RE: McLaren GT | PH Video
Saturday 21st September 2019
McLaren GT | PH Video
See McLaren's 620hp, 203mph, £163k Grand Tourer in action...
The McLaren GT works well on paper. The market for fast, luxurious Grand Tourers is several times larger than the one for supercars. That makes it an appealing area of growth for McLaren - a company which has resolved to not enter the SUV market. All that it needed was a car to fit the luggage-carrying, continent-crossing mould. That, in a nutshell, is the new GT.
Overcoming the virtues of the similarly badged Bentley is high on the new model’s to-do list. The two-door Continental is not just Crewe's biggest-selling car, but also the tip of its spear when it comes to brand desirability. All that makes the Bentley way brilliant, is contained within.
Things were never going to be so clear cut for McLaren’s GT. It looks like a supercar, and is built upon the platform of one. It also powered by a turbocharged V8 that Woking always intended to drive a supercar. Its maker says that it has tweaked all these variables to make them Grand Tourer appropriate. We sent Dan P along to the south of France to grade its success...
Discussion
Gahhh please stop with the place names.
I live in Woking. Woking definitely didn't have anything to do with this car. McLaren made this car and are based in Woking.
Stylistic, sure, but PH posts are saturated with this to the point where it has actually become annoying to read.
What if they change premises?
I live in Woking. Woking definitely didn't have anything to do with this car. McLaren made this car and are based in Woking.
Stylistic, sure, but PH posts are saturated with this to the point where it has actually become annoying to read.
What if they change premises?
This feels like a very different review compared to his written piece.
The issue seems to be more that Dan wants McLaren to build track-sharp weapons like the LT rather than something softer and more road focussed.
It’s a different kind of car for sure but he must have known that before he sat in it.
Fair enough if it’s not for him but his criticism seems to be based on personal prejudice regarding what he feels McLaren should be making.
It’s not as sharp as an LT but it’s not meant to be given the intended use. Dan does concede this point many times but seems to keep coming back to it - effectively going around in circles.
Ultimately it’s hard to know if he thinks it succeeds in the brief of being a different kind of GT when he closes by saying he’d prefer the rabid 600LT.
It’s like reviewing a DB11 and finishing by saying he’d prefer a Caterham.
Perhaps journos are too detached from the real world with all the exotic stuff they get to drive?
It would be great to get a group of real people (no offence Dan
) both owners of traditional GT’s and prospective GT owners to give their verdict.
At present it’s hard to tell if this car hits the spot.
The issue seems to be more that Dan wants McLaren to build track-sharp weapons like the LT rather than something softer and more road focussed.
It’s a different kind of car for sure but he must have known that before he sat in it.
Fair enough if it’s not for him but his criticism seems to be based on personal prejudice regarding what he feels McLaren should be making.
It’s not as sharp as an LT but it’s not meant to be given the intended use. Dan does concede this point many times but seems to keep coming back to it - effectively going around in circles.
Ultimately it’s hard to know if he thinks it succeeds in the brief of being a different kind of GT when he closes by saying he’d prefer the rabid 600LT.
It’s like reviewing a DB11 and finishing by saying he’d prefer a Caterham.
Perhaps journos are too detached from the real world with all the exotic stuff they get to drive?
It would be great to get a group of real people (no offence Dan
) both owners of traditional GT’s and prospective GT owners to give their verdict.At present it’s hard to tell if this car hits the spot.
Edited by Maldini35 on Saturday 21st September 13:04
Edited by Maldini35 on Saturday 21st September 13:06
Let’s see this in a group test with a Bentley and an Aston, which are the competition.
It’s definitely not competing with a 600LT, no matter how much the reviewer wishes was the case. If you want a hardcore track weapon, then McLaren will sell you an, err, 600LT. Or maybe even the forthcoming utterly insane LT version of the 720S, likely to run in the 8s over a standing quarter and well under seven minutes around the Nurburgring.
But if instead you want something that will go from Woking to Monaco in a day, with a few bags and the wife in tow, then this is the McLaren for you! It’ll even look nice parked outside the casino.
It’s definitely not competing with a 600LT, no matter how much the reviewer wishes was the case. If you want a hardcore track weapon, then McLaren will sell you an, err, 600LT. Or maybe even the forthcoming utterly insane LT version of the 720S, likely to run in the 8s over a standing quarter and well under seven minutes around the Nurburgring.
But if instead you want something that will go from Woking to Monaco in a day, with a few bags and the wife in tow, then this is the McLaren for you! It’ll even look nice parked outside the casino.
Oh I just love this car - it’s so damned elegant!
If you don’t want to go to a full GT barge and just want a slightly more refined supercar then this surely is the one?
I do agree that Dan has not quite managed to understand the car from the point of view of the audience that will buy it. Will the buyer ditch his sports car to own it? Definitely not. This will be an addition to a well stocked garage that already offers pin sharp cars when the mood takes.
If you don’t want to go to a full GT barge and just want a slightly more refined supercar then this surely is the one?
I do agree that Dan has not quite managed to understand the car from the point of view of the audience that will buy it. Will the buyer ditch his sports car to own it? Definitely not. This will be an addition to a well stocked garage that already offers pin sharp cars when the mood takes.
TonyG2003 said:
It’s now probably my favourite Mclaren from the looks point of view.
Although in the CarWow review the car had all sort of warning lights and SatNav freezing. Get it right Mclaren!
Their early pre-production builds are notorious for this. It really doesn’t help their cause.Although in the CarWow review the car had all sort of warning lights and SatNav freezing. Get it right Mclaren!
Wait a bit longer and let the media drive a more resolved product.
TonyG2003 said:
@maldini I heard that it was “pre-production” however it’s probably more important than ever to give a journalist a car as free of faults as ever. No excuse.
The 'direct from McLaren' 720 S I test drove 2 years ago also had a dashboard full of lit up warning lights ... seems nothing much has changed then.Mr_Yogi said:
I watched the Autocar video on this last night, made a very good case for itself. Lovely looking car too.
Yes, that was a very good vid. If a British manufacturer is asking you to test out their new GT in the South of France, then why not ask them if you can drive it back to England. It's a car designed to cross continents comfortably, and a lot of journos seem to have missed the point.
Nice video. But I can’t help feeling that this car is being criticised for not being something that it’s not trying to be. I would think that a great many buyers will already own more focussed machinery, and probably all manner of other, more luxurious steeds. This strikes me as being ideal for the run down to Waitrose on a Sunday morning.
Still an entertaining review though, and obviously Dan’s opinion is more valid than mine, since he’s actually driven the thing
Still an entertaining review though, and obviously Dan’s opinion is more valid than mine, since he’s actually driven the thing
GranCab said:
Rather pointless review ... conclusion - it's not as sharp as other McLarens ... no s
t Sherlock 
I was hoping to know more about it's credentials as a GT, instead of being reminded time and time again that the rest of the McLaren range is sharper. As an exotic GT I think it's great, though I do wonder about the actual market for this sort of thing. I've long thought that those who dream of driving around Europe on these long tours far outweigh those who actually do it. Those who do are probably more likely to do it in something a little less exotic like a Mercedes SL or Panamera or even something utterly humdrum like a VW Transporter. t Sherlock Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff