Living with a McLaren 650s Spider as an (almost) daily
Discussion
There have been quite a few comments on the thread, so thought I'd give an update now I've owned the car just over a week.
Reversing sensors seem to be working reliably - so I'm assuming that I just didn't hear them on the first day. It's fair to say that they are a bit crap - much quieter than the front ones, and you really do need to make sure you're listening very carefully.
I have been driving like Miss Daisy since I last filled up - I admit that I've put my foot down very briefly a couple of times, but it really was very rare and very brief. Even so, after 150 miles I'm down to about 1/4 tank and an estimated 50 mile range - on long runs I can believe I might see a decent tank range, but in my normal use I'm doubting I'll ever see 200 miles from a tank (trip says I've managed 16.8 mpg). A bit annoying - I don't care so much about mpg, but do prefer a decent tank range.
The dashcam (Nextbase) was not working reliably. It gets power - but it seems to go into some kind of mode where it thinks it's plugged into a computer. I have two, and they are both doing the same - so I've used the lighter socket instead. I've managed to route the cable so it's mostly out of sight which is good enough. In fact, I think I found an earth - there is a plastic cover at the end of the dash - under there is a bolt which looks like it would be an earth - which means I could wire the dash cam into the fuse box after all. I may do that at some point in the future.
The error I had has not occurred again, and the car has been pretty much fault free. It does have an annoying creak from the dashboard area - only tend to notice it with the roof up - which is particularly annoying because it was noticed on the second test drive and was supposed to be sorted, but I suspect it wasn't looked at. At some point, it will need to be sorted - it's surprisingly annoying.
DAB where I live is poor - even Radio 2 which I'd expect to be national. Works fine 5 miles down the road, but struggles to keep the signal around Camberley.
It seems the car has a more serious problem that I was unaware of when I bought it - it........ doesn't have a vanity mirror on the passenger sun visor. This is apparently a major problem - I really don't understand why. For one thing, the Alfa didn't have one either. The g/f called McLaren to see if it was an option - on some cars, it is possible but not the 650 apparently.
Apparently, there are stick on mirrors - however, nobody is sticking anything on the interior of my car.
I did check the oil level again a couple of times and it's fine.
Overall, I'm still happy with the car. I would like the wheels sorted - I'm expecting a call from McLaren tomorrow about that.
Given many of the comments on the McLaren forum, I guess the car is worth about £1.50 now that I've owned it for 9 days and I'm lucky it hasn't left me stranded at the side of the road at least once. I had last week and this week off work, so it's still not really being used "normally" - will be interesting to see how it feels when it is. So far, I think it is a very good replacement for the Aston / Alfa - albeit a rather expensive one.
Reversing sensors seem to be working reliably - so I'm assuming that I just didn't hear them on the first day. It's fair to say that they are a bit crap - much quieter than the front ones, and you really do need to make sure you're listening very carefully.
I have been driving like Miss Daisy since I last filled up - I admit that I've put my foot down very briefly a couple of times, but it really was very rare and very brief. Even so, after 150 miles I'm down to about 1/4 tank and an estimated 50 mile range - on long runs I can believe I might see a decent tank range, but in my normal use I'm doubting I'll ever see 200 miles from a tank (trip says I've managed 16.8 mpg). A bit annoying - I don't care so much about mpg, but do prefer a decent tank range.
The dashcam (Nextbase) was not working reliably. It gets power - but it seems to go into some kind of mode where it thinks it's plugged into a computer. I have two, and they are both doing the same - so I've used the lighter socket instead. I've managed to route the cable so it's mostly out of sight which is good enough. In fact, I think I found an earth - there is a plastic cover at the end of the dash - under there is a bolt which looks like it would be an earth - which means I could wire the dash cam into the fuse box after all. I may do that at some point in the future.
The error I had has not occurred again, and the car has been pretty much fault free. It does have an annoying creak from the dashboard area - only tend to notice it with the roof up - which is particularly annoying because it was noticed on the second test drive and was supposed to be sorted, but I suspect it wasn't looked at. At some point, it will need to be sorted - it's surprisingly annoying.
DAB where I live is poor - even Radio 2 which I'd expect to be national. Works fine 5 miles down the road, but struggles to keep the signal around Camberley.
It seems the car has a more serious problem that I was unaware of when I bought it - it........ doesn't have a vanity mirror on the passenger sun visor. This is apparently a major problem - I really don't understand why. For one thing, the Alfa didn't have one either. The g/f called McLaren to see if it was an option - on some cars, it is possible but not the 650 apparently.
Apparently, there are stick on mirrors - however, nobody is sticking anything on the interior of my car.
I did check the oil level again a couple of times and it's fine.
Overall, I'm still happy with the car. I would like the wheels sorted - I'm expecting a call from McLaren tomorrow about that.
Given many of the comments on the McLaren forum, I guess the car is worth about £1.50 now that I've owned it for 9 days and I'm lucky it hasn't left me stranded at the side of the road at least once. I had last week and this week off work, so it's still not really being used "normally" - will be interesting to see how it feels when it is. So far, I think it is a very good replacement for the Aston / Alfa - albeit a rather expensive one.
justin220 said:
Superb. Another thread derailed by people justifying why they didn't buy one.
Yes, I had thought similar. It is really annoying - we all know very well why people who don't own them don't want to own one. My intention with this thread was to paint the reality of living with one - which might prove they're right, or might prove they're missing out on great cars.Instead, it's just a series of McLaren bashing and piss taking. As somebody else posted, that simply didn't happen on the Aston thread I ran for 4 years of ownership.
It's early days of my ownership, and unless I have regular issues I'd expect to only update the thread every month or two - that's how the Aston thread went. But frankly, if it continues as it has been I will simply give up - the thread is utterly pointless if every post I add with the reality of ownership is followed by a dozen posts from non owners about why McLaren's are s
t and why we're all idiots for owning one.This evening, I think I had my most enjoyable drive in the car.
There was nothing special about the journey - it was about 8 miles, probably 5 of which were out of town. I didn't drive quickly - although as I've mentioned before, 'not quickly' still seems to mean something a bit different in this car.
It was basically just a 'normal drive'. The sun was shining and the roof was down. Stereo was turned up - and actually is much better than my first impressions. Give it a bit of volume and it sounds clear, detailed and very good. Bit light on bass compared to the Aston, but I'm much happier with it than I was.
Beginning to feel very comfortable with the car. McLaren have said they will fully refurb the wheels, which means it will be off the road for a week - will get that sorted in a month or so.
The cost of the McLaren warranty has been mentioned recently on Justin's thread and it was a concern I had before buying. But it is comprehensive - I know that if anything breaks on my car, the warranty will take care of it. Of course I would be even happier if it cost £1.50 - but it is far more comprehensive than the competition which people claim are cheaper (a Ferrari owner posted recently that his extended warranty did not cover his failing convertible roof) and I must admit, I sleep better at night knowing I've got it.
First impressions of the car are definitely still positive.
There was nothing special about the journey - it was about 8 miles, probably 5 of which were out of town. I didn't drive quickly - although as I've mentioned before, 'not quickly' still seems to mean something a bit different in this car.
It was basically just a 'normal drive'. The sun was shining and the roof was down. Stereo was turned up - and actually is much better than my first impressions. Give it a bit of volume and it sounds clear, detailed and very good. Bit light on bass compared to the Aston, but I'm much happier with it than I was.
Beginning to feel very comfortable with the car. McLaren have said they will fully refurb the wheels, which means it will be off the road for a week - will get that sorted in a month or so.
The cost of the McLaren warranty has been mentioned recently on Justin's thread and it was a concern I had before buying. But it is comprehensive - I know that if anything breaks on my car, the warranty will take care of it. Of course I would be even happier if it cost £1.50 - but it is far more comprehensive than the competition which people claim are cheaper (a Ferrari owner posted recently that his extended warranty did not cover his failing convertible roof) and I must admit, I sleep better at night knowing I've got it.
First impressions of the car are definitely still positive.
The last few days have seen a mix of use.
A few days ago, I used it for the first time in proper rain, on properly wet roads. I guess it's not the same as the middle of winter on freezing roads, but even so - it really shouldn't be that easy to drive a ~650bhp car in the rain. Much much easier than my less powerful 360, much easier than the Aston it replaced. It really is a very useable daily car.
Having said that - and despite how easy it is to drive - take it for granted, and it bites. There is a road I travel regularly on the way to the g/f's - at a slow roundabout the road becomes two lanes over a hill for about a mile. At the bottom of the hill, is not quite straight and bends very slightly to the left.
I've probably done that road 10 times since buying the car, each time under hard acceleration. But a few days ago - on a dry road - the back end reminded me that I need to take more care. There was a definite shift sideways from the rear. I was using sport / sport, active aero and manual changes.
I'd like to think my driving skill caught it (even though it was clearly my lack of that which caused it in the first place) but I suspect the driving aids finally thought : yeah, that's enough you idiot, why don't we take it from here.
Took it to Blenheim today - could have joined the MOC display actually, since the parking guys assumed every McLaren was part of that. In fact, wish I had since I ended up right next to the dirt track and my shiny car was..... a lot less shiny when we got back. Car was superb on long motorway / dual carriageway, and it looks like this tank will last over 200 miles. Although I did have some fun when we got closer to home, so not too much over 200 miles.
A BMW driver very nearly had a McLaren ornament attached to the back of his car. Best to check your mirror before you indicate and start changing lanes - fortunately, the brakes are good. Which reminds me, at one point as we were approaching a roundabout at.... 70..... The girlfriend started saying brake.... Brake..... BRAKE..... I really don't know why. I genuinely didn't have to brake hard when I did - I don't think she's realised that the braking is really not the same as her Peugeot diesel.
I am still not convinced that there isn't something wrong with the front end / steering. Under normal use, everything is fine. But when I reverse off of my driveway - and when I have to turn around after leaving the g/f's - I reverse on full lock. It just doesn't feel good - the front end almost feels like one of the wheels is loose (probably should check it's not!) - or that something is - and even the g/f can feel it and has commented on it. May need to take it back to Ascot to see what they say.
Overall though the car is still very impressive. Tomorrow, back to work after 2 weeks off so it will begin commuting duties. Although I believe it's supposed to be very wet tomorrow so it will depend on how it is when I leave for work. If it's really wet, I may just use the Cayenne for a day.
A few days ago, I used it for the first time in proper rain, on properly wet roads. I guess it's not the same as the middle of winter on freezing roads, but even so - it really shouldn't be that easy to drive a ~650bhp car in the rain. Much much easier than my less powerful 360, much easier than the Aston it replaced. It really is a very useable daily car.
Having said that - and despite how easy it is to drive - take it for granted, and it bites. There is a road I travel regularly on the way to the g/f's - at a slow roundabout the road becomes two lanes over a hill for about a mile. At the bottom of the hill, is not quite straight and bends very slightly to the left.
I've probably done that road 10 times since buying the car, each time under hard acceleration. But a few days ago - on a dry road - the back end reminded me that I need to take more care. There was a definite shift sideways from the rear. I was using sport / sport, active aero and manual changes.
I'd like to think my driving skill caught it (even though it was clearly my lack of that which caused it in the first place) but I suspect the driving aids finally thought : yeah, that's enough you idiot, why don't we take it from here.
Took it to Blenheim today - could have joined the MOC display actually, since the parking guys assumed every McLaren was part of that. In fact, wish I had since I ended up right next to the dirt track and my shiny car was..... a lot less shiny when we got back. Car was superb on long motorway / dual carriageway, and it looks like this tank will last over 200 miles. Although I did have some fun when we got closer to home, so not too much over 200 miles.
A BMW driver very nearly had a McLaren ornament attached to the back of his car. Best to check your mirror before you indicate and start changing lanes - fortunately, the brakes are good. Which reminds me, at one point as we were approaching a roundabout at.... 70..... The girlfriend started saying brake.... Brake..... BRAKE..... I really don't know why. I genuinely didn't have to brake hard when I did - I don't think she's realised that the braking is really not the same as her Peugeot diesel.
I am still not convinced that there isn't something wrong with the front end / steering. Under normal use, everything is fine. But when I reverse off of my driveway - and when I have to turn around after leaving the g/f's - I reverse on full lock. It just doesn't feel good - the front end almost feels like one of the wheels is loose (probably should check it's not!) - or that something is - and even the g/f can feel it and has commented on it. May need to take it back to Ascot to see what they say.
Overall though the car is still very impressive. Tomorrow, back to work after 2 weeks off so it will begin commuting duties. Although I believe it's supposed to be very wet tomorrow so it will depend on how it is when I leave for work. If it's really wet, I may just use the Cayenne for a day.
Edited by davek_964 on Sunday 8th September 21:54
IMI A said:
You should try and get your Mcls to VMAX this weekend. Only place to open them up properly 
You may have a point.Yesterday morning, I was really looking forward to the drive into work and hoping I'd get a fairly clear run. There are two bits that tend to be interesting on my commute - a dual carriageway (about a mile long, and slightly up hill) which is good for a blast - and a twisty road a couple of miles long just before I arrive at work.
I accelerated pretty hard along the dual carriageway - not flat out, because although the temp gauge said everything was warm I wasn't too far from home and wasn't convinced it was true. Maybe it was because I wasn't accelerating flat out but the acceleration didn't feel as quick as I expected.
When I got to the twisty road, I had the first half of it to myself (second half was unfortunately behind a moped thing - although it was at least able to do 50mph). I drove quickly down here, but it wasn't a great success. In sport / sport, the rear tyres felt a little unhappy accelerating out of some of the bends - and I was accelerating too hard between bends which meant some very hard braking. It wasn't at all smooth - it was a perfect example of some very poor driving - and I arrived at work feeling a little flat about the whole thing.
This morning, I took a different approach. Didn't accelerate hard at all on the dual carriageway (car was colder than yesterday) - and on the twisty road I took a different approach. I decided to drive "quickly" - but not "fast" - and actually, this showed just how much faster the 650 is than my 360.
I was in sport / sport / manual - and was barely accelerating between the bends - literally a feather touch on the accelerator pedal. But, the car was accelerating as quickly to the next bend as the 360 does when I'm driving flat out down this road. It felt soooooo much better than yesterday - I feel like I took it very easy down that road - but I'm sure I was going at least as fast as I do in the 360.
I really enjoyed it - although it does kind of prove just how overkill a car like this is for the road - at least with my driving ability. Even though I wasn't really pushing the car at all, it still felt just as good and exciting as using the 360 - although it does lack some of the drama, mostly I think because it's much quieter.
I may use the 360 tomorrow - it's supposed to be nice weather, and it will be interesting to go back to a manual car with a louder exhaust and see how it compares. It's obviously ancient compared to the 650 - but it's still a car I rate highly, and I haven't used it since buying the 650 - so it will be interested to see whether my rose tinted glasses have dimmed.
Yep, definitely still getting used to it and have to learn to adjust my driving style. The 360 is not slow - but as long as you're not stupid, you can pretty much floor it when exiting bends on dry roads. The 996 turbo I had a few years back was quicker, but of course 4WD.
Yesterday, I was braking at the end of a dual carriageway and remembered that I keep meaning to see just how quickly it can really stop. There was nothing behind me, so I properly stamped on the brakes.
Blimey. I thought I had been braking hard quite often since getting the car - but it turns out I was wrong. It seemed to go from the speed limit to virtually stationary almost instantly!
Yesterday, I was braking at the end of a dual carriageway and remembered that I keep meaning to see just how quickly it can really stop. There was nothing behind me, so I properly stamped on the brakes.
Blimey. I thought I had been braking hard quite often since getting the car - but it turns out I was wrong. It seemed to go from the speed limit to virtually stationary almost instantly!
justin220 said:
Did you end up taking the 360 for a comparison?
No - I wanted to, but I was a bit surprised to wake up and find the roads were wet - wasn't expecting that. It is slightly odd that wet roads mean I'd rather leave the 360 in the garage and use a much more expensive much quicker car - but I did! Will try to get the 360 out one weekend I think, although won't be able to this weekend.justin220 said:
Oddly, I actually find the car feels faster when driving swiftly rather than properly on it.. Say between 5 and 8/10's. Maybe it's due to expectations but it's alarmingly easy to make quick progress when you're not even trying
Yep, I know what you mean - it did feel quicker when I slowed down my driving a bit. It was certainly more enjoyable.Would like to try it on a track at some point - plan to use it for the supercar weekend next year which I usually do in the 360. (Actually, I'm thinking I might do a day in the 360 and a day in the 650!)
Car hit 8k miles this morning on the way to work - I think it was on 7,190 when I bought it 3 weeks ago. More miles than I'd normally do in 3 weeks, but that's the novelty of a new car - especially with mostly good weather.
I tried keeping the handling in normal when accelerating hard - still get some wheel spin, but only briefly and you do at least see the traction light come on which I don't think I've ever seen in sport. The real solution is to stop using the accelerator pedal as if it was binary (and perhaps to ditch the tyres and replace for Michelin when they need replacing - which is only likely to be a few months away).
I am going to mail McLaren today and get it booked in to get the wheels done - it really doesn't seem to have any issues showing up (except the creaking dash) and I was really just waiting to be sure about that. I will get them to check the way the steering feels when I'm reversing slowly though - it is odd, even if I'm not on full lock. If it really is normal, it's just a foible of the car.
I tried launch control today for the first time - and probably only time, since I'm quite attached to the clutch and other mechanicals in the car. It was really just because a colleague took us all out in his new Tesla last week and demonstrated the 0-60 (very impressive) - and since I took a colleague out this morning, we thought it would be interesting to compare.
I didn't expect the same instant acceleration as a 4wd Tesla - but even so, I was surprised that the wheels span before we launched - in fact, it felt like they span for about half a second. Acceleration was fierce after that, with no other wheel spin - but it seemed like a lot of the 0-60 time was wasted before the car actually started moving.
It looks like another tank of petrol has almost gone - despite the launch test this morning, it's been relatively sensible driving most of the time - my guess is I'm looking at ~200 miles between visits to the petrol station in my normal use - although I think that could be better if I don't floor it every time I have an empty straight road.......
One thing that does annoy me about the car is that it seems unable to do two things at the same time (I know this was a complaint about IRIS in the 12Cs). I use lift to get onto my driveway, and onto the g/f's. When you get back in the car, it's sometimes re-lifting - which is fine, unless you want to lower the roof when it is doing that. It will lower the roof - but it seems unable to give you the beeps telling you it's started / finished the roof if it's doing lift at the same time, because the beeps are for the lift. Obviously you can look in the mirror and see if the roof lid has closed - but that really shouldn't be necessary - and since I'm sometimes moving when lowering the roof, I don't necessarily want to be looking in the mirror at the roof. If you don't catch it when it's fully closed - it will start lowering all the windows because you've still got the button pressed. Which is a nice feature - when you want to use it, but annoying when you don't.
I also discovered this morning that it can't even open the bonnet while it's closing the roof. It really is a tad dumb.
I am still surprised at just how much attention it gets. I know it's a more modern car, but even so - compared to the 360 (and the red 348 I had before) - it's a different league. Yesterday, I even had a motorcycle pull up next to me on a dual carriageway, point at the car and give a thumbs up before accelerating away. It isn't a big positive for me, but I guess buying a Volcano Orange McLaren wasn't really the best plan if I wanted to be inconspicuous.
Seriously considering getting ceramic coating on the car. PPF does not appeal to me at all - I know it's "better" but there are various reasons I don't want it. Ceramic should be better than wax, and mean I don't have to wax the car for a few years!
Still not used the 360 - was planning to Sunday, but other life things got in the way. Today is supposed to have a few showers, but it may get used later in the week.
Main problem I have actually is the Cayenne. I already had an issue with not using that enough and ruining batteries when I was using the Aston / Alfa as daily cars. You'd think that ditching those and buying a 650 would mean that the Cayenne started getting used more and problem solved. But in reality, the McLaren is such a good daily car that the Cayenne isn't that tempting. Still - when proper winter arrives, you can't beat the heated steering wheel which is something the 650 lacks.
Oh, and had my first parking problem on Saturday. Parked in a pub car park - I was at the end space, and parked well over the white line to leave plenty of space to the car next to me. We could see the car (we were sitting outside) - car next to me left, and some time later another car parked next to me - but she parked over the white line herself, so although there was reasonable space between the cars - at least enough to get her rather large frame out - there definitely wasn't enough for me to get in. Before she walked away, I asked (politely) if she would mind moving her car over slightly since she hadn't left me enough room to open my door. I explained that my doors didn't open like normal doors, and hence I needed a little more space.
Apparently, this meant I should have bought a more sensible car. But at least she moved.
Checked the oil again this morning, and still dead on the mark so at least I didn't buy a car that uses oil. Sure seems to use petrol though!
I tried keeping the handling in normal when accelerating hard - still get some wheel spin, but only briefly and you do at least see the traction light come on which I don't think I've ever seen in sport. The real solution is to stop using the accelerator pedal as if it was binary (and perhaps to ditch the tyres and replace for Michelin when they need replacing - which is only likely to be a few months away).
I am going to mail McLaren today and get it booked in to get the wheels done - it really doesn't seem to have any issues showing up (except the creaking dash) and I was really just waiting to be sure about that. I will get them to check the way the steering feels when I'm reversing slowly though - it is odd, even if I'm not on full lock. If it really is normal, it's just a foible of the car.
I tried launch control today for the first time - and probably only time, since I'm quite attached to the clutch and other mechanicals in the car. It was really just because a colleague took us all out in his new Tesla last week and demonstrated the 0-60 (very impressive) - and since I took a colleague out this morning, we thought it would be interesting to compare.
I didn't expect the same instant acceleration as a 4wd Tesla - but even so, I was surprised that the wheels span before we launched - in fact, it felt like they span for about half a second. Acceleration was fierce after that, with no other wheel spin - but it seemed like a lot of the 0-60 time was wasted before the car actually started moving.
It looks like another tank of petrol has almost gone - despite the launch test this morning, it's been relatively sensible driving most of the time - my guess is I'm looking at ~200 miles between visits to the petrol station in my normal use - although I think that could be better if I don't floor it every time I have an empty straight road.......
One thing that does annoy me about the car is that it seems unable to do two things at the same time (I know this was a complaint about IRIS in the 12Cs). I use lift to get onto my driveway, and onto the g/f's. When you get back in the car, it's sometimes re-lifting - which is fine, unless you want to lower the roof when it is doing that. It will lower the roof - but it seems unable to give you the beeps telling you it's started / finished the roof if it's doing lift at the same time, because the beeps are for the lift. Obviously you can look in the mirror and see if the roof lid has closed - but that really shouldn't be necessary - and since I'm sometimes moving when lowering the roof, I don't necessarily want to be looking in the mirror at the roof. If you don't catch it when it's fully closed - it will start lowering all the windows because you've still got the button pressed. Which is a nice feature - when you want to use it, but annoying when you don't.
I also discovered this morning that it can't even open the bonnet while it's closing the roof. It really is a tad dumb.
I am still surprised at just how much attention it gets. I know it's a more modern car, but even so - compared to the 360 (and the red 348 I had before) - it's a different league. Yesterday, I even had a motorcycle pull up next to me on a dual carriageway, point at the car and give a thumbs up before accelerating away. It isn't a big positive for me, but I guess buying a Volcano Orange McLaren wasn't really the best plan if I wanted to be inconspicuous.
Seriously considering getting ceramic coating on the car. PPF does not appeal to me at all - I know it's "better" but there are various reasons I don't want it. Ceramic should be better than wax, and mean I don't have to wax the car for a few years!
Still not used the 360 - was planning to Sunday, but other life things got in the way. Today is supposed to have a few showers, but it may get used later in the week.
Main problem I have actually is the Cayenne. I already had an issue with not using that enough and ruining batteries when I was using the Aston / Alfa as daily cars. You'd think that ditching those and buying a 650 would mean that the Cayenne started getting used more and problem solved. But in reality, the McLaren is such a good daily car that the Cayenne isn't that tempting. Still - when proper winter arrives, you can't beat the heated steering wheel which is something the 650 lacks.
Oh, and had my first parking problem on Saturday. Parked in a pub car park - I was at the end space, and parked well over the white line to leave plenty of space to the car next to me. We could see the car (we were sitting outside) - car next to me left, and some time later another car parked next to me - but she parked over the white line herself, so although there was reasonable space between the cars - at least enough to get her rather large frame out - there definitely wasn't enough for me to get in. Before she walked away, I asked (politely) if she would mind moving her car over slightly since she hadn't left me enough room to open my door. I explained that my doors didn't open like normal doors, and hence I needed a little more space.
Apparently, this meant I should have bought a more sensible car. But at least she moved.
Checked the oil again this morning, and still dead on the mark so at least I didn't buy a car that uses oil. Sure seems to use petrol though!
I was surprised to get wheel spin with launch mode - I thought the whole point of launch was to avoid that.
I'm not surprised it wheel spins from a (normal) standing start - but perhaps wasn't expecting it when I'm already doing 30-40mph. But given the power, I suppose it's not that surprising.
Obviously I need to modify my driving - years of simply flooring it when I want to go quickly is taking some time to wear off.
ETA : I guess the other reason it surprises me, is that on the test drive I didn't notice it spin the wheels a single time, despite some hard acceleration from low speed. I was using auto mode on the test drive though - although I wouldn't expect that to make a difference.
I'm not surprised it wheel spins from a (normal) standing start - but perhaps wasn't expecting it when I'm already doing 30-40mph. But given the power, I suppose it's not that surprising.
Obviously I need to modify my driving - years of simply flooring it when I want to go quickly is taking some time to wear off.
ETA : I guess the other reason it surprises me, is that on the test drive I didn't notice it spin the wheels a single time, despite some hard acceleration from low speed. I was using auto mode on the test drive though - although I wouldn't expect that to make a difference.
Edited by davek_964 on Monday 16th September 09:16
Edited by davek_964 on Monday 16th September 09:18
Arrived at work before the security guard this morning, so took this while I waited for the car park to open - car was cleaned last night, so seemed a good opportunity:
Had to fill up with petrol yet again yesterday - trip computer said I'd averaged 15mpg, which I think is reasonable.
Since I was waiting for the guard this morning anyway, I thought I'd see what Winter Mode does. Only drove around the block, but I must admit I quite liked it - at least for town driving. Car is still pretty responsive at low speed, but you can certainly tell that the power is strangled a bit if you put your foot down.
Car goes back to McLaren on Saturday, to have the wheels sorted out next week. After that, I will probably get it ceramic coated. I got a quote last night and it doesn't look so bad (£1k + vat if you want 3 layers).
On the way home from the quote, as I pulled onto the M25 with the roof down (and typical M25 walking speed), a guy was hanging our of his motorway maintenance truck asking me to rev the car and then to accelerate away hard. Childish, but I did......
Every evening I intend to take the Ferrari the next day, and every day there is a reason I'm not - today it was because I cleaned it last night, and there was no point if it was just going to sit on the drive...... Plus, since I won't have the 650 between Sat / Fri next week, I will be using the 360 then anyway assuming it doesn't rain every day.
One thing I will say is : It always takes me time to really bond with a car, and the McLaren is no exception. I like it a lot, and I think it's an amazing car - but I haven't reached the point where I think : Yep, I'll own this a long time. That is usually the point where I am willing to spend money on it - so the ceramic coating will probably not be done before I reach that point (assuming I do). My gut feeling is that it may take a bit longer to reach that point than it has on other cars - simply because it's an order of magnitude more than other cars I've owned, both in initial cost and in being massive overkill for a daily car. Part of me still thinks it's somewhat ridiculous that I'm driving a ~650bhp car that cost me 6 figures to work and back most days. On the other hand - when I'm driving it - those worries tend to disappear.
The time of year probably doesn't help either - although the weather is great at the moment, the mornings are dark and soon it will be the same on the way home from work, and the weather will get noticeably worse. Although I'm confident that the only real difference it will make is that the car will get dirtier and the roof will be down less.
To be clear, I have no regrets about buying it, and still love it - but I'm still waiting for the "I'm keeping this forever" moment that I usually get a month or two after buying a car. Maybe being without it next week will get me to that point.
ETA : Had to go home at lunchtime, so used it as an excuse to get the 360 out - first time since buying the 650.
Impressions : steering wheel feels huge, seats are a lot less comfortable (and I think I probably need to change how I have them in the 360). Power is a lot more instant even if you're in the wrong gear (something that has always impressed me with the 360) - although when the revs get to the "right" range, the difference is a lot less than the 650.
I didn't get much chance to have fun, and will reserve judgement until I get a clearer road - but on the few quick bends I had a chance to enjoy, the steering felt much quicker and much more precise than the 650. I was genuinely surprised but the it felt much sharper.
I was beginning to feel the 360 might become a bit redundant, but I'm less sure now - they certainly are different cars but I'm not convinced yet that the 650 eclipses the 360 in all areas.
Had to fill up with petrol yet again yesterday - trip computer said I'd averaged 15mpg, which I think is reasonable.
Since I was waiting for the guard this morning anyway, I thought I'd see what Winter Mode does. Only drove around the block, but I must admit I quite liked it - at least for town driving. Car is still pretty responsive at low speed, but you can certainly tell that the power is strangled a bit if you put your foot down.
Car goes back to McLaren on Saturday, to have the wheels sorted out next week. After that, I will probably get it ceramic coated. I got a quote last night and it doesn't look so bad (£1k + vat if you want 3 layers).
On the way home from the quote, as I pulled onto the M25 with the roof down (and typical M25 walking speed), a guy was hanging our of his motorway maintenance truck asking me to rev the car and then to accelerate away hard. Childish, but I did......
Every evening I intend to take the Ferrari the next day, and every day there is a reason I'm not - today it was because I cleaned it last night, and there was no point if it was just going to sit on the drive...... Plus, since I won't have the 650 between Sat / Fri next week, I will be using the 360 then anyway assuming it doesn't rain every day.
One thing I will say is : It always takes me time to really bond with a car, and the McLaren is no exception. I like it a lot, and I think it's an amazing car - but I haven't reached the point where I think : Yep, I'll own this a long time. That is usually the point where I am willing to spend money on it - so the ceramic coating will probably not be done before I reach that point (assuming I do). My gut feeling is that it may take a bit longer to reach that point than it has on other cars - simply because it's an order of magnitude more than other cars I've owned, both in initial cost and in being massive overkill for a daily car. Part of me still thinks it's somewhat ridiculous that I'm driving a ~650bhp car that cost me 6 figures to work and back most days. On the other hand - when I'm driving it - those worries tend to disappear.
The time of year probably doesn't help either - although the weather is great at the moment, the mornings are dark and soon it will be the same on the way home from work, and the weather will get noticeably worse. Although I'm confident that the only real difference it will make is that the car will get dirtier and the roof will be down less.
To be clear, I have no regrets about buying it, and still love it - but I'm still waiting for the "I'm keeping this forever" moment that I usually get a month or two after buying a car. Maybe being without it next week will get me to that point.
ETA : Had to go home at lunchtime, so used it as an excuse to get the 360 out - first time since buying the 650.
Impressions : steering wheel feels huge, seats are a lot less comfortable (and I think I probably need to change how I have them in the 360). Power is a lot more instant even if you're in the wrong gear (something that has always impressed me with the 360) - although when the revs get to the "right" range, the difference is a lot less than the 650.
I didn't get much chance to have fun, and will reserve judgement until I get a clearer road - but on the few quick bends I had a chance to enjoy, the steering felt much quicker and much more precise than the 650. I was genuinely surprised but the it felt much sharper.
I was beginning to feel the 360 might become a bit redundant, but I'm less sure now - they certainly are different cars but I'm not convinced yet that the 650 eclipses the 360 in all areas.
Edited by davek_964 on Wednesday 18th September 12:52
I'm quite sure that the 650 understeers - at least it does compared to the 360. Using the 360 yesterday highlighted it, but it also made me realise that a few times the car has taken a wider line than I expected around a bend (and I don't mean at particularly high speed). It's possible my alignment needs doing - but is this a common feature of the car?
Now it's got darker - I'm also not wildly impressed with the headlights. I've had various older cars over the years where other owners have complained about poor headlight performance - and I've never once understood why, because I thought they were perfectly good. So I know that I don't have particularly high standards for headlight performance. But the 650 seems poor on high beam - the lights certainly get brighter - but the distance they illuminate doesn't actually seem to change. Not sure if it's something that can be adjusted but it seems that they should be pointing a lot further down the road - I'm very conscious of how far I can see ahead on main beam (and I don't mean when I'm doing a zillion miles an hour, I mean at the same speed I'd be using my Cayenne).
ETA : One other thing - my bodywork is falling off. The bodywork coloured cover on the rear passenger corner of the car (under the rear light, what would basically be the corner of the "bumper") - keeps coming loose. It seems to just be stuck on - and pushing on it firmly re-attaches it to the car - but only for a few hundred miles. This needs to be sorted when it's in for the wheels next week or I'm going to stop one day and find it's missing!
Not a very positive update I guess, but then nothing is perfect!
Now it's got darker - I'm also not wildly impressed with the headlights. I've had various older cars over the years where other owners have complained about poor headlight performance - and I've never once understood why, because I thought they were perfectly good. So I know that I don't have particularly high standards for headlight performance. But the 650 seems poor on high beam - the lights certainly get brighter - but the distance they illuminate doesn't actually seem to change. Not sure if it's something that can be adjusted but it seems that they should be pointing a lot further down the road - I'm very conscious of how far I can see ahead on main beam (and I don't mean when I'm doing a zillion miles an hour, I mean at the same speed I'd be using my Cayenne).
ETA : One other thing - my bodywork is falling off. The bodywork coloured cover on the rear passenger corner of the car (under the rear light, what would basically be the corner of the "bumper") - keeps coming loose. It seems to just be stuck on - and pushing on it firmly re-attaches it to the car - but only for a few hundred miles. This needs to be sorted when it's in for the wheels next week or I'm going to stop one day and find it's missing!
Not a very positive update I guess, but then nothing is perfect!
Edited by davek_964 on Thursday 19th September 08:18
Edited by davek_964 on Thursday 19th September 08:19
justin220 said:
Something not quite right if you are understeering on the road, driving normally?
Well, it could be my driving!There is one particular bend where I've noticed it a couple of times. I certainly go around it quicker than a normal daily driver might, but not fast by any means.
ferdi p said:
Had exactly the same feeling in mine...
Apply more steering angle & you'll be shocked at what speed it can carry thru a bend!
Yep - in that respect I guess it is my driving. I know that it will corner at speeds far more than I'm comfortable with! So I guess I just need to get used to a bit more driver input.Apply more steering angle & you'll be shocked at what speed it can carry thru a bend!
355spiderguy said:
Are you meaning the body coloured 'cheek' on each of the rear corners of the car?
If so, they are only held on with really strong double sided 3M tape; i know this as i had both removed to be repainted.
Yeah, I thought that might be the case. It does feel a bit Blue Peter!If so, they are only held on with really strong double sided 3M tape; i know this as i had both removed to be repainted.
Not a great day for the car today.
Started up and began to reverse off the drive - and immediately, I had the same alarm / error as I had in the first week (PCC failure). It also demonstrated that the car isn't brilliant at showing these failures.
Although it did show the error on the screen, the car was re-lifting. A few seconds later - before I got my glasses on to be sure I was reading it correctly - the lift completed, and despite the alarm sound still going, the display changed to the lift screen. I cancelled that, and it went to the normal display. So - alarm still sounding - I went into the vehicle info -> error messages and it told me....... there are no errors.
A few seconds later the alarm stopped. I stopped and restarted the car anyway, and it seemed OK.
Decent drive to work, and then as I stopped ready to reverse into my space I decided to turn the heater / fan down because I'd had them both on high with the roof down on the way in. Was turning the temperature down, and it suddenly displayed "CAL". So somehow, I guess it had gone into calibration mode - and wouldn't come out. I eventually gave up turning the non-functioning temp / fan dials and put the car in reverse - whether it was coincidence (something timed out) or putting it in reverse made a difference I don't know - but it suddenly went back to normal.
Although the car will be back at McLaren next week, I don't expect them to be able to magic up a free slot in the workshop so I'm not expecting the PCC error to be sorted then. Since it's (currently) only happening twice in 4 weeks / 1k miles I guess I can probably live with it until the car needs a service in December - but I have mailed them this morning, and will discuss it with them when I drop the car off tomorrow.
I know that when this was discussed before, many people's views are that you simply have to ignore the odd foible. However, I find this a tad disappointing - my car did two things wrong today in the space of 20 mins. The Aston / Alfa I replaced with the 650 were both known for their "foibles" - as is any Italian car, including my 360 - but so far the 650 isn't comparing very well against them in terms of issues even if they're fairly minor.
Let's hope it's just teething problems as a new owner.
In general, I still like the car a lot - although I do feel I'm still getting used to driving it - and I'm disappointed I'm not going to have it all next week.
Started up and began to reverse off the drive - and immediately, I had the same alarm / error as I had in the first week (PCC failure). It also demonstrated that the car isn't brilliant at showing these failures.
Although it did show the error on the screen, the car was re-lifting. A few seconds later - before I got my glasses on to be sure I was reading it correctly - the lift completed, and despite the alarm sound still going, the display changed to the lift screen. I cancelled that, and it went to the normal display. So - alarm still sounding - I went into the vehicle info -> error messages and it told me....... there are no errors.
A few seconds later the alarm stopped. I stopped and restarted the car anyway, and it seemed OK.
Decent drive to work, and then as I stopped ready to reverse into my space I decided to turn the heater / fan down because I'd had them both on high with the roof down on the way in. Was turning the temperature down, and it suddenly displayed "CAL". So somehow, I guess it had gone into calibration mode - and wouldn't come out. I eventually gave up turning the non-functioning temp / fan dials and put the car in reverse - whether it was coincidence (something timed out) or putting it in reverse made a difference I don't know - but it suddenly went back to normal.
Although the car will be back at McLaren next week, I don't expect them to be able to magic up a free slot in the workshop so I'm not expecting the PCC error to be sorted then. Since it's (currently) only happening twice in 4 weeks / 1k miles I guess I can probably live with it until the car needs a service in December - but I have mailed them this morning, and will discuss it with them when I drop the car off tomorrow.
I know that when this was discussed before, many people's views are that you simply have to ignore the odd foible. However, I find this a tad disappointing - my car did two things wrong today in the space of 20 mins. The Aston / Alfa I replaced with the 650 were both known for their "foibles" - as is any Italian car, including my 360 - but so far the 650 isn't comparing very well against them in terms of issues even if they're fairly minor.
Let's hope it's just teething problems as a new owner.
In general, I still like the car a lot - although I do feel I'm still getting used to driving it - and I'm disappointed I'm not going to have it all next week.
I didn't try a 570, because I decided it wasn't for me even without a test drive.
The 650 is amazing as a useable daily, but I wouldn't say that means it's un-involving. I've had cars that were (911 turbo) but the 650 isn't. I'm still not sure it has the drama of the 360 - but I think a lot of that is noise and old school manual so don't think a 570 would be better in that regard
The 650 is amazing as a useable daily, but I wouldn't say that means it's un-involving. I've had cars that were (911 turbo) but the 650 isn't. I'm still not sure it has the drama of the 360 - but I think a lot of that is noise and old school manual so don't think a 570 would be better in that regard
Interesting to hear somebody's opinion about the car today.
I needed petrol - again. Seems I need it twice a week - but to be fair to the car, that's because I keep finding excuses to drive it and have doubled my normal mileage. Even though I'm in sensible mode a fair bit, I'm also in non sensible mode a fair bit - so 15mpg average (15.3 today so it's improving!) is actually pretty good. In proper winter, where it will be all sensible driving I'm expecting 20+.
Anyway - as I was paying, the cashier said : the guy before you was saying your car looks really uncomfortable.
I answered : nope. The seats are really comfortable, suspension has 3 settings so you can make it fairly soft and it's a very very easy car to drive. Best daily driver I've had.
Not sure I entirely convinced her, but it's interesting to hear people's perceptions. I guess before I drove one I assumed it was a very focussed almost track car. I've posted elsewhere how shocked I was when it was the complete opposite (unless you don't want it to be of course).
Squeezing every moment of use out of it today before dropping it at McLaren for the week. I'll miss it a lot I think.
(And the petrol station will miss me)
I needed petrol - again. Seems I need it twice a week - but to be fair to the car, that's because I keep finding excuses to drive it and have doubled my normal mileage. Even though I'm in sensible mode a fair bit, I'm also in non sensible mode a fair bit - so 15mpg average (15.3 today so it's improving!) is actually pretty good. In proper winter, where it will be all sensible driving I'm expecting 20+.
Anyway - as I was paying, the cashier said : the guy before you was saying your car looks really uncomfortable.
I answered : nope. The seats are really comfortable, suspension has 3 settings so you can make it fairly soft and it's a very very easy car to drive. Best daily driver I've had.
Not sure I entirely convinced her, but it's interesting to hear people's perceptions. I guess before I drove one I assumed it was a very focussed almost track car. I've posted elsewhere how shocked I was when it was the complete opposite (unless you don't want it to be of course).
Squeezing every moment of use out of it today before dropping it at McLaren for the week. I'll miss it a lot I think.
(And the petrol station will miss me)
Glad other people are seeing similar mpg - was beginning to think my car had a fuel leak! I'm assuming Justin doesn't drive that differently to the rest of us (although he probably sees less traffic) - I thought we had basically the same engine, so is it just the different state of tune which explains the difference in mpg?
One question : When do people use neutral? I've been sticking mine in neutral when I stop at red lights - but because it's pretty slow changing back into first (seems to take about 1 second) I'm beginning to think it's a bad idea. If I was in a normal car - and left it in gear - the clutch would be fully in and wouldn't be wearing anyway. I assume the McLaren is the same, and if I've got the brake pressed it doesn't really make any difference if it's still in gear?
12pack said:
Well, had my usual morning hoon in the 650s on wet roads this morning. Then had a couple of errands to run so I took the V12 Vantage - pretty much back to back, with the roads drying.
Both are great cars in their own ways. It’s still a pleasure to row that manual, and the V12 sounded great.
But with the backlight down, the 650s’ snarling howl is pure adrenaline. The suspension and traction are light years better on my bumpy B roads. And then there’s the pace. Mac SS have got to be the ultimate performance road cars.
Impressed you still take it out for a blast in the wet - although I guess you're right they're so capable there isn't any reason not to. And I certainly intend to use mine for normal activities when it's raining.Both are great cars in their own ways. It’s still a pleasure to row that manual, and the V12 sounded great.
But with the backlight down, the 650s’ snarling howl is pure adrenaline. The suspension and traction are light years better on my bumpy B roads. And then there’s the pace. Mac SS have got to be the ultimate performance road cars.
One question : When do people use neutral? I've been sticking mine in neutral when I stop at red lights - but because it's pretty slow changing back into first (seems to take about 1 second) I'm beginning to think it's a bad idea. If I was in a normal car - and left it in gear - the clutch would be fully in and wouldn't be wearing anyway. I assume the McLaren is the same, and if I've got the brake pressed it doesn't really make any difference if it's still in gear?
Larry5.2 said:
On a normal car the release bearing and the crankshaft thrust bearing are being loaded, hence wearing, when you have the clutch pedal down. I guess thats the same with a Mc DCT?
I guess - although I'm not sure I've ever noticed clutches on my previous cars wearing prematurely as a result of that.I don't really understand why neutral -> 1st is so painfully slow. It isn't when you make other gear changes - but it's the one gear change where a true manual with a gear stick is probably faster!
Gassing Station | McLaren | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff