McLaren 570S

McLaren 570S Overview

The McLaren 570S is the entry-level mid-engine sports car in McLaren’s Sport Series lineup, placing it right below the Super Series (McLaren 720S) and two steps from the Ultimate Series (McLaren Senna). But make no mistake, being the baby McLaren hardly means that it is lacking in pace and performance.

One of the many technologies the Sports Series shares with the Woking outifit’s Formula One racing car is its carbon fibre construction. Like all McLaren sport car ever produced, the 570S is built around a carbon tub known as the MonoCell II. Weighing in at just 75kg, the chassis provides immense rigidity and stiffness that translates into outstanding driving dynamics.

The lightweight construction paired with a potent 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine gives the McLaren 570S the best power-to-weight ratio of any sports car in its class. The best-selling McLaren model is available in two body styles: Coupé, Spider.

The two-seater layout with just enough practicality and creature comfort makes it an everyday supercar and pitch itself up against rivals in the likes of Audi R8, Aston Martin Vantage and the Porsche 911 Turbo. All yours for a ‘friendly’ starting price of RM 1,870,570 (excluding options). 

McLaren 570S Exterior

Aerodynamics plays a crucial role in dictating the design outcome of the McLaren 570S’s exterior. The exposed engine and venting around the rear light for example, are designed as such to ventilate heat from the engine more efficiently. The arrow-shaped extended front splitter drives the nose down while the additional strake on the rear diffuser helps guide airflow in the car’s wake. 

Cutout near the C-pillars known as the Flying Buttresses on the Coupé model channel air through and equalise the pressure created by the convex shaped roof, generating more downforce. The McLaren logo-shaped LED headlight with integrated daytime running light first made its appearance on the flagship McLaren P1. The ultra-slim rear LED light underneath the fixed rear spoiler and the diffuser styling are also inspired by the flagship hypercar.

And no McLaren experience is complete without the trademark Dihedral Doors featuring the McLaren P1 inspired ‘floating’ tendons which channels the air though to the side intake. The larger aperture opening allows for easier access whilst also looking cool.

The Spider variant adopts a two-piece lightweight retractable composite hardtop design and an electrically operated glazed wind deflector. The rear spoiler is 12 mm taller than the Coupé’s to offset the aerodynamic shift due to the lack of roof. Weighing in at just a little over 1,400 kg for both the Coupé and Spider model, the McLaren 570 S is lighter than any of its rivals. And the compact 570 S from the Sport Series range is the smallest model in McLaren’s line up. 

McLaren 570S Interior

McLaren 570S Features

Standard equipment on the inside includes a 7-inch portrait-oriented touch screen display, a 10-inch single piece digital instrument cluster, IRIS satellite navigation and McLaren 4-speaker audio system with options to upgrade to the Bowers & Wilkins 12-speaker 1280W sound system. The cabin is upholstered in carbon black leather as standard.

Both the Coupé and the spider comes with McLaren’s trademark dihedral doors, 20-inch Sport 10-spoke cast alloy wheels with Pirelli p Zero Corsa Tyres and aerodynamic bits that include the front splitter, aero blade, rear diffuser and a fixed rear spoiler. 

The Spider comes with a two-piece lightweight roof that can be operated in 15 seconds (open or close). Also available is the Active Dynamic Panel with settings for different driving modes (Normal, Sport, Track), adaptive dampers and carbon ceramic brakes and Formula One inspired Brake Steer system. 

McLaren 570S Powertrain Performance

Power comes courtesy of McLaren’s rear-mid-mounted all-aluminium 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, developing 570 PS at 7,400 RPM and 600 Nm of torque from 5,000 RPM. Top speed is 328 km/h and the all-important century sprint is completed in just 3.2 seconds. 0-200 km/h is completed in 9.5 seconds.

Codenamed the M838TE, the engine is an evolution of the V8 from the McLaren 650 S, which is also applied on the flagship Mclaren P1. The latest iteration features new air intakes, fuel injectors and turbochargers, all feeding to the new stainless steel exhaust system designed to maximise power output.

It Redlines at an incredible 8,500 RPM and the torque is served progressively over a broad powerband for a linear yet potent power delivery. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch seamless shift gearbox (SSG). Manual override can be done via the column-mounted rocker-shift paddles. 

McLaren 570S Fuel Consumption

McLaren 570S Ride Comfort

On top of the rigid carbon monocoque, the independent adaptive dampers and anti-roll bars paired with the double wishbone suspension makes the 570S incredibly nimble and responsive. The system can be set to Normal, Sport or Track on the Active Dynamics Panel, allowing the optimum setting for the prevailing road or track condition.

No fancy cross-linked hydraulic dampers like those found on its bigger brother here, but the baby Mclaren deals with road imperfections just well if not slightly more positive. While the ride is by no mean harsh, the chassis does transmit road noise and vibration into the cabin. In Porsche’s context, it rides more like the GT3 than the 911 Turbo.  

An Audi R8 V10 has a fancier cabin and makes a better noise while the 2020 Porsche 911 Turbo leaves it to dust off the line with its brutally effective engine. But there is no other entry-level supercar that is as focus or as extreme as the McLaren 570S. Yes, it may not be as practical as some of its competition, but if that is what you are looking for, there is always the GT option in the 570 Sport Series range.