Giant test: the grand tourer redefined
If, in the ’60s, you needed to drive far, fast and in style, you reached for your Ferrari Daytona, the definitive GT. Hybrid, drop-top, supercar – in 2019 the GT has many faces
McLaren GT vs Ferrari Portofino vs Honda NSX
Either McLaren has been thinking outside the box or it hasn’t read the script, because the specification of this new McLaren GT veers so far off-piste from a trad grand tourer’s that someone should probably call mountain rescue. Not that the GT’s ingredients are radical, because it follows the same formula as every McLaren produced since 2011’s MP4-12C, and its building blocks trip from the tongues of car literates like a primary schooler might recite the alphabet: carbonfibre tub, midmounted twin-turbo V8, seven-speed-dual clutch gearbox, dihedral doors.
You’ll pay from £163,000, so the GT’s affordable in a McLaren context, and comparable money to the 570S Spider with which it shares so much, though there is differentiation here, and logic to McLaren’s approach too. Parts-bin mechanicals are tuned for a more relaxed if still driver-focused character – the 4.0-litre V8 gains new twin turbos and a flatter torque curve for better driveability, there are quieter, softer Pirellis, and gentler suspension and bushings too. Power stands at 612bhp and 465lb ft, splitting the 570S and 720S models, if landing significantly closer to the former. It’s a car for the journey, insists McLaren, but one that also upholds its reputation for exceptional dynamics.
Design that’s a little too seesaw-inspired to these eyes is dictated by the need to provide easier passage over speed bumps as well as extra luggage space – though the impressive-sounding 420 litres of storage under the roof-hinged hatch is presented in an awkward hump perhaps best filled by emptying the contents of your suitcase over it rather than actually taking the case along too.
All in all, an intriguing if oddball creation. So to discover if the GT can truly convince as a grand tourer, we’re convoying from East Anglia to north Wales with similarly expensive rivals that stress-test the McLaren’s talents at either end of the spectrum.
Released early last year to replace the California T, Ferrari’s Portofino – its entry-level model at £168k – is a much more conventional grand tourer: engine up front, decent boot at the back and – two USPs in this test – handy plus-two rear seats and a folding hardtop that allows the Portofino to morph from coupe to convertible at the push of a button.
The recently evolved Honda NSX is on hand to keep the McLaren’s blend of mid-engined dynamics and usability honest. The NSX has always majored on usability, and the second generation bolsters that hand with all-wheel drive and pure electric running for short periods – thank a turbo
The Honda and Ferrari stresstest the McLaren’s talents at either end of the spectrum
V6 engine with hybrid assistance for that. If the NSX proves comfortable, secure, efficient and thrilling to drive, it might just beat the McLaren GT at its own game. Mind you, it does cost more at £164k.
Settle into the McLaren GT’s cabin and it’s clear McLaren has expended significant effort ensuring it fulfils the luxury/useable brief expected of any grand tourer. Familiarly low-set sports seats have more indulgent padding and are upholstered in softgrain aniline leather, and the deja-vu 570S dash is garnished with knurled finishes and beautifully tactile metal paddleshifters. There’s even our car’s optional electrochromic roof that darkens or lightens at the press of a button, and new, faster infotainment with sat-nav more likely to get you to your destination. There’s definitely greater sophistication and sense of occasion to these surroundings, though the pricey £10k Luxe option pack plays a large part in that.
As M6 becomes M54 and England gives way to Wales, the GT earns its stripes as a comfortable long-distance cruiser. Road noise is significantly reduced compared with a 570S thanks to liberal extra soundproofing and softer engine mounts and bushings, and the ride has a supple glide even by McLaren’s exceptional standards – it borrows Proactive damping from the costlier 720S, which doesn’t just react to bumps and driver inputs, but gets one step ahead of them, too. The steering also feels significantly different: weightier on-centre, with less road-feel fizz than other McLarens, but the hydraulic system will still turn out to be the standout on this test.
The GT is no Bentley – there’s still a hum of road noise, and the occasional mid-corner bump will thwack through the carbon structure where a Conti is far better isolated – but generally it’s a comfortable, effortless car ⊲
to stroke along with its easy power and a planted, low-set feel, even when the heavens open and standing water makes progress so much trickier.
In this newly luxurious context, the gruff bass of its flatplane-crank V8 jars, and there’s squishy throttle and really quite pronounced turbo lag to work through before the turbos fling you forward, a little drum roll before the curtain raises. But if anything the pause only emphasises just how rapid the McLaren feels, the on/off turbo effect intensified by this being the lightest car on test at 1530kg, and dual-clutch gearshifts that might have had the rough edges rounded off a little to meet the GT brief, but still don’t let the engine catch its breath. Acceleration surges relentlessly as following traffic flounders in our wake.
Only the brake pedal gives real cause for complaint, with excess initial mush and tricky modulation when the pads and discs really get busy – it’s calibrated to complement gentler GT driving, but combined with the soggy turbocharged throttle, you’ll probably find crisper foot feedback playing a church organ.
The next day, rain still streaming over empty Welsh B-roads, the McLaren’s mid-engined layout, relatively low weight and punchy performance contributes to a dynamic that’s not only highly engaging, but malleable and forgiving enough to quickly build confidence too. The GT flows delicately over the road surface, steers with a measured clarity and precision that’ll later make the Honda seem sterile and the Ferrari a bit giddy and feels strikingly light and agile as it carves eagerly through corners, encouraging you to work its tyres and engine hard, confident you can coax it a little past the limits without suddenly snapping shut the throttle or stabbing at the steering in panic.
True, there’s a shade more bodyroll and less feel than with other McLarens, but the keenness of its turn-in thanks to weight being centred low and between the axles and the way it pivots around its driver like a hula-hoop are all unmistakeable signatures of a perfectly balanced sports car, no matter the extra fuzz of GT luxury, even if the nagging frustration that a 570S is a sharper, more feelsome, more agile tool persists.
So, it’s easy to fall for the McLaren GT whether you drive it at a cruise or like a cruise missile. What’s harder to fathom is whether it’s actually the correct car for this market segment. Gut feel before I jump into our rivals? I’m not sure that it is. ⊲
It’s not only highly engaging but forgiving enough to quickly build confidence