RE: McLaren 570S vs. 911 Turbo S vs. R8 V10 Plus

[fluffekins]

Makes you wonder what you get for the other £140k!

Scuffers said:

the 'Options'

£3,420 for Vermilion Red elite paint
£5,540 for Carbon fibre pack 1
£7,730 for Carbon fibre pack 2
£3,180 for sports exhaust
£4,300 for super-lightweight wheels
£880 for special colour brake calipers
£2,470 for 'By McLaren' designer interior
£3,400 for Bowers and Wilkins 12-speaker audio system upgrade
£2,620 for electric and heated memory seats
£960 for front and rear parking sensors
£990 for rear view camera
£1,990 for nose lift
£3,050 for Carbon fibre seat backs

realistically, you could live without all of them..

[menguin]

Scuffers said:

the 'Options'
...
£2,470 for 'By McLaren' designer interior
...

Wait, we have to pay for a McLaren interior? Who the hell designed the original interior?!

[Tuvra]

Palmball said:

R8 is the one that did it for me (and I typically don't even like these posh Veedubs)....but that powertrain is as tremendous as the article suggests. Not sure what all the fuss is about with the dynamic steering - feels fine to me.

I think the Macca is an outstanding piece of kit but sadly it's not really in the same price point as the other two (not for a like for like spec). R8 won me over anyway

Fair play, that looks outstanding, like a mini 918

I was a bit "meh" about the new R8 in pictures but I have seen two on the road (Navy & Silvery Blue Met.) and they look absolutely spot on. Sharpening up the lines make it seem lower, wider, bigger and more purposeful looking. I love 911 Turbo's but I love the V10 R8's more and that is what I would have out of these two*

*McLaren isn't the same price level IMO.

[bobo]

how dated does that 911 look!

[k-ink]

I have to say that R8 does look very fine in black! So much better than other colours.

[subirg]

What a completely irrelevant test. The Mc at £180k+ is not competing with cars that are 20% cheaper unless dealers are already providing massive incentives…

[Jam12321]

Not a fan of that R8, looks terrible compared to the old car. Would have been tempted by the old one but looking at the pics above? no thank you. Both the interior and exterior look so dated.

Mclaren for me. I can imagine the Porsche is one of those cars you love driving but never look back at when walking away.

[Scuffers]

subirg said:

What a completely irrelevant test. The Mc at £180k+ is not competing with cars that are 20% cheaper unless dealers are already providing massive incentives…

I get your point, but the only reason it's that money is because they have ticked every Carbon option you can.

R8 Plus starts at what? £135K, 570S is what? £143?

once you start on the options list for either it get's silly.

[smilo996]

Who wrote this satanic article. Porsche 911 does not win the test?

Then again it is no longer the best car in class. Too many other mid engined cars are now just better than the 911. To be honest I reckon Porsche have a problem. The engineering architecture of the 911 coming back to haunt it, shame.

We will have to wait for Dan's conclusion though. Chris Harris seems to have been convinced back when reviewing the 650S.

Really like the look of the 570S. It will be interesting to see where McLaren go next. 4 doors, Evora and Exige type cars, for the next set of cars. They really have done a superb job.
It seems that they will be doing 2+2's which will directly address the only USP of the 911. A 2 seat sportscar with 4 seats.

[Ballistic]

Palmball said:

R8 is the one that did it for me (and I typically don't even like these posh Veedubs)....but that powertrain is as tremendous as the article suggests. Not sure what all the fuss is about with the dynamic steering - feels fine to me.

I think the Macca is an outstanding piece of kit but sadly it's not really in the same price point as the other two (not for a like for like spec). R8 won me over anyway

Hi Andrew,

What was it about the R8 that won you over and how does it compare to the AMG GTS?

[monty quick]

These are all fantastic cars with abilities far greater than most drivers could ever exploit. They are also cars that I could only dream of owning. However, if I had something approaching £200k to spend on a car I just could not live with the fact that the Porsche looks, well, like any other Porsche. I visited a supercar show last year and nobody looks at the Porches whereas everyone seemed to be pushing and shoving to look at McLarens, Lamborghinis and even Ferraris. I know the 'Classic' 911 look is exactly what appeals to some people but I would want to stand out in the crowd so when I win the lottery it will be a McLaren for me!

[Scuffers]

smilo996 said:

Really like the look of the 570S. It will be interesting to see where McLaren go next. 4 doors, Evora and Exige type cars, for the next set of cars. They really have done a superb job.
It seems that they will be doing 2+2's which will directly address the only USP of the 911. A 2 seat sportscar with 4 seats.

I really hope they DON'T go down the marketing lead blind ally of the 2+2 mid-engined disaster.

History has already show this to be an unmitigated disaster no mater who has tried it.

[LordHaveMurci]

That R8 is gopping

Nice to see the McClaren beat the 911, especially in those conditions, if nothing else it may shut some of the Porsche conspiracists on here up!

[jamespink]

I accept I am not in the market for a new McLaren but I think these "extras" prices are utterly mad... Try this, pick one, read the price and try to feel its "priced about right"... Bear in mind most these are for parts "replacing" a perfectly functional "standard" part.

Scuffers said:

Wilmslowboy said:

570s as tested - £184k

the 'Options'

£3,420 for Vermilion Red elite paint
£5,540 for Carbon fibre pack 1
£7,730 for Carbon fibre pack 2
£3,180 for sports exhaust
£4,300 for super-lightweight wheels
£880 for special colour brake calipers
£2,470 for 'By McLaren' designer interior
£3,400 for Bowers and Wilkins 12-speaker audio system upgrade
£2,620 for electric and heated memory seats
£960 for front and rear parking sensors
£990 for rear view camera
£1,990 for nose lift
£3,050 for Carbon fibre seat backs

realistically, you could live without all of them..

[suffolk009]

^^^^ I think your point is sadly true of all top end car manufacturers. I doubt the additional premiums on the Audi or Porsche price lists are all that different.

[Dale487]

Matt Bird said:

LukeDM said:

I like the Porsche, but I haven't driven any of them. Interesting to see that the Audi has £20k of extras and the McLaren has £40k!! Would it make any difference if they were all standard cars? I suppose if you are in the market for such a car then £40k of optional extras wouldn't be a big deal.

I really don't think it would, if anything the Audi would probably be improved! Taking out Dynamic Steering would help, Dan seemed to think the standard dampers were fine also. I'm not sure you really need 'Gloss Carbon engine bay trim' or the laser headlights either.

As for the McLaren, most of that £40K is carbon trinkets, I think the only things that would influence it dynamically are the super lightweight wheels and the sports exhaust. Certainly not enough to sway the final order. I think you would have to have the nose lift and reversing camera (just to be sure!) but the rest is simply garnish. Mantis Green for me too I think!


Matt

I think you have hit the nail on the head with the McLaren spec - 4 useful additional extras and the rest is just bling/window dressing etc

I'm a massive Porsche nut and would have one over pretty much any car but the McLaren looks and sounds very very tempting - just keep the options down to useful ones and you'll be at the same price too.

[graeme4130]

jamespink said:

I accept I am not in the market for a new McLaren but I think these "extras" prices are utterly mad... Try this, pick one, read the price and try to feel its "priced about right"... Bear in mind most these are for parts "replacing" a perfectly functional "standard" part.

Scuffers said:

Wilmslowboy said:

570s as tested - £184k

the 'Options'

£3,420 for Vermilion Red elite paint
£5,540 for Carbon fibre pack 1
£7,730 for Carbon fibre pack 2
£3,180 for sports exhaust
£4,300 for super-lightweight wheels
£880 for special colour brake calipers
£2,470 for 'By McLaren' designer interior
£3,400 for Bowers and Wilkins 12-speaker audio system upgrade
£2,620 for electric and heated memory seats
£960 for front and rear parking sensors
£990 for rear view camera
£1,990 for nose lift
£3,050 for Carbon fibre seat backs

realistically, you could live without all of them..

Most of those are laughable, but the one that always makes me baulk is the painted callipers at £880. Especially when you consider, as you say, that they're just ordering the callipers in a different car, and not even removing standard ones and having them painted !
Don't even get me started on the costs of different coloured leather stitching @ >£k1 or coloured seat belts @ £1500

[Tuvra]

LordHaveMurci said:

That R8 is gopping

Yeah I bet you'd be really gutted if you have to drive one

[deltashad]

McLaren is stunning. Its the only one I'd ever consider punting that amount of cash on. The other two are a bit, everyday.
Keep them all. Give me an Exige 360 cup, I'll keep the change.

[Dale487]

saxy said:

The Mac wins easily. It's a full on supercar. In fact it actually looks more prestige than a 650S. Someone above said they'd buy a used 650s which would have hypercar performance as oppose to this. I'm sorry, you would never be able to tell the difference between these on public roads except that the 570s sounds better, looks better and is 30% less the price.

As for pure speed from A to B, the Porsche wins hands down. But I'd take a GT3 over a turbo. In fact I'd take a Carrera S over a turbo as well. Cuz the turbo models you pay more for less driving pleasure.

When I was 12 I'd had a 911 Turbo over any other Porsche 911 but now GT3, Carrera GTS, Carrera S or Carrera all appeal to me more - driving experience and looks