McLaren GT in the test: Extreme sportiness for the long haul

The first impression: The car is flat, has double doors - and yet is the most suitable for everyday use McLaren in the history of the brand. Particularly noticeable is the elongated tail that distinguishes the GT right away from the other models from Woking.

The manufacturer says: "Since we build road cars again, we have the sports car world quite mixed up," says McLaren product manager Ian Digman self-confidently. Over the past ten years, the brand has sold nearly 50,000 cars. "Now let's take the next piece of the market," says Digman. That sounds suspiciously like the boulevard to an SUV - Porsche with the Cayenne or Lamborghini with the Urus have faked it.

But Digman waves away. "We will not have an off-road vehicle." A Gran Turismo but already. So a comfortable sports car like the new GT. Suddenly ignored characteristics such as ground clearance, trunk volume or the hardness of the seat cushion are important. "Nevertheless, we have remained faithful to our principles and have redefined the vehicle genre," boasts Digman. The GT is the only Gran Turismo with carbon chassis, the only one with a mid-engine, it offers only two instead of four seats, and of course gullwing doors.

We noticed that: The lightweight construction pays off and the abandonment of a back seat can get over. Let's be honest - more than a travel bag or a jacket in the Porsche 911 or the Bentley Continental does not fit on the seats in the second row anyway. The place behind the driver therefore occupies the engine in the GT.

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The result of this attitude: The GT really craves for curves. Yes, on an empty freeway it can reach speeds of up to 326 km / h at full throttle. But it's much more fun to surf on a highway or storm an Alpine pass. Because even with the gentlest steering in the McLaren range, the GT is still sharper and more direct than any competitor.

McLaren has certainly thought of the comfort, namely on the discreetly grown space, the slightly thicker padded seats, the glove box and the separate vanity mirror in front of the passenger seat: The chassis calculates bumps ahead and adjusts the damping accordingly. The ground clearance has been increased to 110 millimeters and, together with the hydraulic lift system at the push of a button with 130 millimeters, at least in the short term achieves the level of a Mercedes C-Class. The exhaust of the car swallows the noise of the eight-cylinder and allows in interaction with sound-absorbing tires, well-insulated discs and a sophisticated aerodynamics even at 160 km still talks without shouting.

Take a look inside the McLaren GT - with our 360 degree photo:

While the driver enjoys, however, the car seems strangely unwilling and unsatisfied. Because the GT wants to spout and knows at the latest after the change to the Sport mode no stopping. The chassis then takes no more consideration for the bones of the occupants and with open baffles, it is so loud in the cabin that talks are no longer conceivable. However, you do not have to hold on to the steering wheel with your hands clenched; instead, the car can almost be driven with your fingertips.

One has to know that: The production of the GT has already begun, the delivery starts in the last quarter of 2019 at prices from 198,000 euros. Although McLaren uses well-known components for the new series, it has thoroughly modified both the carbon chassis and the engine, and has not adopted a previously used body part.

Dry weighs the GT 1466 kilos and thus at least 130 kilos less than the lightest competitor so far. The performance of the four-liter V8 turbocharged engine is 620 hp, the driving values ​​testify to the proximity to the race car: From 0 to 100 sprints the GT in 3.2 seconds, 200 km / h are reached after 9.0 seconds.

With the McLaren GT, the developers are proud of another key figure. 570 liters - that is the total volume of the two luggage compartments of the GT. 150 liters are in the bow, 420 liters on the finely lined shelf behind the seats. The rich for either two golf bags, two pairs of skis or three travel bags, boasts the manufacturer.

We will not forget that: The attention to detail, which McLaren shows in disciplines that are completely new to the brand. This includes, for example, the cover fabric for the loading floor, which was developed jointly with NASA and which is resistant to scratches caused by suitcases thanks to microfine ceramic chips. Or the aerodynamics, which creates an insulating layer of air between the engine compartment and trunk to protect the luggage from heat, and at the same time cools the handle of the boot lid so that no one burns his fingers when opening. Such sophistication is evidence that the journey seemed to be as important to the engineers as it was to the lawn.

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