570gt demo for weekend

570gt demo for weekend

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Discussion

f430hunter

Original Poster:

337 posts

204 months

Friday 14th October 2016
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Have been very lucky to be given a 570gt for the weekend to evaluate and only had it for a few hours but oh boy what a car,will give full write up with pictures after weekend,one thing i can say dont spec ivory interior hell it gets really marked.

Gettoff

1,434 posts

206 months

Saturday 15th October 2016
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Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, hope you make the most of it thumbup

Maldini35

2,913 posts

187 months

Friday 21st October 2016
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So how was it

RamboLambo

4,843 posts

169 months

Friday 21st October 2016
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So good he is still driving it

funboxster

175 posts

122 months

Friday 21st October 2016
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f430hunter said:
Have been very lucky to be given a 570gt for the weekend to evaluate and only had it for a few hours but oh boy what a car,will give full write up with pictures after weekend,one thing i can say dont spec ivory interior hell it gets really marked.
Are you out there f430? So how did you wangle that? Did you just ask based on maybe you considering buying one, and/or did they offer it?

f430hunter

Original Poster:

337 posts

204 months

Saturday 22nd October 2016
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Sorry for radio silence guys,its been a little mad here over last week,the car was delivered down to me friday before last and it brought the industrial estate to a stand still with vans and lorries stopping to look at it,the car really does have some presence.The car was finished in a deep purple with cream interior inc carpets,this was a real pain as the side sill carpets got very dirty with people getting in and out,the ivory seats were virtually blue from jean transfer after just 5 days so i wont be speccing cream/ivory interior got to be black for me and possibly alcantera inserts.First thing i did was to pull off the interior handle that opens the door as its only a microswitch but after years of pulling an interior handle to open door yes i broke it,so my workshop fixed that but i found myself saying to everyone getting out dont pull on handle as a little flimsy.Ref the doors my wife who is very slim and slight found it really was a struggle to open the door from inside so i opened it for her from outside no big deal there.The back glass hatch in my opinion really is unnecessary as you have to stretch over the rear wings to get baggage out and im very short so when the car was wet i also got wet,but the glass gives lots of light into the car so again no big deal.Build quality and paint finish etc is excellent and it feels quality except the door handle that is he he,paint is excellent real depth of shine and with a good paint correction would be perfect as like all hand painted and polished cars you can see swirls etc in the sunlight.We drove around 500 miles in all weather conditions and what i can tell you is the car does not like bad wet weather conditions but im talking really heavy rain and wind,we found the car tram lining and weaving but adjust your speed and this is very controlable,just dont drive crazy in the rain as it will bite your bum im sure.The car really does feel like a ferrari in sound and gear changes etc,it also has the typical ferrari like problems with electrics on occasions i had bogus warning messages on screen such as boot latch faulty visit workshop,climate control fault visit workshop but a quick lock and unlock always cleared these messages.Im used to driving these type of cars so i know they are tempremental and my only suggestion is to make sure you live near a mclaren agent if buying one as you will spend a bit of time there with niggling faults.Now we have all the little niggles and moans out the way how does it drive superb is the answer the gearbox is smooth in operation no juddering on take off and the gears come in and out with no dramas at all,lightning quick gearshifts and the sound is awesome cant explain it just a sound on its own hell i loved it,the car is so so quick and gives you so much confidence to drive fast.Its a thirsty beggar but you dont buy a supercar to keep checking mpg.The car attracts so much attention and everywhere we stopped peeps asked us questions about it,most asking is a P1 i wish was the answer,why anyone would want more power than this car as its insane.Hardest part now is the wait for the spider version,im not good with waiting and someone asked me why i was not buying a 675lt to which i replied the lt is not worth an extra 220k but the 570 gt and s models really are great value for money and i really do feel that mclaren are going to nick quite a few customers from other stables.I will post some pictures asap and if anyone has a specific question on the cars please ask as im sure i tried everything on the car,hope this has been a honest report and has not bored you too much.When the car was collected i must say i missed it as the seamless gearchanges and power are like nothing i have experienced.cheers all simon

MrVert

4,394 posts

238 months

Saturday 22nd October 2016
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I'm sure that's a great read, but might be worth going back and editing it into some paragraphs..

More people will read it smile

MDL111

6,892 posts

176 months

Saturday 22nd October 2016
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Thanks for the review - am warming more and more to these

cgt2

7,093 posts

187 months

Saturday 22nd October 2016
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MrVert said:
I'm sure that's a great read, but might be worth going back and editing it into some paragraphs..

More people will read it smile
Indeed, I gave up after the first few lines.. smile

AndyDubbya

939 posts

283 months

Sunday 23rd October 2016
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f430hunter said:
Sorry for radio silence guys, it's been a little mad here over last week. The car was delivered down to me Friday before last and it brought the industrial estate to a standstill, with vans and lorries stopping to look at it; the car really does have some presence.

The car was finished in a deep purple with cream interior inc carpets. This was a real pain as the side sill carpets got very dirty with people getting in and out, and the ivory seats were virtually blue from jean transfer after just 5 days - so I won't be speccing cream/ivory interior! It's got to be black for me, and possibly alcantera inserts.

First thing i did was to pull off the interior handle that opens the door, as it's only a microswitch but after years of pulling an interior handle to open the door, yes I broke it. So my workshop fixed that, but I found myself saying to everyone getting out "Don't pull on the handle as it's a little flimsy". My wife (who is very slim and slight) found it really was a struggle to open the door from the inside, so I opened it for her from the outside - no big deal there.

The back glass hatch in my opinion really is unnecessary, as you have to stretch over the rear wings to get baggage out and I'm very short, so when the car was wet I also got wet. But the glass gives lots of light into the car, so again no big deal. Build quality and paint finish etc is excellent and it feels quality (except the door handle that is, hehe). The paint is excellent with a real depth of shine and with a good paint correction would be perfect, as like all hand painted and polished cars you can see swirls etc in the sunlight.

We drove around 500 miles in all weather conditions and what I can tell you is the car does not like bad wet weather conditions - but I'm talking really heavy rain and wind. We found the car tramlining and weaving, but adjust your speed and this is very controllable, just don't drive crazy in the rain as it will bite your bum I'm sure.

The car really does feel like a Ferrari in sound and gear changes etc, but it also has the typical Ferrari-like problems with electrics on occasions: I had bogus warning messages on screen such as "boot latch faulty, visit workshop" and "climate control fault, visit workshop", but a quick lock and unlock always cleared these messages. I'm used to driving these type of cars so I know they are temperamental and my only suggestion is to make sure you live near a McLaren agent if buying one, as you will spend a bit of time there with niggling faults.

Now we have all the little niggles and moans out the way, how does it drive? Superbly is the answer - the gearbox is smooth in operation: no juddering on take off, and the gears come in and out with no dramas at all, lightning quick gearshifts and the sound is awesome! Can't explain it, just a sound on its own - hell, I loved it, the car is so so quick and gives you so much confidence to drive fast. It's a thirsty beggar, but you don't buy a supercar to keep checking mpg.

The car attracts so much attention and everywhere we stopped peeps asked us questions about it, most asking if it was a P1. "I wish!" was the answer, but I don't know why anyone would want more power than this car, as it's insane.

Hardest part now is the wait for the spider version. I'm not good with waiting and someone asked me why i was not buying a 675LT, but to me it's not worth an extra £220k - but the 570 GT and S models really are great value for money, and I really do feel that McLaren are going to nick quite a few customers from other stables.

I will post some pictures asap and if anyone has a specific question on the cars please ask, as I'm sure I tried everything on the car. I hope this has been an honest report and has not bored you too much. When the car was collected I must say I missed it, as the seamless gearchanges and power are like nothing I have experienced.

Cheers all, Simon
Hope you don't mind Simon, but I was at a loose end this morning!

ETA: keep seeing bits I missed!

Edited by AndyDubbya on Sunday 23 October 08:21

funboxster

175 posts

122 months

Sunday 23rd October 2016
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f430 hunter wrote

if anyone has a specific question on the cars please ask as im sure i tried everything on the car.

Mine is due in mid December. How do you find access/egress, especially in car parks? Or do you keep it well away from them!

I'm slightly concerned about the electrical niggles you've suffered. Let's hope that's the end of them for you and that i don't suffer with any!

f430hunter

Original Poster:

337 posts

204 months

Sunday 23rd October 2016
quotequote all
Sorry guys for the way it was written and put together,but am currently away and did it on a mobile whilst on a exercise bike but no excuse i know.Ref access always make sure one of the doors can not be parked against as opens wider than normal door.Thankyou for editing the post correctly.Back to pedaling lol.

AndyDubbya

939 posts

283 months

Sunday 23rd October 2016
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f430hunter said:
Sorry guys for the way it was written and put together,but am currently away and did it on a mobile whilst on a exercise bike but no excuse i know.Ref access always make sure one of the doors can not be parked against as opens wider than normal door.Thankyou for editing the post correctly.Back to pedaling lol.
No problem, I enjoyed reading it & you made interesting points. I thought it'd be a shame if others were put off reading it, so it was worth the re-formatting!

W8PMC

3,345 posts

237 months

Monday 24th October 2016
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It was an interesting read, thank you.

I was considering a 570S alongside the R8 V10+ & 991.2 Turbo S & for many reasons the McL came 3rd & you're right up in some ways confirms my decisions.

I'm not a Supercar buyer, having owned BMW M's & Audi RS's for many years so i need performance & reliability in equal measures as would use the car for long fortnightly journeys to my office, so your points of various warning messages, questionable electronics & apparent build quality make reaffirm my decision that the 570S was not the car for me.

I had a test drive & 1/2 day at Millbrook in the cars & no doubting the performance & presence, but for me car ownership has to cover many more aspects & although the McL may stack up quality wise against it's Italian competition, for me it needs to stack up against German build quality & usability which is why the Porsche & Audi both came out ahead. This of course is only my opinion against my requirements which will doffer from others.

The Surveyor

7,576 posts

236 months

Monday 24th October 2016
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I would say the 570 is a viable alternative to the R8 and 911 as a weekend toy, or second car. The extra drama and lighter / more sporting bias being the reason it comes out on top of most group tests, rather than it's every-day reliability. If you need the car as your only car, then the perception is that the German cars will be more robust, or even if they are equally temperamental then at least there are plenty of Audi and Porsche dealers who can repair locally. Nice choice to have thumbup

LukeyLikey

855 posts

146 months

Monday 24th October 2016
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I've had a number of Ferraris and a 12C. I love the look of the GT but have never driven one, though many seem to say the 570 series drives better than the 12C/650.

My point though, is that with the three cars of the Ferrari DCT generation, their build has been far superior to the 430 and before. My experience with 360's and a 430 was lots of niggly gremlins. Not catastrophic - none of them ever left me by the roadside - but something you have to learn to accept and work around.

California, Speciale and FF have all been bulletproof (except for a battery on the FF, which I bought as a three year old used car with 20k on the clock). My Speciale in particular, has been used for now numerous road trips and it has been absolutely bulletproof and feels very very strong.

I also only had a couple of things with my 12C, which was a late car. Bottom line? Gremlins on a 570 are not acceptable and not comparable to my experience of Ferrari either. I don't know if you've only had experience up to 430 (just going by your name) but things have changed immeasurably since then.

570 GT is a beautiful looking car though, and although it gets marked, that colour scheme sounds gorgeous.

W8PMC

3,345 posts

237 months

Monday 24th October 2016
quotequote all
The Surveyor said:
I would say the 570 is a viable alternative to the R8 and 911 as a weekend toy, or second car. The extra drama and lighter / more sporting bias being the reason it comes out on top of most group tests, rather than it's every-day reliability. If you need the car as your only car, then the perception is that the German cars will be more robust, or even if they are equally temperamental then at least there are plenty of Audi and Porsche dealers who can repair locally. Nice choice to have thumbup
Totally agree, which is why the choice was between those 3 & if i had been looking for a weekend toy then no doubt the 570s would have for those requirements come out ahead of the Audi or Porsche, but i'm not in the enviable position of being able to spend that kind of money on a toy, i'd need said car to be a reliable mode of transport that can cover most eventualities. The wife has a new XC60 so it wouldn't have needed to do the family chores, but it would have been my mode of transport to/from & for work as well as other more mundane tasks i sometimes have to complete. The dealer point is a good one, as is the overall running costs as both the Germans came out as much easier to live with on both accounts.

foxsasha

1,416 posts

134 months

Monday 24th October 2016
quotequote all
W8PMC said:
It was an interesting read, thank you.

I was considering a 570S alongside the R8 V10+ & 991.2 Turbo S & for many reasons the McL came 3rd & you're right up in some ways confirms my decisions.

I'm not a Supercar buyer, having owned BMW M's & Audi RS's for many years so i need performance & reliability in equal measures as would use the car for long fortnightly journeys to my office, so your points of various warning messages, questionable electronics & apparent build quality make reaffirm my decision that the 570S was not the car for me.

I had a test drive & 1/2 day at Millbrook in the cars & no doubting the performance & presence, but for me car ownership has to cover many more aspects & although the McL may stack up quality wise against it's Italian competition, for me it needs to stack up against German build quality & usability which is why the Porsche & Audi both came out ahead. This of course is only my opinion against my requirements which will doffer from others.
I've also been looking at R8 V10 vs McLaren vs 991 turbo S although around the £100-120k mark rather than new. I very nearly nearly bought a 12C but the sale fell through at the last minute due to issues with the car. My research into McLaren has scared me off the brand for now. I'd consider a nearly new car with long McLaren warranty but not a car of an age that my budget would buy.

The Porsche is higher on my list than the R8 and Im just waiting for a reply from a dealer about a px deal on a great spec 991.

There's no doubt that the McLaren is a highly desirable brand and the cars are fantastic but I have little patience for niggles and have no faith in the build quality of the cars, particularly the earlier ones. The mentality of McLaren towards helping owners keep the older cars on the road at vaugly sensible costs also leaves a lot to be desired. If I was buying new, however, then the GT would be the car at the top of my list. Or a year old 650. Plan is to look again at this price point in 2018.

f1ten

2,161 posts

152 months

Monday 24th October 2016
quotequote all
I've also driven a 570gt and 650s
Seriously impressed with both cars
650s was a flasher and faster piece of kit and out the box sounds better
570 needs a sports exhaust
Doesn't rev as quickly as a Ferrari but the pull and gear shifts are absolute top of the game in both cars

I'm undecided if it's good enough to get me out of the Ferrari magic yet but I think it's a real alternative and I like the looks, image, handling


Bispal

1,603 posts

150 months

Monday 24th October 2016
quotequote all
foxsasha said:
I've also been looking at R8 V10 vs McLaren vs 991 turbo S although around the £100-120k mark rather than new. I very nearly nearly bought a 12C but the sale fell through at the last minute due to issues with the car. My research into McLaren has scared me off the brand for now. I'd consider a nearly new car with long McLaren warranty but not a car of an age that my budget would buy.

The Porsche is higher on my list than the R8 and Im just waiting for a reply from a dealer about a px deal on a great spec 991.

There's no doubt that the McLaren is a highly desirable brand and the cars are fantastic but I have little patience for niggles and have no faith in the build quality of the cars, particularly the earlier ones. The mentality of McLaren towards helping owners keep the older cars on the road at vaugly sensible costs also leaves a lot to be desired. If I was buying new, however, then the GT would be the car at the top of my list. Or a year old 650. Plan is to look again at this price point in 2018.
I was in your position a years ago, bought the 12C and its been fantastic. Yes there have been a few tiny niggles but nothing serious, a broken USB and a creaking wheel hub but in 6,000 miles of driving that's not too bad. Buy under 5 years privately and add a 2 year warranty asap, or buy any age from McL dealer and buy an additional year to give you 2 years or buy any age from Alistair Bols with a 1 year warranty with all work carried out by McL. You can then resell through AB for £4k inc. or privately with warranty left?