, but it can be tough to determine how close the nose of the car may be to other objects, which makes maneuvering a bit dicey.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Beautiful Silhouette
A primary difference between the 570GT and its 570S sibling is the glass rear hatch that provides access to storage behind the cockpit. Although this feature hides the engine — proudly displayed on the 570S — it completes one perfectly sweeping line from the front tires, over the cockpit and down to the rear spoiler.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Rear Cargo Space
The hinged glass rear hatch opens to the side, revealing a leather-trimmed luggage deck. The space won’t fit a proper suitcase, although it can handle a small duffel bag, with provided hooks and straps locking the bag in place. Of course, McLaren offers luggage specifically designed for this space — the leather Weekend Bag ($1,049) and Day Bag ($855 ) match the interior of the 570GT.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Frunk
The 570GT also has a trunk in front — casually referred to as the frunk — that has a surprising amount of space. An overnight bag would easily fit, as would several grocery bags. For a day of photo and video work we carried a backpack, tripod and camera bag — with plenty of room to spare.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Elegant Interior
The extreme elegance of the 570GT’s exterior carries though into the cabin, which has a tasteful blend of soft leather, carbon fiber and bright metal. The panoramic glass roof provides a light, spacious feeling inside. Seats are power adjustable and very comfortable, although the controls that are somewhat hidden and difficult to access; that said, owners will probably not be fiddling with the seats very often.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Unique Doors
The carbon-fiber elements across the 570GT’s door sills make it simple to slide in and out of the cabin. Unlike some exotics with scissor- or gull-wing doors, the McLaren’s are easy to grab and close without stretching way out of the seat. Even though the doors require a bit of extra space beside the car to open without incident, access is usually not an issue in a standard parking space.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
High-End Audio
The dashboard’s vertical screen is clear and intuitive, displaying navigation, climate control and audio systems. Our test vehicle was equipped with the 12-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system tuned to the specific interior acoustics of the 570GT. The system features five 25mm aluminum Nautilus tweeters, five 100mm Kevlar mid-range drive units, and two 200mm carbon fiber and Rohacell bass subwoofers. All speakers are driven by a fully digital 14-channel 1280-watt amplifier. With more time in the car we’d probably enjoy the $2,240 sound system, but for our testing purposes we prefer the sound of the petrol-powered twin-turbo audio system.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Quiet Tires
Aside from the elegantly elemental engine sounds, the 570GT is relatively quiet inside — as expected from a grand touring sports car. This may be due to the special Pirelli P-Zero tires that feature the Pirelli Noise Cancelling System.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Hard to Wash
We would never dream of taking a McLaren through an automatic car wash, but we needed it clean for photos. While giving it a quick wash with mild car soap, we soon discovered that the 570GT can be rather challenging to wash by hand. Given that the body is designed to channel air around obstacles and into radiators, there are several hard-to-reach spaces. Small towels, sponges and cotton swabs would be needed to thoroughly clean the 570GT.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Leaf Catcher
The front air intakes — necessities to keep brakes and engine cool — seem somewhat vulnerable to rocks and other road debris. Given the autumnal weather in Seattle, we had to clean leaves out of air intakes on several occasions.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Head Turner
The 570GT is not a car to drive if you’re trying to keep a low profile. With the sexy lines, roaring V8 and perfect paint color, the McLaren attracted attention where ever it went. As luck would have it, the local sports car gathering over the weekend featured British automobiles — the 570GT was one of the stars of the show.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Rating 9.5
The McLaren 570GT ticks all the supercar boxes — awesome acceleration, excellent handling and head-turning styling — but this sports car brings so much more to the party. The interior is both attractive and comfortable, and there’s a surprising amount of storage for small items as well as luggage — there’s even a cupholder. The more we drove this car, the more impressed we became with its everyday livability. Although most owners will likely have a different car as a daily driver, we would be more than happy to spend every day in a 570GT. If only we could locate a spare $215,000 . . .
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