2020 McLaren GT Review

That badge is fairly unambiguous: the 2020 McLaren GT is McLaren's GT. That's Grand Tourer (or better-sounding "Gran Turismo" in Italian), which, broadly speaking, is a class of rarefied fast cars capable of crossing continents in comfort and style. Rivals, and the cars McLaren itself admits its GT is aimed at, include the Aston Martin DB11, the Bentley Continental GT, the Ferrari Portofino, and the Porsche 911 Turbo S.

There are no hard and fast rules for GTs, but the majority — the 911 Turbo S being a notable rear-engine exception — tend to put their engines in front of their luxurious passenger compartments. More often than not a GT comes with a pair of occasional seats in the back (a setup often referred to as 2+2) and a decent, if not always hugely commodious, trunk. The McLaren GT bucks all the trends: This British GT features two seats only, while its turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine sits directly behind the driver and passenger.

That mid-mounted engine is a unique configuration in the GT class and does, admittedly, give the GT a front trunk as well as a long but shallow luggage compartment above the low-slung engine. McLaren says the GT has a sizable total cargo capacity of about 20 cubic feet. The lengthy rear luggage area is said to be able to hold two pairs of skis, or a set of golf clubs — the latter an essential yardstick in this class.

The McLaren GT is a match for the task of taking two people on a weekend escape, but is that enough to make it a successful GT?

All things are relative, of course, and in this rarefied segment of the market, nothing comes cheap. The base price of the GT is $210,000 but that will quickly increase with some choice options. Our test vehicle carried a price tag of $245,125, which included a sport exhaust ($3,500), Elite paint ($5,000) and even a body-colored ignition key ($500).

Buyers of regular cars might balk at such things but McLaren's approach is by no means abnormal. Overall the GT is priced competitively with rivals such as the Porsche 911 Turbo S and Bentley Continental GT.

Anyone buying the GT new should also factor in the depreciation, which could easily amount to $100,000 over a three-year period. It's an eye-watering sum, but again is similar to what you might expect from its rivals.

The GT's stiff, strong carbon-fiber monocoque creates an excellent platform for McLaren to hang its suspension from. The low-slung seats, the correspondingly low center of gravity, and the beautifully weighted steering that's rich in detail give an unerring impression of a sports car rather than a GT.

The rear-wheel-drive, mid-engine McLaren offers poise that's unusual for a GT car, coupled with an agility that even the Porsche 911 Turbo S struggles to match. It's true that McLaren has tried to soften the GT a little relative to its more hardcore 570S and 720S — there's a little more body roll and the steering is a tad less responsive — but all things are relative. Anyone jumping out of a Bentley Continental GT will still be shocked by just how sporting the McLaren is.

Nor should you expect the effortless, lazy thrust of a Bentley. You have to work pretty hard for the engine's performance, crazy as that might sound for a car with 612 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque from its turbocharged 4.0-liter V8. Leave the seven-speed sequential shift gearbox in auto mode and it needs to drop several gears before it starts making decent progress. Most GT rivals feel far more urgent for more of the time than the McLaren. That's exacerbated if you're in manual mode and lazy with the paddles (as a GT driver might expect to be) since the engine needs a minimum of 3,000 rpm on the rev counter before there's anything in the way of real pace.

Admittedly, above about 4,000 rpm the power comes on with convincing force. That does mean you'll sometimes find yourself arriving at corners a bit faster than you might anticipate. The GT is genuinely supercar fast with a claimed 0-60 mph time of 3.1 seconds and 203-mph potential top speed. We only wish it sounded a bit better. In common with other McLarens, the engine does not have the sonorous appeal of a Bentley V8 or a Porsche flat-six.

You sit low in the McLaren and gain access through the crowd-pleasing dihedral doors. The seats offer plenty of adjustment but are relatively firm. Some of our drivers have questioned their long-distance comfort. The driving position is good, though, thanks to a steering wheel that offers plenty of adjustment. Visibility is also impressive for a mid-engine car, but avoid lighter colors for the top of the dashboard, which can cause awkward reflections. 

McLaren claims to have made the cabin quieter compared with its more focused cars, but don't expect luxury coupe levels of refinement. Tire roar on concrete surfaces is a particular problem, although this criticism can also be leveled at the current-generation Porsche 911 and even the Bentley.

The ride quality is good, but then that's true of just about every McLaren. It's not as comfortable as a rival Bentley Continental GT but it's at least a match for a Porsche 911 Turbo S. McLaren has also raised the ride height relative to its supercars, which makes it easier to navigate parking garages and speed bumps. Indeed, we'd question whether the optional nose lift system is really necessary.

The cabin is similar to those in other McLarens but with a few tweaks to make the GT friendlier to the grand-touring market. The digital instruments are a bit simpler in their layout and operation, and the infotainment system has been updated. It looks and feels special, particularly when compared with a 911. Almost everything you touch is wrapped in leather and the quality is good. As you'd expect, McLaren also offers a huge potential for extensive and expensive personalization, with everything from premium audio to an electrochromic roof with five shades of tint.

It's far from flawless, though. Some of the controls are bizarrely situated including the wing mirror switches, which reside to the right of the steering wheel. It's also worth remembering that this is only a two-seater, while all of the obvious rivals in this class offer at least token rear seats.

McLaren likes to go its own way with technology, which is a mixed blessing. The vertically mounted central infotainment system is bespoke. It looks distinctive, but there's no smartphone integration of either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and the navigation system in particular is fiddly to use. It's also impossible to see if you're wearing polarized sunglasses.

There's a highly sophisticated stability control system and launch control for fast getaways, but few other driving aids. You won't find safety features such as blind-spot monitoring or emergency braking assistance that we now take for granted in mid-market SUVs.

McLaren has lined the rear luggage area's floor with a tough NASA-developed fabric, and even gone so far as to create venting around the engine and exhaust to keep that rear trunk as cool as possible. It helps, but it's by no means solved the problem. Luggage is still cooked by a combination of the engine below and the glass screen above — we wouldn't leave a laptop back there on a sunny day. Anything you put in the rear you'll also see reflected in the rear glass. And if you try to carry too much, you'll block the view entirely. We did manage to fit a modest golf bag in the rear but, despite McLaren's assertion you can get skis in the GT, we'd suggest a roof box (or renting skis) if you're off to Aspen.

In addition to the rear load area, there's a useful "frunk" at the front of the car. Forget large suitcases, though. You'll be able to squeeze in a couple of carry-on-size bags, and the rest of the space is suitable for suit carriers or soft luggage.

Overall, that cargo space is listed at 20.1 cubic feet, a number that McLaren points out is larger than that quoted for most of its GT rivals. That's a touch unfair, though, as most rivals can load a decent amount of luggage in their rear seating areas. And if you're not packing them for a cross-country trip, rivals' small rear pews do give extra space for the customary lap dog — something an industry insider from another brand once admitted was a serious consideration for many grand-tourer buyers.