2017 McLaren 570S Review

McLaren, the British carmaker known for producing exotic two-door sports cars and supercars, has a small stable full of thrilling automobiles. And while the 2017 McLaren 570S is at the bottom of its pricing ladder, it is anything but a cut-rate compromise. One of the fastest sports cars on the road today, the 570S is exotic and elegant. It will never get lost in a parking lot, but it pulls off the trick of being uniquely fantastic without seeming overly ostentatious.

Propelled by a 562-horsepower twin-turbo V8, the 570S is capable of going zero to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds and eventually reaching a theoretical top speed of 204 mph. That incredible acceleration is all the more noteworthy when you consider that the 570S is a rear-wheel-drive sports car, not benefiting from all-wheel drive like some of its competitors.

The 570S is more than just a two-door exercise in speed, though. It has style and flair, not to mention a relative degree of practicality, to go along with its performance appeal. On the highway it's composed and comfortable; twisty roads reveal exceptional handling. If the 2017 McLaren 570S is in your price range, you'd be doing yourself a disservice to not book a test drive.

The 2017 McLaren 570S is a two-seat coupe in the company's sport-line series. There's also a touring-oriented 570GT that features a panoramic glass roof and a rear luggage hatch for accessing additional storage space behind the seats.

The 570S only comes in one base trim, but that includes quite a bit of equipment. For starters, you get the 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 (562 hp, 443 pound-feet of torque), a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission, lightweight forged 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires, carbon-ceramic brake discs and McLaren Brake Steer technology.

There's also full LED lighting front and rear, three modes of electronically adaptive suspension and powertrain calibration, auto engine stop-start, a leather interior, keyless entry and ignition, a 7-inch color touchscreen infotainment system, satellite navigation, Bluetooth, one auxiliary and three USB inputs, satellite and HD radio, Wi-Fi tethering, front and rear parking sensors, a rearview camera and an eight-speaker stereo system.

As you might expect, the McLaren has a deluge of options available for pretty much any taste. There are multiple carbon-fiber exterior packages that bundle small (door mirror casing, side air intakes) and large (aero blades, side skirts, rear diffuser) features and convert them to gloss-finished carbon fiber. A carbon-fiber interior package adds some interior satin (i.e., not glossy) carbon-fiber pieces, which include door inserts, center tunnel walls, steering-wheel spokes and gearshift paddles, door and lower console switches, as well as the touchscreen surround. The Lux package includes power-adjustable and heated memory seats; a power-adjustable steering column; a 12-speaker, 1,280-watt Bowers & Wilkins surround-sound audio system; and soft-close doors. All of the above options can be ordered individually, though the packages provide a nice discount over ordering them individually.

In the hardware department, an optional sports exhaust is available and can be done up in a silver finish. A nose lift option gives you the ability to raise the front ride height by up to 40 mm for additional ramp and driveway clearance, which will likely save you some money in expensive carbon-fiber repairs. There are also multiple carbon-fiber racing seat options and two additional forged wheel options (a lighter-weight five-spoke and super lightweight 10-spoke), with all three wheel choices available in silver, stealth or diamond-cut finishes.

Additional stand-alone interior options include two upgraded premium leather trims, as well as a premium leather and faux suede combination trim. You may also specify doorsills finished in leather, a faux suede-wrapped steering wheel, and leather or faux suede headlining. For those with racetrack intentions for their 570S, McLaren offers an onboard GPS track telemetry system to record and analyze lap times, with a three-camera option that captures footage from the front and rear bumpers as well as all the action within the cabin.

In addition to the standard catalog of options, McLaren Special Operations (MSO), the bespoke division of company, is available to fulfill additional requests. Items such as a full carbon-fiber front splitter, rear bumper and roof are common upgrades, and we're told that no paint color is off the table as long as you can furnish a small example. Take enough time going over the details and your 570S can truly be one of a kind.