The McLaren GT 2020 is the supercar of grand touring cars

There is no definite definition of what a GT car is. And GT, which is an abbreviation of grand touring, is stuck on cars as varied as the Hyundai Elantra hatchback, a 5000-pound Bentley with two doors and a half-million-dollar race car carrying a Ford badge. So, if McLaren wants to name his new GT supercar, so be it, even if the engine mounted in the center of the car, the two-seater configuration and the dihedral doors are the fundamental characteristics of the supercar. It's McLaren's car, after all. He can call him as he wants. In addition, the company has served us delicious Bugles from a bowl of fine silver during the training program, so we go there.

The GT, which arrives this fall with a starting price of $ 213,195, may not fit comfortably into the traditional limits of a grand touring car. But McLaren has at least worked to give his last offer some of the attributes usually associated with the nickname: visual elegance, comfort and ease of use.

Subjugated for a McLaren

Its exterior styling is moderate compared to other mid-engine supercars, even those of McLaren. There are no fixed wings, strange air intakes, slashes in the bodywork, or inexplicably sharp jaws. There is even a strip of chrome that draws an arc on the side windows. Chrome trim. On a McLaren. The aluminum body of the GT can be painted in decidedly non-supercar colors that are not offered on other McLaren, such as copper, navy blue and a greyish green a little dark. Its optional 15-spoke wheels (20 inches front, 21 rear) would be perfect for a mid-size luxury sedan. But because the GT shares its basic elements with all other modern McLaren, the GT looks like a mid-engine supercar that strives to not draw too much attention to itself. It's beautiful and unfussy, if not particularly distinctive.

Making the GT more comfortable than its colleagues is a pretty simple affair. Its suspension is very similar to that of the 570S because it uses anti-roll bars and adaptive dampers instead of the more exotic ProActive Chassis Control II (a hydropneumatic system that eliminates the anti-roll bars) of the 720S. A more relaxed setting of these components gives quite impressive results on sharp and high-frequency road imperfections. We drove the GT on the almost completely smooth roads of southern France, where most cars offer quite a nice ride, but this car is visibly more flexible than the other McLarens.

Naturally, however, the GT is still well closed, no matter what circumstances you may end up on public roads. The response of the GT is perfect, neither darty nor lazy. And although the GT boasts an extra boost at low speeds for easier parking, the electrohydraulic steering of the GT is a pleasure to use at higher speeds, with excellent feel, extreme precision and studied linearity . The seats of the GT are also considered as models of comfort. They are unique to the GT and weigh only in relation to the seats you will find in other McLaren. That's the problem with the GT: it's comfortable and comfortable compared to other McLaren, which makes it very sporty compared to everything else.

Familiar firepower

The GT uses a version of the V-8 bi-turbo 4.0 liter, familiar with the 720S. The configuration of the GT is 98 horses less than that of his big brother. But that means that the GT still produces a significant power of 612 horsepower. This should be enough to launch the GT at 60 mph in 2.9 seconds. Yes, it is a few tenths late on the time of the 720S, but it remains less than three seconds! The GT engine uses a higher compression ratio than the 720S (9.4: 1 compared to 8.7: 1) and relatively small turbines with low inertia minimize delays and allow flexible power distribution .

Behind the wheel, the GT may not have the shock or the impression of the 720S, but you will never see it as a car very fast. Our only problem with the powertrain is that, in comfort mode, the seven-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission takes a half-time too long to downshift the maneuvers. McLaren notes that the GT offers a range of about 400 miles. Compared to the 720S, the GT has a shorter intake plenum, which leaves a little more room for loading between the engine and the windshield.

Now we are Cookin & # 39;

And that's where increased friendliness comes into play – in this long but shallow space with strange shapes. McLaren will be happy to sell you custom luggage for your GT, but it is unlikely that your own cabin suitcase will slip under the glass at the back. He will go in the trunk before the GT. But in this case, it would also be part of almost all McLaren. The company says you can install a bag of golf clubs at the back. We will take his word for that. We can say that a briefcase and a backpack fit easily in this space and are held in place by optional elastic straps of $ 500. (For this kind of money, they'd better work.)

Allowing customers to place their belongings on a high-power heater has, however, taken some time. Immediately above the engine is a cooling passage that draws air from the side tanks over the engine and vents them to the back of the car. Above is a multi-layered sandwich of various insulating materials. According to McLaren, the air in the cargo area is only about one-tenth as hot as that coming from the engine. Still, when we took the laptop out of the briefcase after our drive, it was extremely hot to the touch. And half of our co-driver's rubber reserve had turned in his backpack – this despite the fact that McLaren had opted for our test vehicle with the shade of the rear window to reduce the solar gain.

Any vehicle configuration has limitations. And McLaren is locked in its basic mid-engine architecture, from which all modern McLaren are built. For a small independent automotive company, a new platform for a new model would be extremely expensive. The company has demonstrated an impressive ability to adapt its Lego package to a variety of forms and purposes. The GT is the most comfortable McLaren. Or maybe it's the McLaren of the big tourists.