With McLaren’s sleek fleet of high performance super cars, you might find that your ability to jump in one and take a long cross-country trip would be hindered in the name of speed. With today’s announcement of the McLaren 570GT, that is no longer a concern. The newest car in the 570 series is the most luxurious and practical McLaren yet, with a big emphasis placed on road manners and space. The door sills are narrower and lower to ease entry and exit, a pair of eight-way adjustable seats upholstered in high quality leather come standard, and the 570GT comes loaded with enough gadgets to make James Bond himself jealous. The controls for the air conditioning, infotainment, and navigation are provided by a sleek touch screen panel mounted in the center. A large panoramic roof uses the same specially designed tint as the McLaren P1 and it gets some new sound and solar film to absorb solar radiation and provide some extra noise insulation.
Not only did McLaren up the ante on comfort and luxury in the cabin, they gave you the space to carry your luggage with it in true Grand Touring fashion, the front luggage area was left unchanged at 5.3 cubic feet of space, but there’s also a trick new side opening glass hatch that reveals an extra 7.8 cubic feet of space to bring your storage areas to a grand total of 13.1 cubic feet. The Ferrari FF offers 16 cubic feet of storage space, but it’s also a front engine, four-seat hatchback, while the McLaren retains its mid-engine carbon tub profile.
Even though the 570GT is spacious and luxurious it’s still a missile when you put your foot down. Weighing in at 2976 pounds thanks to the carbon fiber tub, you’re sure to be in for a wild ride when you unleash the 562 horsepower, twin-turbo V8 and click through the seven-speed gearbox to a top speed of 204 miles per hour. The suspension, while softer than a 570S, is able to be tuned for comfort or performance with adjustable damping settings. Not only does the suspension change between comfort, Cylinder Cut (Sport) and Inertia Push (track) modes, but the transmission sharpens up as well. To compensate for the profile change that comes with the new side opening glass hatch, the 570GT gets a special aero package. The rear wing is 10mm taller, the hood has sharper creases to allow better airflow over the front fenders and into the side tanks, and the aero blades in the bumper are angled specifically to create a high-pressure zone in front of the radiators.
The 570GT is priced to start at $199,870 here in the US, and should go on sale late this year. The official reveal is scheduled for the Geneva Motor Show next week; stay tuned for photos and more info as it rolls in.
