OT...Drove a 570 yesterday.
#1
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Several of them, actually, at the McLaren FWD event which was held at MSR Houston. Did two ~20 minute street drives in a Spyder and 30 minutes on the track in a coupe.
I had had trouble fitting in the car on track with helmet on. I am 6’2” and have trouble in a fair number of vehicles, so this was not surprising. I JUST fit in the car without a helmet.
I don’t own a GT3 but have driven one multiple times. So my perspective may be a bit less biased than an owner? Or less informed? Not sure. In any event, the 570 made quite the impression. Without a doubt the most impressive thing is the power. Mother of god that thing is quick. I know a 911 TT is faster from a launch but I would put my money on the Macca from a roll any time. The thing just picks up and hauls the mail. On a public road, just stomping on it from a stop resulted in 110 plus VERY quickly. Rolling on the power while underway is intoxicating. Of course it’s not as fast as it’s big brothers, but it definitely shades a 991 TT, which is its market competitor. Compared to a GT3, it would definitely pull away at low revs. The last 2000 RPM of the GT3 might match it for intensity though. Not sure about absolute pulling power. Could be close? The GT3 retains its theater and noise up top. Full whack upshifts in the GT3 are definitely more magical. But not by much, as when the McLaren upshifts the swell of torque is intoxicating. The McLaren can be caught napping at low revs but then again so does the GT3. The powerband feels quite linear and builds power progressively. It takes an engine like the GT3 to make it feel turbocharged.
The most imoressive thing about the car is definitely the chassis. We drove it on some VERY bumpy roads nearby at some serious speeds. Even with the suspension in Sport, the car handled it extremely well. Shockingly well. A GT3 on the same road would have rattled your teeth out. You can feel the rigidity of the carbon tub at work as the chassis (conventional not the fancy hydraulic one in the Super series) is set up on the compliant side because the chassis is so rigid. Yet on the track, the car was hyper responsive with very little lean. The GT3 feels more raw and energetic. It will transmit more NVH to you and make you feel more connected to the car. The McLaren is smoother, but still engaging. More communicative than a 991 TT though. But not quite as raw as the GT3. The steering is quite quick and has better feel. It has good weight with plenty of road feel and the car feels light and agile when responding to directional changes.
On the track...I have very little track experience. Mainly just autocross. So the first part of my session was getting comfortable with the car and being on track. My instructor Ralph was excellent. I ran 1/3 of the session in auto until I learned the track and then in manual. The car is fantastic. Very communicative to this novice. Felt very well balanced in the higher speed constant radius and double apex turns. Very neutral. I rarely understeer and for a noob, that says something about the car. I could always feel through the wheel as soon as I washed wide and the car rotated progressively. We ran the car on track ESC and I could see points where the car was helping me, but it did allow some rotation and when it did, it was easy to balance on the throttle or catch it with a quick countersteer. I did notice that putting the power down onto the two long straights TC was intervening; not sure if that was me being overly eager or needing to have ESC off. I would have liked more time on track to find out.
The transmission is as good as PDK S. In Sport it dials in some “thunk” for effect but in track that goes away to keep the car from getting settled.
The brakes are a bit more wooden than PCCB’s. Not as much initial bite with a toe flex. But when shoved, they scrub speed with alacrity. I think my top speed on the track was around 140. I definitely saw the car sweep through int the 130’s before looking back up to brake. I’d say that I was scrubbing about 80-90 MPH max. It wasn’t a long session and the brakes didn’t change one bit.
All in all, it’s a phenomenal car. Considering it’s the baby of the range, shaded mor toward road performance, I can’t imagne what a 720 or a Senna would be like. The 991 TT is a more subtle car, and its AWD makes it better in foul weather. But in launching the 570 hard, I never detected any TC interference either by the dash light or by feel. If you don’t mind the attentions I’d take the 570 all day. And although I’ve not taken a TT on track, I’d have to believe the 570 would take the occasional track day better. I don’t get the sense it’s set up to be as track capable as the GT3, but as a dual purpose machine, it’s hard t beat.
I had had trouble fitting in the car on track with helmet on. I am 6’2” and have trouble in a fair number of vehicles, so this was not surprising. I JUST fit in the car without a helmet.
I don’t own a GT3 but have driven one multiple times. So my perspective may be a bit less biased than an owner? Or less informed? Not sure. In any event, the 570 made quite the impression. Without a doubt the most impressive thing is the power. Mother of god that thing is quick. I know a 911 TT is faster from a launch but I would put my money on the Macca from a roll any time. The thing just picks up and hauls the mail. On a public road, just stomping on it from a stop resulted in 110 plus VERY quickly. Rolling on the power while underway is intoxicating. Of course it’s not as fast as it’s big brothers, but it definitely shades a 991 TT, which is its market competitor. Compared to a GT3, it would definitely pull away at low revs. The last 2000 RPM of the GT3 might match it for intensity though. Not sure about absolute pulling power. Could be close? The GT3 retains its theater and noise up top. Full whack upshifts in the GT3 are definitely more magical. But not by much, as when the McLaren upshifts the swell of torque is intoxicating. The McLaren can be caught napping at low revs but then again so does the GT3. The powerband feels quite linear and builds power progressively. It takes an engine like the GT3 to make it feel turbocharged.
The most imoressive thing about the car is definitely the chassis. We drove it on some VERY bumpy roads nearby at some serious speeds. Even with the suspension in Sport, the car handled it extremely well. Shockingly well. A GT3 on the same road would have rattled your teeth out. You can feel the rigidity of the carbon tub at work as the chassis (conventional not the fancy hydraulic one in the Super series) is set up on the compliant side because the chassis is so rigid. Yet on the track, the car was hyper responsive with very little lean. The GT3 feels more raw and energetic. It will transmit more NVH to you and make you feel more connected to the car. The McLaren is smoother, but still engaging. More communicative than a 991 TT though. But not quite as raw as the GT3. The steering is quite quick and has better feel. It has good weight with plenty of road feel and the car feels light and agile when responding to directional changes.
On the track...I have very little track experience. Mainly just autocross. So the first part of my session was getting comfortable with the car and being on track. My instructor Ralph was excellent. I ran 1/3 of the session in auto until I learned the track and then in manual. The car is fantastic. Very communicative to this novice. Felt very well balanced in the higher speed constant radius and double apex turns. Very neutral. I rarely understeer and for a noob, that says something about the car. I could always feel through the wheel as soon as I washed wide and the car rotated progressively. We ran the car on track ESC and I could see points where the car was helping me, but it did allow some rotation and when it did, it was easy to balance on the throttle or catch it with a quick countersteer. I did notice that putting the power down onto the two long straights TC was intervening; not sure if that was me being overly eager or needing to have ESC off. I would have liked more time on track to find out.
The transmission is as good as PDK S. In Sport it dials in some “thunk” for effect but in track that goes away to keep the car from getting settled.
The brakes are a bit more wooden than PCCB’s. Not as much initial bite with a toe flex. But when shoved, they scrub speed with alacrity. I think my top speed on the track was around 140. I definitely saw the car sweep through int the 130’s before looking back up to brake. I’d say that I was scrubbing about 80-90 MPH max. It wasn’t a long session and the brakes didn’t change one bit.
All in all, it’s a phenomenal car. Considering it’s the baby of the range, shaded mor toward road performance, I can’t imagne what a 720 or a Senna would be like. The 991 TT is a more subtle car, and its AWD makes it better in foul weather. But in launching the 570 hard, I never detected any TC interference either by the dash light or by feel. If you don’t mind the attentions I’d take the 570 all day. And although I’ve not taken a TT on track, I’d have to believe the 570 would take the occasional track day better. I don’t get the sense it’s set up to be as track capable as the GT3, but as a dual purpose machine, it’s hard t beat.
#2
Nordschleife Master
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Very nice write up.
#3
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Nice write up, and hope all is well!
a friend of mine owns a 570, and was at that event.
i have driven his car on the street several times, very impressive power and the grip is very impressive. Super quick steering and very odd pedal feel on the brakes on his car.
the ride quality and handling were definitely what stood out to me the most.
for me, I was impressed by it but by no means craved it. The noise was not good at all to my ears and just wasn’t tremendously exciting to drive outside of the initial power rush.
it is clearly, in my experience, much quicker than a gt3 or an rs, but those cars sound much better and combined with the high rpm rush and pdk felt much more exciting to me.
i think like you said it’s a competitor to the turbo. That is a tougher ask for porsche. That said, I still prefer the Porsche feel
hell of an impressive car though
a friend of mine owns a 570, and was at that event.
i have driven his car on the street several times, very impressive power and the grip is very impressive. Super quick steering and very odd pedal feel on the brakes on his car.
the ride quality and handling were definitely what stood out to me the most.
for me, I was impressed by it but by no means craved it. The noise was not good at all to my ears and just wasn’t tremendously exciting to drive outside of the initial power rush.
it is clearly, in my experience, much quicker than a gt3 or an rs, but those cars sound much better and combined with the high rpm rush and pdk felt much more exciting to me.
i think like you said it’s a competitor to the turbo. That is a tougher ask for porsche. That said, I still prefer the Porsche feel
hell of an impressive car though
#4
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Thanks for sharing your impressions, I think the 570 is a compelling kit for anyone considering a $200k car.. Definitely looks the part and can be optioned/configured to your taste. Glad McLaren built that "lower end" sport (?) series, as competition is always a good thing IMO
Enjoyed watching Chris Harris's review on the 570 a couple months back and he was really blown away by the car as well
Enjoyed watching Chris Harris's review on the 570 a couple months back and he was really blown away by the car as well
#7
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570 would be my first supercar... but I am addicted to buying multiple other things and burning money in modding.... I love it and sometimes feel the "cheap" one is the best. Just like the AM Vantage V8 GT.
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#8
Rocky Mountain High
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They are cool cars. I test drove a 570 S Spyder on the street last fall. I really liked it, but at 6’4”, it’s just not in the cards for me. The interior is tiny and cramped compared to my 991 TTS.
#9
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Glad you said this. I was about to reconsider my TTS arriving in 2 months but I’m 6 foot 3 and 250 pounds. I fit comfortably in the 991s. Was considering a 570 lease (saw deals for 0 down and 2700 a month or 20k down and 1800 a month) but was wondering about the size since I’ve never driven one.
#10
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Liked your write up and yes - the 570 is an incredible car. I was offered last summer to take part in a McClaren test-drive program one morning by one of the young sales associates that knew I drove Porsche and ran the local PCA region. I'd driven up the famous Sea to Sky that same morning in the Gen 1 Spyder. Basically dropped off the Spyder and jumped in a 570 GT and repeated the same drive - just "slightly" faster and whoa daddy - what a car. I agree they're a bit tough to get into but once in, and your fire up the turbo'd V8 and start to go through the gears and get to know the car, there is an incredible driving experience to be had. I can make you drive like an animal! I later went and drove a 458 and an R8. The 570 stands out the most, followed by the R8. If I was to leave Porsche, I would seriously consider the 570. It's a worthy contender no question.
#11
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Glad you said this. I was about to reconsider my TTS arriving in 2 months but I’m 6 foot 3 and 250 pounds. I fit comfortably in the 991s. Was considering a 570 lease (saw deals for 0 down and 2700 a month or 20k down and 1800 a month) but was wondering about the size since I’ve never driven one.
Last note: “they say” there’s a bit more headroom in the 570 GT, due to the glass roof... but I can’t confirm that.
Rich
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They perform amazingly no doubt, but the notifiable areas which would make me never buy one (at least for now):
- The build quality is not that great, they car i test drove had the headliner falling down and some strange gaps in the door panel, similar to my mk4 jetta wagon.
- The check engine light came on multiple times in a joy ride, for what reason i dont know, similar to my mk4 jetta wagon.
#13
Rocky Mountain High
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Well, I wouldn’t cross it off your list until you’ve at least installed yourself behind the wheel. I’m 6’4 and 260 and I’ve sat in and driven the 570S coupe... and I think I might buy one. It’s tight, but comfortable. BUT: no way I’d be comfortable with the helmet on. So if you’re looking to spend some track time with the car, I’d stick to the 911 family. Porsche does an incredible job of designing the car... I swear there’s more room inside a 911 than the exterior dimensions should permit. Easily the comfort winner for literally “big & tall” guys among 570, 458, Lambo .
Last note: “they say” there’s a bit more headroom in the 570 GT, due to the glass roof... but I can’t confirm that.
Rich
Last note: “they say” there’s a bit more headroom in the 570 GT, due to the glass roof... but I can’t confirm that.
Rich
#14
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Well, I wouldn’t cross it off your list until you’ve at least installed yourself behind the wheel. I’m 6’4 and 260 and I’ve sat in and driven the 570S coupe... and I think I might buy one. It’s tight, but comfortable. BUT: no way I’d be comfortable with the helmet on. So if you’re looking to spend some track time with the car, I’d stick to the 911 family. Porsche does an incredible job of designing the car... I swear there’s more room inside a 911 than the exterior dimensions should permit. Easily the comfort winner for literally “big & tall” guys among 570, 458, Lambo .
Last note: “they say” there’s a bit more headroom in the 570 GT, due to the glass roof... but I can’t confirm that.
Rich
Last note: “they say” there’s a bit more headroom in the 570 GT, due to the glass roof... but I can’t confirm that.
Rich
One thing id worry about though is all the mechanical breakdowns and issues. Even under warranty, I don’t want to waste my free time going to the dealership for repairs. Especially considering the nearest Mclaren dealership is 3 hours away in Dallas.
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I sold my 570S to get a GT3. 570 was actually bought back by the dealer because of reliability issues.
The 570S is a superb vehicle, and extremely unique. I love my GT3 and also miss the 570S every day. If the 570S had been capable of being driven as a daily, I would have kept it!
The GT3 also is superb, but a totally different animal than the 570.
The 570S is a superb vehicle, and extremely unique. I love my GT3 and also miss the 570S every day. If the 570S had been capable of being driven as a daily, I would have kept it!
The GT3 also is superb, but a totally different animal than the 570.