Impressive sequel to the 650S
EASIER TO DRIVE AND SURPRISINGLY CIVIL
Wayne Bruce, McLaren’s global communications director, talks about the joy of designing his company’s second- generation supercar as if he hasn’t heard of the sophomore jinx or Hollywood’s propensity for truly gawd- awful sequels. Of course, for every Blues Brothers 2000 (my vote for the worst sequel of all time, only because I loved the original so much) there’s a Godfather Part II, the best sequel of all time because it somehow managed to make Vito Corleone even more terrifying.
Indeed, since automotive engineering never really stands still, it’s not so much stagnation or regression that Bruce and company fear, but rather not reaching the expectations set out in trying to one- up one of the seminal supercars of all time.
For let us not forget what a revolution the MP4-12C was in 2010. It ushered in the era of modern carbon fibre tubs (that’s engineering/racing geekspeak for the main chassis section that now underpins virtually all supercars), made the turbocharging of supercar engines almost respectable and added a civility not seen in its Italian counterparts. The question, then, is not whether the 720S is better than the 650S, but is it the giant leap forward that its predecessor was?
It certainly is quicker. Boosted to 4.0 litres, McLaren’s twice-turbo charged V8 now scoots the new 720S to 100 km/h in an incredible 2.9 seconds. To put that in perspective, that is only a tenth of a second slower than McLaren’s all-conquering P1. Indeed, because the P1 is slower to brake, the 720S posts a virtually identical 0-100-0 time, its new lightweight construction (some 18 kilograms less than the 650) and humongous 390-millimetre carbon-fibre discs making up in braking the little it loses in acceleration to McLaren’s hyper hybrid.
In fact, the first impression — at least, if you’re heading out onto Italy’s Vallelunga Circuit’s impossibly speedy front straight for the first time — is how crushingly rapid the new 720S is. Its 710 horsepower literally blows its 641hp predecessor into the weeds. Where the 650S always felt controllable, the new 720 is just barking.
In fact, everything about the new M840T engine seems a little more manic than previous McLarens (save perhaps the aforementioned P1). There’s a “Loud Start” function that injects extra gas into the exhaust system so there’s a little attention-getting backfire. And that’s only the beginning. Immediately apparent is how much quicker — especially in Track mode — the new M840T engine responds to throttle inputs than the previous M838.
The same immediate — if not quite manic — attitude infuses the 720S’s chassis. Oh, McLaren’s patented Proactive suspension still cross-links opposing hydraulics — left front and right rear are conjoined, as are the right front and left rear. The carbon- fibre chassis — thoroughly updated for second-gen use — is still an exemplar of stiffness and light weight. But the chassis’ tuning, the very soul of the 720, has changed.
The new S is all about pointy end steering precision. Indeed, the company has added a new function to its Active Dynamics electronic stability control system called Variable Drift Control ( VDC) which, as the name implies, lets even the neophyte safely play sideways silly buggers.
Another automatic function that I came to appreciate — and one sure to tick off purists — was the sevenspeed transmission’s automatic mode.
D- for- Drive certainly got more out of the engine than I ever could. Indeed, quick-revving engines l i ke the M840T make mockery of a purist’s desire for a manual transmission; no human heel- and- toe- er is even remotely capable of keeping up with a dual- clutch automatic’s rapid-fire gear shifts.
Rest assured that Woking’s engineers have also expanded the 702S’ everyday profile. The combination of that stiffer Monocage II chassis and more widely adjustable damping has seen suspension compliance improve.
Ditto f or t he i nterior decor, now more luxurious than ever. A few details shine bright, but the creme-de- lacreme is the 720’s new Folding Driver Display retracting centre gauge set. Like so many modern cars, the gauges are actually a fully customizable TFT screen. But — and this is so nifty — the entire gauge set rotates and retracts into the dashboard, leaving a little slit of an LCD readout that just gives you the basics — gear position, rpm, etc. — needed for slicing and dicing around a racetrack without distraction. Très cool.
Nitpicks are few, but it would be totally remiss of me to not mention how truly terrible McLaren’s navigation system remains.
Less loathsome, but still requiring a little adapting, is McLaren’s tuning of its brakes.
The McLaren 720S will start at $ 312,500 and the f i rst editions will be in Canada by June. You’d better hurry if you want one, though; almost the entire first- year supply is already sold.