What's the McLaren GT like?
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?