HIGH ROAD

HIGH ROAD Practical MAGIC

McLaren’s stunning new GT is the EVERYDAY SUPERCAR that can deliver you to the golf links at 203 mph

By Howard Walker

I love McLarens—with a passion. I love the rock-out-of-a-catapult acceleration, the spooked-squirrel handling, the mind-reading steering that can almost predict your intentions before you even nudge the wheel.

For me, these British-built projectiles are the very definition of the mystical term “supercar.” To drive one, to feel that 600-plus twin-turbo horsepower, is like downing a quadruple espresso after a lifetime of decaf.

But, they do come with the odd compromise or two. The endless drone from those monster tires at each corner is like driving with a leaf blower in the passenger seat. Hitting any kind of lump or bump is like colliding with a Florida sinkhole. As for carrying personal items aboard, if they won’t fit into a squashy gym bag, you’re going to need to call FedEx.

However, the new McLaren GT is a kinder, gentler McLaren with more refinement, comfort, and civility. Oh, and did I mention there’s space in the back for a golf bag?

Thank McLaren for listening to its customers—or its dealers, who likely moaned about losing another sale to more accommodating rivals, such as Bentley’s grand touring Continental GT or Aston Martin’s DB11.

What we have here is the first McLaren hatchback. One tap of the key fob and the huge rear tailgate pops open to reveal a long, wide luggage area. And although it is rather oddly shaped, it works. According to McLaren, it can accommodate 14.8 cubic feet of “stuff.” That total climbs to 20.8 when you factor in the small forward trunk.

While this new feature does transform the versatility of the GT, it too is not without its compromises—like having a heat-blasting 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 sitting beneath it. McLaren engineers had to develop a thermal heat shield to reduce temps from 900 degrees Fahrenheit around the engine to a still toasty 100. Stow that box of Godiva back there at your peril.

More worrisome is the fact that the luggage area is open to the cockpit. Yes, there are numerous tie-down rings, but that loose jar of Petrossian beluga caviar could become a high-speed projectile under heavy braking. And as with all McLarens, this GT can stop with the same immediacy as hitting a brick wall.

In keeping with the slightly more mellow image of this new GT, the design has also been softened. Unlike the angry-bird McLaren 720S on which it’s based, the GT sheds the track-focused rear wing, huge wheel-arch

POWER FILE

PRICE: $213,195/$263,265 AS TESTED ENGINE: 4.0-LITER TWIN-TURBO V-8 POWER: 612 HP TORQUE: 465 LB-FT TRANSMISSION: 7-SPEED AUTOMATIC 0-60: 3.1 SECONDS TOP SPEED: 203 MPH LENGTH/ WIDTH: 184/81 INCHES WEIGHT: 3,384 POUNDS WHY WE LOVE IT: BECAUSE

IT ADDS ELEGANCE AND vents, and air-gulping rear intakes. I think less brittle, more forgiving, and has less tire roar. VERSATILITY WITHOUT it’s the best-looking McLaren in the lineup. But don’t for one second think McLaren has gone soft on perforLOSING THAT WILD-CHILD It’s just sleeker and more stylish, enhanced mance. The GT’s 4.0-liter V-8 packs a 612-hp punch that can slingshot

MCLAREN CHARACTER.

by lovely forged alloys at each corner, the the car to 60 mph in a retina-blurring 3.1 seconds. This beast won’t call it biggest ever fitted to a McLaren. quits until the speedo shows 203 mph. Open the high-lifting scissor-like doors Hustle the GT along a curvy two-laner and its race-bred heritage, and inside, McLaren’s typical wafer-thin, butt-numbing seats have been along with perfect poise and balance, is there to thrill. Although it was replaced with wider, comfier, thicker-padded versions that are a delight. developed for the track, on ordinary roads it goes precisely where you The cabin is now a sea of handbag-quality leather befitting the grand point it. Its handling is nothing less than stellar. tourer the GT is. Pricing starts at around $213,000, though with a few options—the

And boy, does this car tour grandly. There’s less snap, crackle, and $6,000 electrochromic glass roof is a must-have, as is the $15,400 fourpop from the exhaust compared to, say, the 720S. Less volume, too. And piece set of custom luggage—reckon on closer to $260,000. But for me, «the suspension has been tuned to deliver a ride that is a tad smoother, all that McLaren magic more than justifies the price tag.

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