Gallery: Review: McLaren 570S
McLaren01McLaren 570S Coupe Launch 2015 Portimao
In this new world order where sports cars and supercars rub elbows, the baby 570S, starting at $184,900, enters that nebulous area with trickle-down styling that recalls its big brothers, the 650S and P1.
McLaren02McLaren-570S-Portimao-5635
McLaren (humbly) rectifies the disparity by calling the 570S a “Sport” model, as opposed to its the Super Series designation of its 650S/675LT models or the “Ultimate” series P1.
McLaren03McLaren-570S-Portimao-4736
Though it offers a less lavish, more compact presence on the road, the 570S isn’t necessarily a compromised 650S.
McLaren04McLaren-570S-Portimao-933
It delivers a potent power-to-weight ratio, a top speed of 204 mph, and combined EU cycle fuel economy figures of 26.6 mpg—good enough to avoid the gas guzzler tax.
McLaren05McLaren-570S-Portimao-8568
The company’s monocell carbon fiber chassis, used across its lineup, has been modified with narrower sills easier entry and exit.
McLaren06McLaren-570S-Portimao-4597
Once inside, the mood is decidedly functional, with generous Napa leather surfaces but otherwise spartan expanses of space.
McLaren07McLaren-570S-Portimao-4698
There’s a tad more friendliness to this interior, with tiny water bottle-sized cubbies in the doors, more accommodating seats, and McLaren’s inaugural use of vanity mirrors.
McLaren08McLaren-570S-Portimao-4618
Knobs and switches actuate with reassuring clicks, and even the turn signal stalks—ergonomically curved slivers of aluminum—deliver a sense of tactile satisfaction.
McLaren09McLaren 570S Coupe Launch 2015 Portimao
With its squinty face, sonorous exhaust and jarring color palate, the 570S carves through town with the subtlety of a freight train.
McLaren10McLaren-570S-Portimao-7511
At the core is the latest iteration of McLaren’s carbon fiber chassis, which weighs only 165 pounds and keeps the 570S to a svelte 3,186 pounds.
McLaren11McLaren-570S-Portimao-2267
The 570S’s athleticism seems oversized on public roads, like wielding a saber to slice a grape.
McLaren12McLaren 570S Coupe Launch 2015 Portimao
The $3,860 sport exhaust makes the car’s intentions audibly clear, both inside the cabin and to anyone within earshot.
McLaren13McLaren-570S-Portimao-965
More than once, the long-winded wind-up made me giggle out loud, just like I used to while power sliding my Big Wheel.
McLaren14McLaren-570S-Portimao-6913
The optimal track setting requires Dynamic mode, which sends the nanny home for the day, facilitating satisfying tail slides and drifts.
