So I test drove a 12C today
Discussion
You were more methodical than me but I came to the same conclusion and ordered a 650S spider
Wozza said:
I knew I was going to be in the position to buy my first supercar this year. My V8 Vantage had been enjoyable but business has been good and at last I am in the position I'd always dreamt of!
I've spent lots of time in Car Clubs over the last few year as I love trying different cars and so I joined Auto Vivendi so I could test drive all of the cars on my short list properly. ie by doing 300 miles in each of them, on my own, without sales people around. I couldn't possibly consider spending that amount of money on one without a proper test. I find you learn so much about a car once you are over the initial excitement of the first 50 miles.
I expected to want to buy a 458, so the order was to be to try the 12C first, then a Huracan and save the 458 for last and for glory. Things didn't quite work out as expected though.
12C first. An early coupe with the crashing iris, heavy paddles, no sports exhaust, etc. The one that the press says is too Ron-like and had been rushed out into production and is so forgettable compared to a 458. WOW. It was bloody brilliant! The driving position, the visibility, the speed, the steering and of course the incredible ride. Had a couple of unforgettable drives in it and was shocked at how much I enjoyed the car over a weekend. Wow how good is the 458 going to be if it blows the 12C away!
Huracan next. After 15 miles (or a normal test drive?) I was smitten. This must be the one. The looks. The drama. The awesome dashboard. Everyone taking photos and smiling. It makes you feel like a rock god! Took it out for a proper drive late that night. Hmmmm. Something wasn't quite right. (It didn't have the Dynamic Steering by the way). It was all a bit too...easy. Any junction / roundabout - plant your foot, a few gear changes and you're in license losing speeds without really doing anything? It was too easy. It hooked up and WENT VERY FAST. Around corners, it felt so planted that you just guided it carefully at VERY HIGH speeds. it was TOO easy to go TOO fast. Hmmmmm. The 12C felt emotional and the Huracan felt sterile in the way it drove. Even more confusing!
So finally the 458. The crown is waiting to be claimed. Every review I have ever devoured said just says how incredible it is.
But it doesn't start very well. After half an hour in busy traffic on the M40 at 50 mph I'm struggling to modulate my speed. I'm either accelerating or decelerating. This is annoying. After an hour my ankle hurts as its in an awkward position and bent back slightly (I'm about 5' 10"). This car needs to be amazing when I finally get going because getting anywhere far is going to hurt. Finally I do get to the good roads and yes, the engine is a screamer and my enthusiasm is back!
But. This thing when the valves open. Its REALLY annoying me in 'normal' use. Its fine when youre on it and the car is screaming but you can't always be on it! In normal/brisk/quick driving, you accelerate a little bit, normal response and then the valves open and you get BLARE straight away. Stop it! Be loud when I'm on it yes but stop BLARING when I want to drive briskly. Its not a nice noise. Its just a loud BLARE>. I don't remember that in the reviews? I do remember Clarkson saying it gets a bit shouty but dismissed it as his nonsensical winding up of James May but that actually is spot on.
I get home that night dejected by the Ferrari - as you can probably see, I had the found whole experience ruined by lots of irritating quirks. I couldn't possibly consider doing any road trips in that car. I've dreamt and worked hard for 20 years to be at this point - when I can commit to buying the Ferrari I had always assumed I would buy. Even when I hadn't particularly enjoyed the 430 I'd tried before I had still assumed I would want the 458.
So there was a very clear, and unexpected, winner for me. Skip forward a month or two and a 12C Spider is due to arrive in my garage in the next week or two. Cannot wait!
Very interesting - I'd been considering joining one of these clubs for a while but wrote it off as a waste of money and I thought you need to book the cars far in advance. Perhaps I should join?I've spent lots of time in Car Clubs over the last few year as I love trying different cars and so I joined Auto Vivendi so I could test drive all of the cars on my short list properly. ie by doing 300 miles in each of them, on my own, without sales people around. I couldn't possibly consider spending that amount of money on one without a proper test. I find you learn so much about a car once you are over the initial excitement of the first 50 miles.
I expected to want to buy a 458, so the order was to be to try the 12C first, then a Huracan and save the 458 for last and for glory. Things didn't quite work out as expected though.
12C first. An early coupe with the crashing iris, heavy paddles, no sports exhaust, etc. The one that the press says is too Ron-like and had been rushed out into production and is so forgettable compared to a 458. WOW. It was bloody brilliant! The driving position, the visibility, the speed, the steering and of course the incredible ride. Had a couple of unforgettable drives in it and was shocked at how much I enjoyed the car over a weekend. Wow how good is the 458 going to be if it blows the 12C away!
Huracan next. After 15 miles (or a normal test drive?) I was smitten. This must be the one. The looks. The drama. The awesome dashboard. Everyone taking photos and smiling. It makes you feel like a rock god! Took it out for a proper drive late that night. Hmmmm. Something wasn't quite right. (It didn't have the Dynamic Steering by the way). It was all a bit too...easy. Any junction / roundabout - plant your foot, a few gear changes and you're in license losing speeds without really doing anything? It was too easy. It hooked up and WENT VERY FAST. Around corners, it felt so planted that you just guided it carefully at VERY HIGH speeds. it was TOO easy to go TOO fast. Hmmmmm. The 12C felt emotional and the Huracan felt sterile in the way it drove. Even more confusing!
So finally the 458. The crown is waiting to be claimed. Every review I have ever devoured said just says how incredible it is.
But it doesn't start very well. After half an hour in busy traffic on the M40 at 50 mph I'm struggling to modulate my speed. I'm either accelerating or decelerating. This is annoying. After an hour my ankle hurts as its in an awkward position and bent back slightly (I'm about 5' 10"). This car needs to be amazing when I finally get going because getting anywhere far is going to hurt. Finally I do get to the good roads and yes, the engine is a screamer and my enthusiasm is back!
But. This thing when the valves open. Its REALLY annoying me in 'normal' use. Its fine when youre on it and the car is screaming but you can't always be on it! In normal/brisk/quick driving, you accelerate a little bit, normal response and then the valves open and you get BLARE straight away. Stop it! Be loud when I'm on it yes but stop BLARING when I want to drive briskly. Its not a nice noise. Its just a loud BLARE>. I don't remember that in the reviews? I do remember Clarkson saying it gets a bit shouty but dismissed it as his nonsensical winding up of James May but that actually is spot on.
I get home that night dejected by the Ferrari - as you can probably see, I had the found whole experience ruined by lots of irritating quirks. I couldn't possibly consider doing any road trips in that car. I've dreamt and worked hard for 20 years to be at this point - when I can commit to buying the Ferrari I had always assumed I would buy. Even when I hadn't particularly enjoyed the 430 I'd tried before I had still assumed I would want the 458.
So there was a very clear, and unexpected, winner for me. Skip forward a month or two and a 12C Spider is due to arrive in my garage in the next week or two. Cannot wait!
Drove 12C, 458 spider and 650S spider all back to back and the clear winner IMHO regardless of the price premium was the 650S spider.
12 C is an incredible car right up there with 458 but the 650S is just on a different level emotionally, perfecting my minor criticisms of 12C and surpassing the 458 by miles.
I think even the new 488 will struggle to compete with it and will be far more expensive and common.
So glad 650S production is coming to an end as these cars will be coverted in the future
12 C is an incredible car right up there with 458 but the 650S is just on a different level emotionally, perfecting my minor criticisms of 12C and surpassing the 458 by miles.
I think even the new 488 will struggle to compete with it and will be far more expensive and common.
So glad 650S production is coming to an end as these cars will be coverted in the future
controlz said:
Very interesting - I'd been considering joining one of these clubs for a while but wrote it off as a waste of money and I thought you need to book the cars far in advance. Perhaps I should join?
Definitely not a waste of money. I've enjoyed club membership a huge amount. Most weekends you will be able to book something last minute and I've never struggled to book the cars I wanted. Its great way of trying cars you know you'll never actually want to own.SELON said:
Good write up and thorough research!
All fine cars. I must admit I have also been struggling to see where the lack of "emotion" is in the 12C's that I've seen and driven.
Congratulations on your purchase. Which colour/spec did you go for?
That's another whole story! Late spec Storm Grey 12C Spider with high mileage, owned and used by McLaren themselves since new. I'll update with more details when I get it. Might be a genius move, might not... All fine cars. I must admit I have also been struggling to see where the lack of "emotion" is in the 12C's that I've seen and driven.
Congratulations on your purchase. Which colour/spec did you go for?
Did anyone visit the McLaren stand at Goodwood ? P1 aside, a part of me actually wondered if I was indeed amongst a suite of performance cars or not. After just seeing f12's, black F40's, singer Targas, Paganis, Regeras and the like the Mac stable just seemed so bland and indistinct. In fact i never thought i'd say this but its the mp4 that seems to be maturing into the best design so far. That new 570 they had in blue looked flat as a pancake and i had high hopes for the LT but in the flesh despite the better proportions and more aggressive flanks, it too also looks generic and unremarkeable.
I
Well, all the best. I think it's not necessarily too much of a risk given the intention was for these to be 'daily use supercars'. Judging by the amount of use because of the usability of these cars, what constitutes 'high' mileage might well be different to its peers and there will be plenty other 'high' mileage cars coming to market over the coming years. Which, for me, is a great testament to the car and McLaren. There are always outliers but, overall the feedback seems to be that they are pretty reliable and well put together. Only time will tell, but fingers crossed!
Above all drive it and enjoy it!
And post those pics when you get it and have done a few miles
Wozza said:
SELON said:
Good write up and thorough research!
All fine cars. I must admit I have also been struggling to see where the lack of "emotion" is in the 12C's that I've seen and driven.
Congratulations on your purchase. Which colour/spec did you go for?
That's another whole story! Late spec Storm Grey 12C Spider with high mileage, owned and used by McLaren themselves since new. I'll update with more details when I get it. Might be a genius move, might not... All fine cars. I must admit I have also been struggling to see where the lack of "emotion" is in the 12C's that I've seen and driven.
Congratulations on your purchase. Which colour/spec did you go for?
Above all drive it and enjoy it!
And post those pics when you get it and have done a few miles
jackal said:
P1 aside, a part of me actually wondered if I was indeed amongst a suite of performance cars or not. After just seeing f12's, black F40's, singer Targas, Paganis, Regeras and the like the Mac stable just seemed so bland and indistinct..
You are comparing the 570 and 675/650s to the likes of the F40/Pagani/Koenigseggs and Singers......? Seriously.....?isaldiri said:
jackal said:
P1 aside, a part of me actually wondered if I was indeed amongst a suite of performance cars or not. After just seeing f12's, black F40's, singer Targas, Paganis, Regeras and the like the Mac stable just seemed so bland and indistinct..
You are comparing the 570 and 675/650s to the likes of the F40/Pagani/Koenigseggs and Singers......? Seriously.....?Wozza said:
I knew I was going to be in the position to buy my first supercar this year. My V8 Vantage had been enjoyable but business has been good and at last I am in the position I'd always dreamt of!
I've spent lots of time in Car Clubs over the last few year as I love trying different cars and so I joined Auto Vivendi so I could test drive all of the cars on my short list properly. ie by doing 300 miles in each of them, on my own, without sales people around. I couldn't possibly consider spending that amount of money on one without a proper test. I find you learn so much about a car once you are over the initial excitement of the first 50 miles.
I expected to want to buy a 458, so the order was to be to try the 12C first, then a Huracan and save the 458 for last and for glory. Things didn't quite work out as expected though.
12C first. An early coupe with the crashing iris, heavy paddles, no sports exhaust, etc. The one that the press says is too Ron-like and had been rushed out into production and is so forgettable compared to a 458. WOW. It was bloody brilliant! The driving position, the visibility, the speed, the steering and of course the incredible ride. Had a couple of unforgettable drives in it and was shocked at how much I enjoyed the car over a weekend. Wow how good is the 458 going to be if it blows the 12C away!
Huracan next. After 15 miles (or a normal test drive?) I was smitten. This must be the one. The looks. The drama. The awesome dashboard. Everyone taking photos and smiling. It makes you feel like a rock god! Took it out for a proper drive late that night. Hmmmm. Something wasn't quite right. (It didn't have the Dynamic Steering by the way). It was all a bit too...easy. Any junction / roundabout - plant your foot, a few gear changes and you're in license losing speeds without really doing anything? It was too easy. It hooked up and WENT VERY FAST. Around corners, it felt so planted that you just guided it carefully at VERY HIGH speeds. it was TOO easy to go TOO fast. Hmmmmm. The 12C felt emotional and the Huracan felt sterile in the way it drove. Even more confusing!
So finally the 458. The crown is waiting to be claimed. Every review I have ever devoured said just says how incredible it is.
But it doesn't start very well. After half an hour in busy traffic on the M40 at 50 mph I'm struggling to modulate my speed. I'm either accelerating or decelerating. This is annoying. After an hour my ankle hurts as its in an awkward position and bent back slightly (I'm about 5' 10"). This car needs to be amazing when I finally get going because getting anywhere far is going to hurt. Finally I do get to the good roads and yes, the engine is a screamer and my enthusiasm is back!
But. This thing when the valves open. Its REALLY annoying me in 'normal' use. Its fine when youre on it and the car is screaming but you can't always be on it! In normal/brisk/quick driving, you accelerate a little bit, normal response and then the valves open and you get BLARE straight away. Stop it! Be loud when I'm on it yes but stop BLARING when I want to drive briskly. Its not a nice noise. Its just a loud BLARE>. I don't remember that in the reviews? I do remember Clarkson saying it gets a bit shouty but dismissed it as his nonsensical winding up of James May but that actually is spot on.
I get home that night dejected by the Ferrari - as you can probably see, I had the found whole experience ruined by lots of irritating quirks. I couldn't possibly consider doing any road trips in that car. I've dreamt and worked hard for 20 years to be at this point - when I can commit to buying the Ferrari I had always assumed I would buy. Even when I hadn't particularly enjoyed the 430 I'd tried before I had still assumed I would want the 458.
So there was a very clear, and unexpected, winner for me. Skip forward a month or two and a 12C Spider is due to arrive in my garage in the next week or two. Cannot wait!
great honest write up!I've spent lots of time in Car Clubs over the last few year as I love trying different cars and so I joined Auto Vivendi so I could test drive all of the cars on my short list properly. ie by doing 300 miles in each of them, on my own, without sales people around. I couldn't possibly consider spending that amount of money on one without a proper test. I find you learn so much about a car once you are over the initial excitement of the first 50 miles.
I expected to want to buy a 458, so the order was to be to try the 12C first, then a Huracan and save the 458 for last and for glory. Things didn't quite work out as expected though.
12C first. An early coupe with the crashing iris, heavy paddles, no sports exhaust, etc. The one that the press says is too Ron-like and had been rushed out into production and is so forgettable compared to a 458. WOW. It was bloody brilliant! The driving position, the visibility, the speed, the steering and of course the incredible ride. Had a couple of unforgettable drives in it and was shocked at how much I enjoyed the car over a weekend. Wow how good is the 458 going to be if it blows the 12C away!
Huracan next. After 15 miles (or a normal test drive?) I was smitten. This must be the one. The looks. The drama. The awesome dashboard. Everyone taking photos and smiling. It makes you feel like a rock god! Took it out for a proper drive late that night. Hmmmm. Something wasn't quite right. (It didn't have the Dynamic Steering by the way). It was all a bit too...easy. Any junction / roundabout - plant your foot, a few gear changes and you're in license losing speeds without really doing anything? It was too easy. It hooked up and WENT VERY FAST. Around corners, it felt so planted that you just guided it carefully at VERY HIGH speeds. it was TOO easy to go TOO fast. Hmmmmm. The 12C felt emotional and the Huracan felt sterile in the way it drove. Even more confusing!
So finally the 458. The crown is waiting to be claimed. Every review I have ever devoured said just says how incredible it is.
But it doesn't start very well. After half an hour in busy traffic on the M40 at 50 mph I'm struggling to modulate my speed. I'm either accelerating or decelerating. This is annoying. After an hour my ankle hurts as its in an awkward position and bent back slightly (I'm about 5' 10"). This car needs to be amazing when I finally get going because getting anywhere far is going to hurt. Finally I do get to the good roads and yes, the engine is a screamer and my enthusiasm is back!
But. This thing when the valves open. Its REALLY annoying me in 'normal' use. Its fine when youre on it and the car is screaming but you can't always be on it! In normal/brisk/quick driving, you accelerate a little bit, normal response and then the valves open and you get BLARE straight away. Stop it! Be loud when I'm on it yes but stop BLARING when I want to drive briskly. Its not a nice noise. Its just a loud BLARE>. I don't remember that in the reviews? I do remember Clarkson saying it gets a bit shouty but dismissed it as his nonsensical winding up of James May but that actually is spot on.
I get home that night dejected by the Ferrari - as you can probably see, I had the found whole experience ruined by lots of irritating quirks. I couldn't possibly consider doing any road trips in that car. I've dreamt and worked hard for 20 years to be at this point - when I can commit to buying the Ferrari I had always assumed I would buy. Even when I hadn't particularly enjoyed the 430 I'd tried before I had still assumed I would want the 458.
So there was a very clear, and unexpected, winner for me. Skip forward a month or two and a 12C Spider is due to arrive in my garage in the next week or two. Cannot wait!
enjoy the car!
SELON said:
Well, all the best. I think it's not necessarily too much of a risk given the intention was for these to be 'daily use supercars'. Judging by the amount of use because of the usability of these cars, what constitutes 'high' mileage might well be different to its peers and there will be plenty other 'high' mileage cars coming to market over the coming years. Which, for me, is a great testament to the car and McLaren. There are always outliers but, overall the feedback seems to be that they are pretty reliable and well put together. Only time will tell, but fingers crossed!
Above all drive it and enjoy it!
And post those pics when you get it and have done a few miles
Thanks! It has 30,000 miles on the car, carbon everything and is being prepped by MTC ahead of sale to as-new condition. I figured a car that had been maintained by McLaren themselves would be a better place to stick my money than a garage queen that had hardly moved. It was also a whole chunk cheaper than other Spiders because of the mileage, which I'm planning to add to considerably anyway. Off on the Alpine South tour in September so will be racking them up!Above all drive it and enjoy it!
And post those pics when you get it and have done a few miles
Pics will follow when it finally turns up
Wozza said:
Thanks! It has 30,000 miles on the car, carbon everything and is being prepped by MTC ahead of sale to as-new condition. I figured a car that had been maintained by McLaren themselves would be a better place to stick my money than a garage queen that had hardly moved. It was also a whole chunk cheaper than other Spiders because of the mileage, which I'm planning to add to considerably anyway. Off on the Alpine South tour in September so will be racking them up!
Pics will follow when it finally turns up
It doesn't happen to the be the one that was up for sale at McLaren Glasgow was it? I was salivating over that one myself.Pics will follow when it finally turns up
Wozza said:
Thanks! It has 30,000 miles on the car, carbon everything and is being prepped by MTC ahead of sale to as-new condition. I figured a car that had been maintained by McLaren themselves would be a better place to stick my money than a garage queen that had hardly moved. It was also a whole chunk cheaper than other Spiders because of the mileage, which I'm planning to add to considerably anyway. Off on the Alpine South tour in September so will be racking them up!
Pics will follow when it finally turns up
I recall seeing a grey 12C over the last week or so - stunning colour. I wonder if it happened to be yoursPics will follow when it finally turns up
theRossatron said:
It doesn't happen to the be the one that was up for sale at McLaren Glasgow was it? I was salivating over that one myself.
That is the one. 
Stevoox said:
I recall seeing a grey 12C over the last week or so - stunning colour. I wonder if it happened to be yours
If it was at MTC, then it might be the one. If it was out and about on the road - I hope not!Gassing Station | McLaren | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff