As exotic they look, supercars are not quite practical cars. Sure, modern supercars have become more and more reliable and can handle traffic much better than their older counterparts but they still lack on the practicality front. Even if you throw storage spaces out of the window, the race-track spec suspension and the low ground clearance prove to be quite a pain when on regular roads. But then you also have grand tourers like the Bentley Continental GT or the Aston Martin DB11. Cars like these offer a practical package, with a boot and comfortable suspension, yet, have enough power to run alongside supercars. This segment just got more interesting, with McLaren unveiling the brand new GT, to compete with the likes of the Bentley and the Aston Martin.
The popularity of the 570 GT may have had an influence on McLaren’s decision to build such a car. The McLaren GT will slot right between the Sports series and Super series of the brand, taking the brand to unchartered territory. Despite being a new player, McLaren believes to change this segment of grand tourers with this new car. Unlike most other tourers, which use a front mid-engine or a front engine layout to free up space for a boot at the rear, the McLaren continues to use a rear mid-engine layout. However, that does not mean that boot space is compromised, the engineers at McLaren have managed to deliver a whopping boot space of 570 litres. That is much more than your regular hatchbacks offer, accommodating golf clubs, skis and boots and anything else customers want to take along for a drive. Moreover, a ground clearance of 110 mm is quite high for a McLaren and is enough to clear most speed bumps, however, a lift system will take it further to 130 mm for more ease on bad roads.
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Despite being a practical car, the GT is still a McLaren, which means that the drive and handling are not compromised. The car uses a carbon fibre tub, called the MonoCell II-T, where the T stands for touring. This tub has been derived from their entry-level sports car, the 570 S. The engine comes from the Superseries member, the 720 S, which is a 4-litre, twin turbo V8 unit. The engine, however, has been detuned to suit the characteristics of a grand tourer, delivering 612 bhp and 630 Nm of torque. This translates to a 0 to 100 sprint in 3.2 seconds while reaching the double ton would take you 9 seconds. Priced from £163,000 before options, these cars will be on the road by the end of this year.
