As a maker of road cars, McLaren has had a persistent problem. Despite their exquisite engineering, breath-taking speed and the indubitable prestige bestowed by the company’s decades-long Formula 1 history, modern McLaren road vehicles have been sadly lacking one key supercar ingredient – fun.
However sensuously styled and wickedly fast, their latest land missiles have all seemed somewhat soulless. More impressive specimens of laboratory know-how rather than flamboyant, dramatic expressions of true joie de vivre.
The mission, then, of this new 570S is to overtly address this lack of laughs. It is the first of what the company calls its Sport Series, a range positioned as McLaren’s entry level proposition.
The 570S is slower than the 650S – part of McLaren’s Super Series – and much slower than the P2, one of its so-called Ultimate Series. It’s cheaper, too, around £50,000 cheaper than the 650S in fact. At £142,000, though, it’s still nobody’s definition of miserly.
Despite being cheaper, it’s actually larger than the more track-focussed 650S – longer at 4,530mm and wider at 2,095mm. This extra space was clearly intended to make the car more usable, a McLaren for everyday use rather than just special occasions, unlike its more single-minded, less compromising siblings.
The 570S retains the McLaren family profile with its distinctive overly broad, rounded snout, flanked by rather recessive headlights. The car is also fitted with the very large windscreen that typified a number of previous models.
While the large screen could be justified on the grounds that it provided the pilot with a better view of the road ahead, it also gave the McLaren P1 something of a Mekon-like aspect. In the 570S, it’s more tapered and, as result, more natural looking.
Side on, the car is reminiscent of the three-seater F1, McLaren’s first foray into the road car business. Its best aspect, though, is the one that most other road users will see – its rear. Unusually satisfyingly, its exhausts, diffuser, wings, aerofoil and lights all blend together into a unified and aerodynamically effective whole. Overall, the 570S is perhaps the best looking of the modern McLarens, with the air seeming to flow smoothly and quickly over its skin even when parked.
Under that skin there’s considerable room inside, providing greater comfort than the rather glove-like 650S cockpit. There’s also a bigger front cargo-space, making the 570S a viable proposition for taking a trip with any luggage less monastic than a pair of trunks and self-scourger.
Combined with that extra size, the 570S is the first car to feature McLaren’s second-generation carbon fibre “tub.” The tub forms the rigid heart of the car, a large but light safe zone in which the passengers sit and onto which everything else bolts.
The side sills on this new tub are around 80mm lower than in previous McLarens, making getting in and out of the 570S that bit easier. The reduced levels of athleticism needed to climb aboard will doubtless appeal to those lucrative segments of the buying public who may have allowed their waistline to grow in line with their wealth. Butterfly doors, opening wide and high, further aid ingress and egress, along with helping to draw attention to the nice fast car that you happen to own.
The interior is, again, perhaps the best that the company has fashioned to date. Simple without being austere, it gives the driver all they need, without confounding them with an overwhelming mass of switches, buttons and knobs. The suspension and gearbox mode controls are neatly packaged between the seats, while the tall central sat-nav-and-everything-else screen fills the central bulk head.
In a welcome move, the on-board computer interface is easier to use than in earlier models. If there is one criticism, it’s the screen’s position. It sits too low under the central air vents and requires a long glance away from the road in order to read.
The main dashboard does away with physical instrumentation, displaying all the required information via computer screen. The dash changes appearance depending on driving mode, with the fastest track setting showing a read out akin to a single-seater racing car, complete with warning lights indicating the optimum time to change gears.
In many ways, it’s a good thing the gear change prompts are quite so clear, particularly as the 570S has a lot of them to choose from. The McLaren seven-speed semi-automatic dual clutch gearbox comes as standard, aside from full automatic mode, changes are ordered through the large rocker-levers set either side of the chunky steering wheel.
Either paddle can be used to change up or down – pull the right lever to go up a gear, push the right lever to change down. For reverse, it’s the same, except on the left.
The gear actuators feel well-machined and sturdy, while also delivering a positive action, though the “click” accompanying each shift can get a little wearying. While it’s reminiscent of the sound of an especially flimsy computer mouse button, it is about the only thing in this £140,000 car that seems cheap and nasty.
Overall, the box performs well in pretty much every driving situation. At speed, the cogs are swapped more quickly and smoothly than any human hands could manage. Engage fully automatic mode for crawling through stop-start city traffic and it’s silky smooth, with none of the neck-wrenching jerks of the earlier, less sophisticated dual-clutch systems.
This is a car designed for the road, rather than the track, and comes with a suspension to match. Over the lumps and bumps of real-world tarmac, it delivers a sure-footed ride, soaking up the punishment without upsetting the occupants or the tyre contact patches. When it comes to preventing excessive lean in the bends, the 570S does without the clever hydraulic anti-roll system found on the 650S, returning instead to good old fashioned anti-roll bars.
Despite its suppleness, the car changes direction almost instantly. The steering is highly direct and gives good tactile feedback through the wheel. Its designers have opted for hydraulic power assisted steering, rather than the trendy electromechanical variety. While the old fashioned system needs a bit more power – and therefore consumes a bit more fuel – the sacrifice in terms of the enviro-numbers is worth it when it comes to the car’s performance.
The car’s agility is partly due to its clever suspension and partly due to its weight saving carbon fibre tub and aluminium body panels. At around 1,440 kilos, the McLaren is some 200kg lighter than the similarly priced Porsche 911 Turbo S and 150kg less than an Audi R8 V10.
Less mass, of course, also means more go. While the 570S shares the same 3.8-litre V8 turbo as its go-faster 650S, it produces around 80bhp less. The resulting 560bhp, though, is still plenty enough to move that tiny handful of kilogrammes very smartly indeed. In fact, 0-62mph comes in at just 3.2 seconds, with a top speed of 205mph available, given plenty of road and a dearth of patrol cars.
The engine revs all the way to 7,800rpm, with most of the fun happening at the hysterical end of the dial. While the power delivery is smooth and progressive lower down the range, there is a hint of turbo lag at just below 4,000. Keeping the engine in its sweet spot requires a lot of tugging on those gear levers though.
The exhaust sound is also a little on the muted side – pleasing, rather than gloriously raucous. Its low-key soundtrack is actually a testament to just how efficiently the turbos recover wasted energy, neatly recycling it back into the engine.
Carbon ceramic brakes come as standard, providing their trademark nosebleed-inducing stopping power. The brake pedal is set very firm, giving little movement as the pressure and retarding forces increase. Just a hint more pedal travel, however, might have boosted the connection sensation when it comes to braking. Despite this, the brakes go on and come off progressively and predictably, allowing a smooth blending of stopping into turning.
The combination of its easy ride, progressive stop and eager-to-please Border Collie levels of handling obedience all combine to create a tremendous sense of trust in the car. You feel you can quite assuredly press on with the fast driving you crave, confident that this McLaren will stay on the black stuff.
The fact that the 570S sits on slightly narrower tyres than its stable mates also helps. The overall levels of grip, while, tremendous, are not overwhelming. In fact, the car goes very fast around corners, but not so fast as to be totally terrifying.
This sense of driving super-heroism is, of course, backed up by the on-board electronic co-pilot, ever ready to take the edge of any wayward control inputs, while keeping that bodywork the same shape as when it left the factory.
It’s worth remembering that most supercars spend most of their time being driven at far less than their flat out speeds. Thankfully, this is where the 570S really comes into its own. It’s fun to drive fairly fast, and perfectly relaxing to drive at normal cruising speeds or even when crawling between city traffic lights.
Granted, it’s slower than a 650S, but it’s also a much nicer place to sit, especially during the 98.5 percent of the time when it’s not going flat out. The forgiving suspension makes the ride comfortable for long journeys, while the exhaust note is sufficiency muffled at lower revs to just about allow for normal-level conversation.
Overall, this is perhaps the most likeable McLaren to date. It’s not the fastest. It’s not the most technically sophisticated. By lightening up on all that single-minded, po-faced over-achiever speed at all costs zeal, though, the company has made a car you’d actually want to spend more time with, rather than one you’re simply happy to admire from a respectable distance.
McLaren
570S Coupe
Engine: 3.8 litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 562bhp @7,400rpm
Torque: 443lb ft @ 5000-6500rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual clutch semi automatic through rear-wheel drive
0-62mph: 3.2 seconds
Top speed: from £142,000 (HK$1.6 million plus tax)
Above: If it looks good from the front, it looks even better from the back