P14 mule in Autocar
Discussion
RamboLambo said:
isaldiri said:
Purely conjecture on my part but given Mclaren have progressively tuned their cars to be more 'alive' having been very criticised early on for the 12c being normal on er.. normal mode, it would make sense for them to tune the standard models (which are the ones that they do need to shift in volume) more to the 675 which seems to be universally praised by the automotive press. The 570 already shows that, the car feels a good bit more '458 ish' for lack of a better description than the 650/12c at low speeds. The p14 will I suspect take that further forward.
Maybe but I just don't see it being so hardcore in standard guise.Faster, better sounding and a little more playful at low speeds but its still got to appeal to the mainstream and be more useable.
The 650S is a more accomplished all rounder than a 675LT if you intend using it regularly.
I like the more sporty type car but found the 430 Scuderia a bit too far stripped out. 675 LT spider would be perfect for me but less so for the missus.
After 650S which she loves maybe P14 will be the half way house unless in the meantime 675 LT spider prices become more reasonable
I keep toying with swapping my 650 spider for a an LT spider.
BUT
Alcantara interior and wheel are not very practical for touring
The reduced sound deadening is "testing" on a long trip
No heated seats on the "proper" seat option
TWICE the price of my 650
Putting decent miles on it will muller the residuals
SO
I'm on the P14 spider list
andrew said:
mikey k said:
Alcantara interior and wheel are not very practical for touring
can i ask why not ?Dust and sand are a swine to get out of it (especially in a spider)
It marks VERY easily
Its awkward to keep looking clean and tidy
My leather interior on my 650 has done 14k miles in the last year with the roof down most the time. It cleans up to as new with a quick vacuum and a damp cloth
mikey k said:
andrew said:
mikey k said:
Alcantara interior and wheel are not very practical for touring
can i ask why not ?Dust and sand are a swine to get out of it (especially in a spider)
It marks VERY easily
Its awkward to keep looking clean and tidy
My leather interior on my 650 has done 14k miles in the last year with the roof down most the time. It cleans up to as new with a quick vacuum and a damp cloth
if you see a grey superleggera registered "bo55 bul" at a sunday service or similar, say hello
happy to show you what 46k miles has done to a grey full alcantara interior
andrew said:
mikey k said:
andrew said:
mikey k said:
Alcantara interior and wheel are not very practical for touring
can i ask why not ?Dust and sand are a swine to get out of it (especially in a spider)
It marks VERY easily
Its awkward to keep looking clean and tidy
My leather interior on my 650 has done 14k miles in the last year with the roof down most the time. It cleans up to as new with a quick vacuum and a damp cloth
if you see a grey superleggera registered "bo55 bul" at a sunday service or similar, say hello
happy to show you what 46k miles has done to a grey full alcantara interior
Mostly with the roof down and only been able to clean the car twice.
For that sort of continous use the full leather is far more convenient and durable.
That's how we use our car and is why Alcantara doesn't work for us in high contact areas like steering wheel, seats, console and door cards.
Its a shame as I do like the look of Alcantara when its tidy, there's no way I could keep it like that though.
mikey k said:
Just to qualify that, since the beginning of September I've done 8k miles across Europe in two trips.
Mostly with the roof down and only been able to clean the car twice.
For that sort of continous use the full leather is far more convenient and durable.
That's how we use our car and is why Alcantara doesn't work for us in high contact areas like steering wheel, seats, console and door cards.
Its a shame as I do like the look of Alcantara when its tidy, there's no way I could keep it like that though.
+1Mostly with the roof down and only been able to clean the car twice.
For that sort of continous use the full leather is far more convenient and durable.
That's how we use our car and is why Alcantara doesn't work for us in high contact areas like steering wheel, seats, console and door cards.
Its a shame as I do like the look of Alcantara when its tidy, there's no way I could keep it like that though.
Leather is far more durable and will hide age and mileage much better. With an alcantara steering wheel, you need to be using gloves so as not to damage it over time.
TP321 said:
+1
Leather is far more durable and will hide age and mileage much better. With an alcantara steering wheel, you need to be using gloves so as not to damage it over time.
interestingLeather is far more durable and will hide age and mileage much better. With an alcantara steering wheel, you need to be using gloves so as not to damage it over time.
i've never in all my years ( ! ) actually ever seen a alcantara wheel, suede yes, but never alcantara
if it's alcantara, then surely it'll be relatively slippery to hold ?
andrew said:
interesting
i've never in all my years ( ! ) actually ever seen a alcantara wheel, suede yes, but never alcantara
if it's alcantara, then surely it'll be relatively slippery to hold ?
the complete opposite.i've never in all my years ( ! ) actually ever seen a alcantara wheel, suede yes, but never alcantara
if it's alcantara, then surely it'll be relatively slippery to hold ?
It's textured, roughed up if you will.
warmer and grippy'er than plain leather
but not as long lasting.
checkout Royalsteeringwheels.com ...he does an excellent re-covering service...
Quickmoose said:
andrew said:
interesting
i've never in all my years ( ! ) actually ever seen a alcantara wheel, suede yes, but never alcantara
if it's alcantara, then surely it'll be relatively slippery to hold ?
the complete opposite.i've never in all my years ( ! ) actually ever seen a alcantara wheel, suede yes, but never alcantara
if it's alcantara, then surely it'll be relatively slippery to hold ?
It's textured, roughed up if you will.
warmer and grippy'er than plain leather
but not as long lasting.
checkout Royalsteeringwheels.com ...he does an excellent re-covering service...
andrew said:
TP321 said:
+1
Leather is far more durable and will hide age and mileage much better. With an alcantara steering wheel, you need to be using gloves so as not to damage it over time.
interestingLeather is far more durable and will hide age and mileage much better. With an alcantara steering wheel, you need to be using gloves so as not to damage it over time.
i've never in all my years ( ! ) actually ever seen a alcantara wheel, suede yes, but never alcantara
if it's alcantara, then surely it'll be relatively slippery to hold ?
Yes, it is slippery to hold. It is crap as a material for a steering wheel, unlike real suede which is a perfect material, apart from the fact that it has a usable life span on a steering wheel of about 10 hours of driving before it starts to go bad.
The problem with leather on seats is that it is cold in the winter and hot in the summer - the exact opposite of what one wants.
flemke said:
andrew said:
TP321 said:
+1
Leather is far more durable and will hide age and mileage much better. With an alcantara steering wheel, you need to be using gloves so as not to damage it over time.
interestingLeather is far more durable and will hide age and mileage much better. With an alcantara steering wheel, you need to be using gloves so as not to damage it over time.
i've never in all my years ( ! ) actually ever seen a alcantara wheel, suede yes, but never alcantara
if it's alcantara, then surely it'll be relatively slippery to hold ?
Yes, it is slippery to hold. It is crap as a material for a steering wheel, unlike real suede which is a perfect material, apart from the fact that it has a usable life span on a steering wheel of about 10 hours of driving before it starts to go bad.
The problem with leather on seats is that it is cold in the winter and hot in the summer - the exact opposite of what one wants.
the italians have a preference for suede steering wheels
i'd obviously seen it on the german cars, but not had a crafty sniff, and so had assumed suede
flemke said:
Yes, if you want to drag around the extra weight that that system entails, which does not necessarily suit the ethos of a McLaren.
If you want a lightweight racer you go for a LT but even that's not fully stripped out like a Speciale or Scuderia.The lightness of the carbon tubs allows you to have such things versus the lardy arse competition
flemke said:
RamboLambo said:
Leather is perfect if you have heated and ventilated seats for both the winter and summer.
Yes, if you want to drag around the extra weight that that system entails, which does not necessarily suit the ethos of a McLaren.In the introduction to the 650 S brochure Mike Flewitt writes of the car being more refined and more comfortable, which in the context of what went before I take to mean as compared to previous McLarens.
In my view that refinement, admittedly at the cost of some additional weight, has produced a car eminently suited to long trips across Europe on their empty D roads. This summer the heated element of the seats was not much use on the way to the Alps but comfort entry is very practical and the 40kg of so of the spider roof well worth lugging around.
I do agree about alcantara steering wheels, the one on the GT3 is a horrid thing as is the gear knob. OPC made some effort to buff it up after 6 years wear and tear but it remains deeply unlovely. I put it in the same category as the centre locks which according to Porsche are derived from motorsport. What a pity they didn’t think to hand the threads.
garyhun said:
So a new discussion .... what's the perfect interior in terms of material and where it should go?
I actually like the 50/50 Alcantara/Leather interior McL did on the 650. Only bit I would change is swap alacantara to leather in high contact areas like centre console and door handles.Here's what it currently looks like
Edited by mikey k on Thursday 15th December 10:05
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