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Thought I'd jot down some musings on both cars - I have a 2012 McLaren MP4-12C and recently got a 2015 GT3 and the price delta is close enough for people to cross-shop in terms of budget. There are some interesting parallels and contrasts, to me anyway. In no particular order:
1. Both are more track-focused than many sports/exotics, which I really like. No BS volume or other controls on the wheel, and shift paddles move with the wheel (unlike Ferrari, for example).
2. The McLaren is more Spartan inside, with many fewer buttons on the center console, which is a good thing since the Nav and Bluetooth does not really work anyway, so why have buttons to further remind you.
3. The GT3 display of things like temperatures and pressures is way better and you can rapidly page through them. For example, there is no oil pressure gauge or display of any kind on the 12C! However the GT3 temp and pressure gauges are obscured by the wheel and the (redundant) speedo has way too large a range - 225 mph?!!! Maybe if you drop one off the Empire State Building. The 12C dispenses entirely with a speedo and has only a digital display.
4. I am sure it is a nod to tradition, but no keyless start in the GT3? I personally vastly prefer to simply get in and press a button to start my cars.
5. I prefer the PDK to the 12C's DCT. I like how PDK disengages the clutch when you pull both paddles and at a stop when you are not applying throttle. Much closer to the experience in a manual transmission car. The off-throttle creep in the 12C is annoying.
6. The above said, WTF is a shift lever doing in the GT3 console? All it does is take up space and block the view of the center console controls. I vastly prefer the 3 simple buttons in the 12C for D, N, R. Now if the GT3 shift **** was removable and vibrated, well . . . .
7. The chassis/drivetrain controls in the 12C are IMO the best in the business. Leave them disabled and the 12C is soft and comfy; more so than the GT3. They also allow independent control of chassis and powertrain, so you can have more aggressive throttle and shifts with softer chassis on the street, or muted power and softer chassis on a wet track, or track/track when on dry track, and you can also alter the active rear wing and have the DCT shift auto in any powertrain setting if you like. This degree of flexibility is absent from the GT3
8. Sound is subjective, but I think the nod goes to the GT3, with the wail of 9000 rpm and the great exhaust sounds on shifts. Also, the "intake sound generator" in the 12C is stupid. I just disable mine. I also like the exhaust button on the GT3 and wish there was a way to bypass the muffler on the 12C instead of the stupid intake sound thing.
9. Power in the 12C is so much greater that it's almost unfair to compare the 2 cars. On the street, I have to say I love the 12C power and torque, which are also usable without the drama of winding the car past 7K rpm, a necessity in the GT3 to really get serious acceleration.
10. Overall, the 12C is more cushy on the street, but the doors make ingress/egress more difficult, and the car is more exotic and draws more attention. GT3 has more interior storage space and bigger front trunk (but it gets much hotter than the 12C) and rides rougher. Both are fine by my standards, though, as I am also willing to daily drive an Elise.
11. I'll report more on the track when I can drive both back to back. I bet the GT3 punches way above its weight, as Porsches do, and hope the rear steer helps, too. The 12C has a wicked push and limited camber adjustment. I bet the power delta is inconsequential when on track and can hardly wait.
5. The 12C will also disengage the clutch or go to neutral at a stop if you hold back on the downshift lever. To get back into gear you will have to pull the upshift lever back or hit the D button.
I do like how the paddles on the 12C operate on a lever system and are not separate paddles. One handed driving can be done on the street while shifting gears.
5. The 12C will also disengage the clutch or go to neutral at a stop if you hold back on the downshift lever. To get back into gear you will have to pull the upshift lever back or hit the D button.
I do like how the paddles on the 12C operate on a lever system and are not separate paddles. One handed driving can be done on the street while shifting gears.
I will have to try that - I reach over and hit the N button. I do not care for the delay from neutral to 1st on the 12C. I can get first in a traditional manual way faster and am sometimes caught out at stoplights.
The lever system is OK, but I rarely push one side to change gears. If I don't have both hands on the wheel, I just put the car in automatic.
The "dynamic range" of the McLaren is unmatched by any car on the market. In its plushest setting, it's like an S-class, in its most extreme setting, it is more aggressive than even a GT3. I thoroughly enjoyed the 11k I put on mine - best car I've ever owned.
My biggest gripe about the car (which they have fixed in the 570S), is that you cannot adjust suspension damping and TC/stability control independently. These systems are so intrusive, that the first time I tried to roll on the throttle coming out of a corner in "normal" mode, I though that the car was broken. In "sport," still too intrusive for my taste. In "track," the damping is so aggressive, the car is not enjoyable on the street, but finally the systems actually allow you to have some fun with the car.
Nice write-up, Keith. If your new CTS-V Wagon is gray, I think I saw you this past Sunday afternoon turning onto Midway from NW Hwy. Nice plate. Also, like the N-Ring sticker, etc.
I'll take my GT4 out to MSR sometime once I get it if you can have me out there as a guest for a goof-off day. Supposed to arrive early Sept.
V-Wagon is Purple (pompous Majestic Plum Metallic), but looks other colors in odd light; I was coming back from MSR so you probably did see me and I do have a personalized plate and 'Ring sticker. Love to have you out and you are still welcome to rent the SR8.
I have had the GT3 for less than a week stateside and am loving it.
Oops, it looked gray. Yeah, I'm sure that was you then. I was in my Lexus SUV, so I didn't try to wave or anything. Let me put the SR8 back on the to-do list and I'll contact you in a few weeks to get something scheduled. Thank you very much!
Can't wait for you to get some track temp data with your GT3. If the GT3 can hold up to your driving at MSR in the middle of summer, then Porsche did their homework very well.
06-23-2015, 11:45 AM
Random Musings 12C and GT3
Also, like the N-Ring sticker, etc.