McLaren's most practical car aims for supercar thrills and GT practicality.

PROS:

+ True supercar performance

+ Pleasing refinement

+ Genuine practicality for a supercar

CONS:

- Disappointing exhaust note

- Not as practical as a traditional GT

- Not the greatest infotainment system

Verdict: Has McLaren reinvented the GT car with this model? In a word? No. However, the McLaren GT when viewed as a supercar adds a new level of practicality and refinement for daily drivers while preserving incredible performance. Like Goldilocks’ porridge, this McLaren will be just right for some.  

2021 McLaren GT review: the five-minute read

We all want to have our cake and eat it, but in the real world, that very rarely happens. If you want to chomp on chocolate eclairs all day, you’ll get fat – it’s a cruel truth. However, McLaren’s alchemy division set about turning a mid-engined supercar into something reasonably practical that you can genuinely use every day. Sure, you can already easily drive a 720S to Tesco, but it won’t fit your golf clubs. Enter the McLaren GT.

Featuring a more subtle aesthetic than many of its supercar siblings, the McLaren GT aims to somewhat redefine the GT class by delivering on mid-engined supercar performance. The location of its motor means it retains that teardrop silhouette – a classic trait of any supercar. There are a few bits of this design that hark back to other McLaren models, but overall the GT does its own thing.

Just like the 720S, the GT utilises a carbon fibre Monocell. Open the dramatic dihedral doors to reveal a cabin far plusher than any McLaren before it. Sumptuous leathers and milled aluminium details form a space that is minimalist in some respects, but wonderfully detailed in others. Just like all McLaren, visibility is brilliant for a car of this calibre, and the seating position sits you low in the chassis.

Just like a 720S, the GT features 150-litres of space in its front compartment, but blip the key fob and a large electric hatch opens at the rear to reveal a 420-litre cargo space. It’ll happily take two sets of golf clubs and dramatically boosts the practicality of this car. However, if you are viewing the McLaren GT as a GT car, and not a more practical supercar, it lags behind traditional models such as a Bentley Continental GT.

The beating heart of the McLaren GT is that familiar twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, in this guise possessing 612bhp and 630Nm of torque. This might be pitched as the most sensible McLaren to date, but performance credentials such as 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds and a 203mph top speed shows it still has a hand firmly in the supercar game.

Trundling about at a sedate 30mph and intermittently stopping at points of interest, the GT proves to be perfectly amicable. With everything set to ‘Comfort’ and a measured right foot, the car is impressively refined. Yes, it’s obviously firmer than cars offered by Bentley or Aston Martin, but its unique suspension does a respectable job of soaking up the worst of road imperfections. Stopping at a picturesque pub for a few opportunistic snaps, we couldn’t help but think that life with a GT would be rather pleasant. Smooth gearing, a muted exhaust note, and visibility that doesn’t leave you worrying about becoming an internet meme while parking, reinforces this.

Show the McLaren GT some exciting Tarmac and this machine proudly demonstrates that its supercar DNA is present and correct. Light the fuse on that turbocharged V8, and after just a whiff of turbo lag, this car rockets towards the horizon with an unrelenting surge of acceleration. Something of a McLaren signature, this power unit features near-limitless momentum, continuing to pull cleanly into triple figures (when permitted in the correct environment). It’s this sort of velocity that a traditional GT car can’t replicate.

Something else a regular GT can’t do is carve up corners like this McLaren. Sure, it’s a notch or two blunter than a 720S, but its rapid responses to inputs and masterful control through complex bends remains impressive. The hydraulic steering is pin-sharp and provides the driver with a good sense of what the car is up to. Driving a GT car spiritedly is often akin to making the Queen do the funky chicken – she’ll do it, but a little reluctantly. This McLaren on the other hand relishes the opportunity to highlight that it’s not really a GT at all, more a supercar with a bigger boot.

McLaren pitches this car as a machine that redefines the GT class, but we think that’s wrong. While surprisingly hushed at speed and rather practical, a bespoke GT car is simply better at being what people want a GT to be. However, viewed as a supercar with near unrivalled practicality and some of the hard edges rounded off for daily use, the McLaren GT might just be that magical chocolate eclair that you can enjoy guilt-free.

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Extended read…

2021 McLaren GT interior and infotainment

There are two ways of looking at the McLaren GT. Either it’s a GT car with supercar performance or a supercar with added GT characteristics. We favour the latter because the interior of the McLaren GT is more cockpit than cabin.

It feels spacious thanks to large portions of glass letting in plenty of natural light, but you sit low just as you’d expect in a supercar. Large door openings and less obtrusive sills make ingress and egress much easier, but the dihedral doors and snug seating position reminds you that this is still a high-performance machine.

Material quality is better than you’ll find on any other McLaren with far more luxurious finishes applied. Aluminium details have been milled from a solid billet, leathers are beautifully upholstered, and the seats are a bit plumper. It can’t rival a Bentley’s interior for opulence, but it certainly has a sense of occasion to it.

The portrait infotainment system has been a staple of McLaren since the MP4-12C. Thankfully the system has been greatly improved since those early days and runs nice and slick. However, it is starting to look a bit dated, and while its orientation suits the layout of the cockpit, a horizontal display might be more ergonomic. This unit also lacks Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

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2021 McLaren GT practicality and boot space

There’s no denying that the McLaren GT is one of the most practical supercars out there. A total of 570-litres of cargo space is divided between a front storage compartment and rear load area. You can fit a few soft bags or a small cabin case upfront, while two full sets of golf clubs fit neatly into the hatchback opening. You’ll also find a handy glovebox within the cabin.

When sat next to the 150-litres offered by a 720S, the practical advantages of the GT are clear to see. In fact, it even trumps the overall boot volume offered by a Continental GT, however, the shape of the Bentley’s cargo space is far more versatile. In this battle of the Brits, the car from Crew is the better fit for luggage.

2021 McLaren GT engine

The McLaren GT gets the same twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine found in the mighty 720S, except in this guise it is detuned to 612bhp. Those playing Top Trumps might bemoan this fact, but 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds, or 0-124mpg in 9 seconds, still makes this a serious performance machine.

Power is sent to the rear wheels via a smooth seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox that’s perfectly competent when left alone or instantly commanded via paddle shifters. It’s an impressive box, one that adds to both refinement and overall performance.

The powertrain’s mood is dictated via the ‘Active’ control panel with each setting making the car more alert than the one before. Set everything to maximum attack, and short of a touch of turbo lag, performance is nothing short of breathtaking. Our only gripe is that even in ‘Track’, the McLaren GT’s soundtrack isn’t all that inspiring.

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2021 McLaren GT driving

One of the critical ingredients that separate the McLaren GT from many of its perceived rivals is weight, or lack of it. The extensive use of carbon in its construction translates to a car that is extremely responsive thanks to its rigidity and lack of mass. Team that with controls that are perfectly weighted and precise to use, and what you have is an impressive performance machine. It’s maybe not quite as sharp as a 720S, a trade for added refinement, but it will calve up just about any stretch of road you place in front of it.

It’s a communicative drive with the car providing feedback through the wheel and the chassis, something that the likes of a traditional GT car can only dream of. Its sensation of speed and outright agility makes it a thrilling drive.

The McLaren GT’s refinement at speed is also impressive. Cruising at triple figures – on the autobahn for example – still facilitates conversation without raised voices. Its ride is just as pleasing, and while low-speed thumps are unavoidable, it is surprisingly supple when travelling a little faster. We drove this car back-to-back with a 720S and also found that the GT is more resistant to following the contours of the road.

As mentioned, the measure of success for the McLaren GT comes down to how you judge it. As a GT car, it acquits itself well but is naturally compromised due to its mid-engined nature. However, as a supercar, its added practicalities might be worth the trade in outright performance for some.