nocturnu

This is the follow up to my previous review -> 991.1 GTS vs McLaren 570S (Part 1, Daily driver review)
It took a lot longer than expected for me to get around to writing this, but better late than never right? Let's get to it...

Back when I first picked up the 570, it was my only "fun" car. My wife and I had an Audi SQ5, but it wasn't something I could take to the track, so I really wanted a car that could do it all and as I mentioned in my previous post, the 570S does just that, everything. Well everything a car with 2 seats can do; I can only bring one of my two kids at a time, but the 6 month old doesn't complain too much about that... yet. So let me define what I mean when I say "weekend driver." To me a weekend driver is a car you can take on drives with other automotive obsessed folks with no goal beyond running through the gears. It's the car you want when you don't care about who is looking at you. You aren't trying to impress anyone. It's when Thanos has the Infinity Gauntlet, snaps his fingers and everyone around you disappeared. This is the car you pick in that situation.

To me, this is where the .1 GTS shines. It sounds fantastic, likely really fantastic. The rev matched downshifts accompanied by epic pops and burbles. The rasp of the flat six along with the click-clacking of all of the mechanical parts. It's an uncompromising package that gives you the best of the past analog and present digital worlds. The GTS is incredibly fun at low speeds and this is one of the key issues of modern day super cars, especially McLarens. People often look at horsepower and torque when considering a car's performance, but they forget about weight. Thanks to a carbon fiber tub and McLaren's all out war against mass, McLarens weigh anywhere from 3-600 lbs lighter than their rivals. To Porsche, weight savings is a strategy, but to McLaren it's a religion. This is a HUGE advantage when it comes to all aspects of performance. Sure these cars have a good bit of HP and torque. 560hp doesn't sound THAT crazy until you wrestle with the fact that the 570 weighs 2900lbs dry. Even the incredible Bower and Wilikens sound system in the 570 has a carbon fiber enclosed subwoofer to save on weight. The twin turbos mean that the power is there at all times in any gear. Sounds awesome right? It is awesome, in every situation that isn't low speed driving. The engine revs so fast and the car is so quick, any poke or prod and you're quickly 2-3x over the speed limit. "But wait, you said it was the better daily driver of the two, which clearly implies it's great at low speeds, right?" Weekend driving at low speeds is different than daily driving at low speeds. Daily driving is about being practical, while weekend driving is just about driving. The destination is the drive. The .1 gen of the 911 isn't that quick low speeds and it was the first thing I noticed on the test drive. I distinctly remember saying to the Porsche rep in the car with me "This is awesome, it's not too fast.". You need to wind the engine out to get to the torque, and the engine builds more slowly compared to that of the McLaren's which gives you more time to enjoy those aforementioned sublime sounds before reaching speeds that would land you behind bars. This was my epiphany, the best weekend drivers aren't super fast much less hyper fast, they are fun at low speeds and stay at lower speeds for longer. To enjoy the 570, or any McLaren for that matter, on public roads you have to break the law. Sorry, but it's just true. These cars feel caged in the limits enforced on public roads. Any McLaren owner that isn't speeding on public roads and doesn't regular visit the track is simply not enjoying the car to it's fullest. The exotic experience you get in the McLaren, you simply cannot get in the GTS or any Porsche that isn't a 918, but that isn't what a weekend driver is all about.

In summary, I dub thee GTS the weekend driver king in this comparison. The GTS is a car that will not be replaced. It has a certain character that has earned itself a permanent spot in my garage.

Next up is the track review! I'll try to get to that later this week.

Dewinator

What do you think or the styling vs the MP4-15G-12C? I sort of feel like each new car they’ve come out since Macca goes oh it’s gotta be all new and original and it’s sort of like maybe you should take a page out of Porsche’s book and just make small changes because the 12C looked awesome and all the successors have been just too weird.

K-A

nocturnu

Looks are of course subjective, but I'm a huge fan of the 570S design. I much prefer it to the 12c. The 650S, 570S, and P1 all share the McLaren "speedmark" logo in the headlights, but the 720S and Senna now share a different design. I'm not sure other manufacturers can pull off the evolutionary design strategy that Porsche has embraced. To me the 12C is beginning to look a bit dated, so we'll see how the new cars hold up against the test of time.

Dewinator