You'll have seen a lot of the 570GT on PH of late, be that
the triple test
against the Audi R8 and Porsche 911 Turbo S to the head to head with
the Honda NSX
. No apologies for that - the car has a job to do while it's with us and we're going to make the most of it as long as we have the keys. You would, wouldn't you?
Airport run? To the McLaren!
With the 5,000-mile mark passed and some serious work under its belt, the 570GT is starting to feel dangerously like part of the household fleet. The reality is that it won't be with me for much longer, so I'd best make the most of it. There are a few things to tick off before that though, including a pending return visit to McLaren Manchester's service centre to swap to P Zero Corsa tyres.
Two motivations for this; first Silverstone has left the original P Zeroes looking a little worse for wear. But this was always on the agenda anyway, because after driving that more 'track spec' 570S and immediately noticing the GT's slightly softer turn-in behaviour, I was curious to see how much of that was down to the slower steering rack and how much was down to tyres.
It's not that the GT feels like it's understeering, more that you just need a couple more degrees of lock before the front end responds. That's deliberate of course and part of the GT's (relatively) more laid-back nature. And the steering feel is still way more natural and rewarding than any of the cars we've compared it against. It'll just be interesting to see whether the stiffer-walled Corsas increase that response at all and whether there's a noticeable trade-off in comfort or refinement.
While the car is at McLaren they're also going to investigate that random - and intermittent - rattle from within the engine bay I noticed from day one. I'm guessing it's something as simple as a hose or cable that needs a zip tie to hold it in place but it's no less irritating for it. They'll also look at the Bowers & Wilkins speaker on the passenger door, its cone seemingly having collapsed for some reason or other. It doesn't seem to have too much of an impact on the sound quality but given the prominence of the speakers and the fact they're as much a visual feature as an aural one it's been really winding me up. Short of someone poking the end of an unfolded paper clip through the grille I can't for the life of me see how it might have happened, but there we go. There's also a piece of external trim on the passenger door that seems to have come adrift and needs sorting out.
Meanwhile after all the 'serious' group tests and all that I've been mainly enjoying every excuse to take the McLaren out, even for supposedly 'boring' errands like shopping trips or airport runs. For all the drama of the looks, it can actually work for stuff like this. I had worried about getting boxed in when parking, but as you'll see from the pics you can still open them fully in reasonably tight spaces. Sure, it's still too exotic to really feel like a daily, but it's fun giving it a go for a bit.
FACT SHEET
Car: McLaren 570GT
Run by: Dan
On fleet since: April
Mileage: 5,186
List price new: £178,735 (Basic list price of £155,755, plus Elite Ice Silver paint £3,490, Super-Lightweight Forged wheels in Stealth £3,490 + £1,110, red brake calipers £900, Rocket Red badge set, Vehicle Tracking System £630, Sports Exhaust £3,240, Luxury Design 2 package in Saddle Tan and Carbon Black from By McLaren Designer Interiors £2,520, Carbon Fibre Interior Pack £2,500, GT Upgrade Pack £5,020, first aid kit and warning triangle £60)
Last month at a glance: A quiet month for the McLaren gives a chance to get some niggles sorted
