McLaren finally let the media have a go in what is arguably, the most important model of its lineup, the all-new 570S.
The entry-level McLaren declares war on the 911 Turbo and R8 V10 Plus by introducing features previously seen only in the supercar league, like the Monocell carbon tub mixed with a detuned version of Woking’s twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 which now makes 562hp, enough to propel the 570S from nought to 62mph (100km/h) in 3.2 seconds and to 124mph (200km/h) in just 9.5 seconds.
Pretty fast then but McLaren also says that the 570S is primarily a road car, that’s why Woking left out the complex hydraulic suspension setup used by its more expensive models and installed instead a set of conventional roll bars and adaptive dampers. By doing so the company says the car feels more connected, more approachable, more fun.
And that’s the key element of the McLaren 570S; It’s the first model that came out of the Woking factory which puts fun first in its list of handling priorities. That, and this boring everyday usability thingy everyone keeps talking about.
Chris Harris delivers his first thoughts on the new Macca, after driving both on the beautiful Portimao track and on road. And he has a lot of thoughts.