more complete than anything the brand has ever brought… the McLaren 720S

more complete than anything the brand has ever brought…the McLaren 720S

overview 00:00
background 00:27
driving experience 02:58
design and build 12:49
market and model range 22:36
cost of ownership 32:33
summary 38:12

Jonathan Crouch writes an in-depth Mclaren 720S review. If you want to watch more reviews on vehicles like this Mclaren 720S, make sure to SUBSCRIBE to our channel and comment what YOU want us to review next.

The McLaren 720S claimed from launch to be the segment’s most complete supercar. More capable, more compliant and more complete than anything the brand had previously brought us, in its era there was nothing else quite like it.

History
Back in 2017 at launch, the 720S was the most important model this British brand had ever made. It was the company’s mid-range ‘Super Series’ model, positioned just above the Woking maker’s ‘Sports Series’ 540C and 570S contenders. And the rare and exclusive ‘Ultimate Series’ McLaren Senna was positioned just above it.

The 720S was priced against models like Ferrari’s 488GTB and Lamborghini’s Aventador, yet it offered performance worthy of a seven-figure hypercar in the class above. In other words, it set out to blur the boundaries and re-write the rulebook – in ways that we’ll try and explain to you in this guide. Perhaps more importantly though, it aimed to redefine just how fast a road car could be – while still continuing to be credible form of conveyance, rather than a racer with a reg plate.

Writer – Jonathan Crouch

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The McLaren 720s claims to be the segment’s most complete superar more capable more compliant and more complete than anything the brand has previously brought us there’s nothing else quite like It in its own small but significant way McLaren is redefining the ultimate end of the exotic sports car market and his proof in the form of the most important model this British Brand’s ever made the 720s it’s the company’s mid-range Super Series model uh that W makers Sports

Series 540c and 570s contenders sit just below this car and the rare and exclusive ultimate series McLaren Center is positioned just above it categorizing this car as a McLaren then is straight forward positioning it as a sports car though is far more difficult the legendary industry names that rule this

Market have Loosely defined it into three segments in recent years if you’re spending in the 110 to 170,000 bracket you’ll be looking at super sports cars like faster Porsche 911s and Audi R8s stretch up towards the £200,000 price point and there’s the opportunity for ownership of a fully fledged Supercar uh

Ferrari 488 GTB or if you have a bit more a Lamborghini Aventador perhaps beyond that if you have more than half a million to spend then collectible hypercars for billionaires beckon so where does that leave us with the 720s priced against those Ferrari and Lamborghini models yet offering

Performance that’s worthy of a seven figure hyper car well it blurs the boundaries and rewrites the rule book in ways that we’ll try to explain in this film perhaps more importantly though it aims to redefine just how how fast a road car can be while still continuing

To be a credible form of conveyance rather than just a racer with a regge plate the two earlier McLaren models that showed most promise in that regard were the cars that have led the brand to this one uh the MP4 of 2011 and its replacement the 650s of 2014 the 720s is

The next stage in that Evolution and it’s the first of 15 New Generation models it should be launched by the company over the next 5 years each hand built at A50 million state-of-the-art factoring woking it gets an allnew carbon fiber chassis revised suspension a new era cabin and a larger 4 L twin

Turbocharged V8 engine developing 720 PS hence the model name and it aims to involve and satisfy you in a way that no competitor Can so what’s it like well once the instrument display is rotated into place you’ve got comfortable in the figure hugging sport seats a prod on the central starter button sees that twin turbo V8 Outback barking gruffly into life is there the evocative thrill you’d get from say a Lamborghini V12 or even

An Audi V10 well not quite still thanks to the embellishment here of the pricey optional Sports exhaust system that most owners tend to specify there’s quite enough oural drama to excite you for the experience that you’re about to Enjoy Formula 1 Legend Aon sna once talked about the way that when you find the limit of what a car can do you suddenly discover it’s possible to go much further and then in his words you can fly very high so it’s been with the cars that over the last decade have

Represented the Pinnacle of what McLaren can achieve for mainstream production uh the MP4 the 650s and now this the 720s now on the face of things you might think that the formula this time around is pretty similar to what went before and sure enough as with the original MP4

There are carbon fiber underpinnings uh Ricardo engineering developed V8 out back and that’s M to a seven-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox the whole thing tuned by selectable active Dynamics driving modes now that was the limit back in 2011 this is where it is now this car is astonishingly intoxicatingly deliciously rapid as

You’d expect it would be given that the headline of this 720s is its power figure 720 PS or 710 BHP in old money that’s courtesy of a fundamentally revised engine that for the first time has been stroked out from 3.8 to 4 L A few decades ago F1 cars couldn’t give

You that kind of power now true you do have to work to get everything this new era m840t power plant has to offer a peak torque of 770 newon M isn’t delivered until you get to 7,500 RPM but it’s worth it even if as we’ve already mentioned uh the V8 isn’t quite as

Thunder as you hope it might be as a wealthy buyer in this segment uh we’d certainly miss the emotive Hollow of a rival Ferrari but all that pales into insignificance once you start to Crunch the numbers uh the 3 second dead rest of 62 mph Sprint time uh that applies to

The old 650s and this current model’s Ferrari 488 GTB AR trial gets reduced by this 720 to just 2.8 seconds but so what a 10th here a tenth there I mean the next model down in the McCaron range the 570s manages 62 mph in 3.2 seconds what

Instead if we were to tell you that 100 mph flashes by faster than you can get to 60 in something as quick as a Civic Type R and that you could let that Ferrari 488 get to 60 before even starting off in the 720s and still beat

That Marino model to 170 mph perhaps you can make it simpler still in real terms here you’re getting the performance of a million pound hyper car say a bagetti Veyron McLaren’s old P1 maybe a Porche 918 spider from a mere Supercar segment model simply to call this car fast just

Doesn’t cover it but then you probably knew it would what’s even more important to understand as a potential buyer is that this car is more agile than its predecessor and that’s thanks to an 18 kg weight reduction uh also a lower center of gravity and greater torsional rigidity

That comes courtesy of the new monage 2 Central structure that for the first time sees the upper part of the cabin cell fashioned from carbon fiber rather than from bonded aluminum now arguably even more important are the two things that set this super series McLaren apart from the Lesser Sports series models

Like the 570s now firstly you get special active aerodynamics and they delivered this time around via an even more enormous hydraulically operated rear wing and that deploys under hard acceleration and it also raises automatically when you slam on the anchors the purpose there being to shift

The arrow balance by 20% to improve high speed braking stability also redeveloped for the 720s is the other determinant of McLaren super series status the chassis control system proactive chassis control 2 which removes the need for anti-roll Bars by hydraulically linking the dampers it’s a much more sophisticated solution than the conventional adaptive

Spring and damper setup that you get with the 570s with proactive chassis control 2 Cambridge University developed algorithms constantly analyze body Dynamics and wheel motion before taking just a couple of milliseconds to adjust suspension Dynamics accordingly uh you can influence this yourself of course but to do that you’ll need to get

Yourself familiar with the workings of the active Dynamics panel and that’s just to the right of the central infotainment screen press this active button and you’ll be able to access the settings of these two rotary controllers the upper one’s designated H for handling and that means it deals with

The settings for that suspension setup and also for the steering Feld the lower dial here is branded P for powertrain and that means me in using that you’re going to be influencing throttle response um exhaust note and the gearshift timings that you’ll want to oversee by these big paddles perfectly

Situated behind this chunky wheel uh each active Dynamics controller has three modes C for Comfort s for sport and T for track ah yes track work well you’ll really have to engage in some to get the most from owning this car uh use the track modes and you’ll get yourself

The option of playing with another fresh feature developed for this 720 McLaren drift control now Ferrari has a similar system they call it side slip control and the objectives here are similar a simple slider on the center dash touchcreen allows you to dial in as much rear and drifting angle as you feel

Comfortable with before letting rip and burning away the tread of the pricey plli P0 corser rubber uh it is still however not something to be undertaken by The Faint started swipe all the way around and you’re going to need to be ready with some corrective lock now if

You’re into all that then you’ll absolutely love the idea of the extra cost McLaren Telemetry setup that uses cameras from the optional 360° surround view system to record circuit laps that you can then play back and analyze on the cabin’s Central screen it’s brilliant but then all supercars feel

Good on the track what’s so amazing about this one is a great extent to which you’ll enjoy it even if you’re just cruising around it’s really no harder to drive than something like a Porsche Boxer and in its softest Comfort setting this 720s rides the bumps better than some family hatchbacks we’ve driven

And that is one of the things that makes this car a much better Prospect for long distances than some of its Rivals it’s surprisingly good at Short commuting trips too or at least it is once you allow for the really low ride height now the optional NOS lift system that lets

You raise the front suspension by 40 mm at speeds of up to 37 mph here really is essential otherwise this car is a much easier Urban partner than many of its Rivals and it’s held by the fact that the throttle pedal isn’t unduly sensitive and all round rear 3/4 vision

Is vastly better than any competitor can provide that’s thanks to the transparent glazed C pillars of the teardrop shaped roof canopy get beyond the city limits and to begin with you worry a bit about the width of the car but it soon becomes evident that you don’t need to because

The precise yet fome steering makes this car so easy to place on the road now mcclaren’s rejected the all electric setup that many rivals now use in favor of an older Tech but brilliant responsive electrohydraulic system that really sets the standard in this segment it makes you utterly confident about

Throwing this 720 into a corner in the dry anyway as you might know you don’t get the security a four-wheel drive here that’s the sort of thing that would help you out in comparably pricier versions of the less powerful Lamborghini uran uh which of course doesn’t matter at all

When the weather’s Fine Dry tarmac delivers almost boundless levels of grip uh that’s unless you ignore Our advice uh to leave the track settings for circuit use and do something really stupid with the throttle Midway through a Bend uh we do live in a country though

Where it rains for 30% of the year and when it’s wet unrecoverable slides will be easily entered into by the overzealous so don’t say we didn’t warn you there are no issues with the brakes though true to its track Heritage the 720s comes as standard with carbon

Ceramic brake discs that require quite a prod to function from cold once up at temperature though they offer consistent fade Free stopping power and they’re capable of breaking this car from 125 mph to a stop in just 4.6 seconds covering only 117 m in its own way that

Stat is just as impressive as the 212 M hour top speed either way you will in the words of senna be flying very High Street side presence every Supercar needs that and this one has it the aluminium body workers is shrink wrapped around a carbon fiber structure to create a lean sculpted shape that fuses visual drama state-of-the-art technology and aerodynamic Purity designer Rob mville says it was inspired by the great

White shark you certainly get that perspective here at the front where a distinctly predatory gaze is provided by visually dramatic digital LED headlights integrated Within These so-called eye sockets now these as you can see are cut deep into the front fenders and they feature an aerody duct to channel air to the radio

The lamps themselves features 17 individual LEDs and static adaptive technology the razors are been patented by half a degree for a better forward Vision when you Crest 68 mph and moving to the side gives you a better perspective on arguably this 720’s biggest Innovation uh it’s monocage 2

Carbon fiber composite chassis now all McLaren feature carbon fiber tubs that protect the lower part of the passenger cell but what’s different here is that this one extends around the roof area too which obviously makes a whole structure stiffer now that is one key change over the old 650 the other is the

Absence of that previous model side intakes replaced here by ducting that’s built into the double skin doors that channels air into the high temperature radiators that call that mid-mounted 4 L V8 out back the rear end looks exotic too dominated as it is by these twin heat stained exhaust pipes and an intricate

Lower diffuser through which the gearbox can be glimpsed the big story here though is this full width aor foil profile rear wing this delivers 30% more downforce than the spoiler of the old 650s model was able to serve up it’s hydraulically operated with McLaren’s clever air brake functionality and it

Has three operational positions now the wing is fully deployed in just half a second when you slam on the anchors the purpose there being to shift the arrow balance by 20% to improve high-speed braking stability uh there’s automatic 30% deployment in in the so-called DRS mode and that clicks in to reduce drag

When you’re accelerating hard in a straight line up to maximum speed and you can manually deploy up to 80% of Wing downforce by pressing the arrow button on the dash if you want more optimal cornering performance now when you’re ready to take a seat unlocking the car initiates

A welcome sequence that sees the mirrors unfold a sweep of the indicator lighting and courtesy light activation both in the cabin and in the engine B we should talk about these dihedral doors after all if you buy this car your friends will they’re not the same the ones

Mcclaren’s offered before uh the 80° opening angle is lower that’s to help in underground car parks and they require 155 mm less space at the side than is the case with the Lesser 570s model that increases accessibility when you’re parked in tight spaces even better is

The way these cutouts in the roof allow the doors to open in such a way that you can step over the seill and down into the car rather than having to duck beneath the roof panel thanks to the monage structure the dorsal is lower too it all makes a big difference and air

Ducts aren’t the only things concealed within this car’s flanks the door handles are tucked away here too use them and you’ll trigger a second series of events highlighting the various screens that dominate McLaren’s most sophisticated and luxurious interior to date as you’d expect the central infotainment screen Springs to life on

Entry but the most eye-catching element is the folding driver display that rotates into its fully open position as you take a seat now with this screen uh fully facing towards you quite a lot of information can be shown as part of various different styles of TFT readout

Uh the main one featuring a central rev counter with a digital Speedo uh your preferred driving settings and gauges for oil and water temperature a lower left hand stalk off the steering column allows you to add phone audio uh navigation and trip computer and also vehicle status data to the display for

Focused track driving though you’ll prefer to slide this monitor back into its slim display mode that’s a setting that provides a strip readout with only the minimum of required information that’s just like you get in an F1 car the primary hub for driver interaction though is that Central infotainment

Screen it’s an 8 in display that thankfully shares only its port tra format with the quirky Iris setup that the brand has previously used and been roundly criticized for by us and by others uh this 720s improved monitor has been developed for McLaren by JBC Kenwood and it’s much easier to use

Unfortunately though it still doesn’t feature the kind of separate controller dial that we prefer and that means it has to be operated either by voice by jabbing away at the touch screen or more likely via this circular menu button which is surrounded by radio Na and phone switches on the left and Bluetooth

Audio and ventilation options on the right Apple carplay smartphone mirroring is available uh the Android auto system isn’t though uh now this Central screen is also used for the optional McLaren track Telemetry package and that allows you to analyze gmaps throttle positioning and full lap history from your circuit exploits and even video

Footage recorded by interior track telary cameras a slim leather Stitch spur just below this monitor incorporates the main controls for the s-speed Dual clutch automatic gearbox while to the right of it lie the rotary controllers of the active Dynamics panel it’ll be familiar to McLaren regulars

Now there are two dials to get your head around there’s an upper H controller and that letter designates handling and a lower P controller that stands for powertrain both dials offer a choice of three settings there’s C for Comfort there’s s for sport and T for track now between these controllers lies the

Active button that you’ll need to activate them and just above uh the upper controller is the arrow switch and that’s REM moving that huge rear wing now once you’ve begun to understand all the technology you might then get a chance to look around and appreciate your surroundings now we referenced the

Luxury of this cabin earlier on and it certainly does feel A Cut Above the interior you’re getting the 570s especially if you can afford to spend a bit extra on the kind of Premium stitched finishing and carbon fiber highlighting that features here you also get an evocative McLaren build badge

Hidden Away by your right knee although it’s a bit of a Pity that it doesn’t feature a unique production number uh the doors and the perfectly sculptured sport seats are beautifully trimmed in soft tactile leather uh some of the switch gears machined from solid aluminium and the three-spoke leather

Steering wheel can be color coordinated carbon fiber enhanced or raptin Alcantara at least it’s not uh festooned with complicated little buttons as it would be in a Ferrari and you get plenty of reach and rake adjustment true now there is the odd jarring note the column stalks feel a

Little flimsy for instance but then alternative Italian supercars also have small areas of cabin finishing that really aren’t quite up to scratch perhaps the main thing though that you’ll carry away from a seat in here and a short drive is just how relatively easy it is to see out of this thing uh

Supercar owners who are used claustrophobic rear cabin pillars or combining bulkheads will look around in amazement and now the monocage carbon fiber upper structure with its teardrop canopy has allowed McLaren’s designers to specify these strikingly slim roof pillars while rear wood vision is enhanced by transparent glazed SE

Pillars uh and the way that the V8 engine has been mounted 145 mm lower than it was in the old 650s it’ll also help that this 720 is relatively compact with an overall length that’s barely longer than a Porsche 911 you’re still going to want to pay extra for the

Expensive parking sensor and rear camera package though further evidence of the designer’s attention to detail is apparent when it comes to the question of cabin storage and that you don’t get a glove box a door Pockets or an overhead compartment for your sunnies but uh beneath the spur of this lower

Center stack there’s a cup holder there’s a compartment for your phone and a 12volt socket plus there’s a further cup holder just here between the seats and that’s in front of a storage box with two USB ports and an Orc in point there’s also a little net between the

Seat shoulders for smaller items probably most useful though is this relatively large 210 L area beneath the rear screen which will be useful for stowing coats and shoping packages apparently a fulls size golf bag will fit in there too you’ll need this four-way leather strap to keep items in

Place so and that’s another pricey extra now finally let’s finish with a look at boot space which in 720s models is all concentrated under the Bonnet now yes these are motive vents carbon fiber trimmed in this case they just for show now this compartment is 150 l in size

Which of course is pretty small but it’s probably enough to take a couple of Airline sized carry-on bags The Carriage of bulky stuff is pretty much out but if you use soft luggage and pack carefully you’ll be surprised at just how much you can fit in uh there’s a 12volt socket

And a netted side compartment for a small Items so to the bottom line you’re going to need a 210,000 budget for this car that’s as a starting point and that fee merely gets you the standard trim level around £10,000 more gives you a choice of two others performance or as in this case luxury now the McLaren Special

Operations Division also does a top velocity variant that has a package of unique touches that UPS Sur price to an eyew watering £335,000 now here our focus is on the coupa body style but you can also talk to McLaren about the alternative spider open topped variant

That was developed at the same time as this fix stop model whatever your version of choice it will come with the same mechanical spec now your view on the figures just quoted will depend on your perspective and of course to some extent on your bank balance uh given that a 720s is

Just as fast in every meaningful way as the working Brand’s old 900,000 P1 hyper car could be seen as a brilliant bargain then again you might point to the fact that a 720 list at around 25,000 more than its arch rival Ferrari’s 488 GTB and it does seem

Ambitious from what is after all still a new and aspiring brand McLaren will respond to that by pointing out that the marinell model fronts up with 50ps less from its twin turbo V8 and by reminding you that the 720s has another level of driving technology at its disposal now

Driving technology that is what differentiates this 720s super series model category from the next one down in the working makers model hierarchy the sports series with its various 570 variants in the McLaren range the model designation reflects the engine power output but finding 60,000 more to go

From a 570s to a 720s gets you more than just extra brute brake horsepower this more Exotic super serious model features special active aerodynamics and more sophisticated hydraulic suspension so what about other direct Rivals well there aren’t many uh the Lamborghini uran is closer in concept price and

Power to a 570s so for the santagata brand the unenviable task of facing down this 720s Falls to their top Aventador model now this has 750 PS to call on from a 6 and 1/2 L V12 but the combination of Yer Tech and that big engine’s prodigious weight means that an

Aventor door will be slightly slower than this McLaren in every meaningful regard and it costs over £60,000 more might also point out that the next car up in Ferrari’s lineup the 741 PS F12 model is also slower than a 720s as almost any car you can think of past or

Present inevitably will be ultimately the bottom line with a buyer thinking of spending this kind of money is that a car will probably be just one of a series of play things being considered so yes you might be weighing up purchase of this McLaren against something similar but you might equally well be

Thinking of it as an alternative to a new boat or perhaps even a light aircraft if having spent a very pleasant few days considering those Alternatives you conclude that it is a 720s that you really want then you’re going to need to know just how generous this woking make

Has been with the standard specification so let’s take a look at that now now the standard model comes with LED front and rear lights uh these lovely dihedral doors and leather seats that can be trimmed in either black Alcantara or black Napa leather also reckon on getting keyless entry track style carbon

Ceramic brakes and gorgeous bespoke cast allo Wheels 19 in at the front and 20in rims at the back also included is the McLaren driver interface and that gives you an 8 in center dash infotainment screen and a folding driver display instrument vincle with full and slim display modes uh other standard features

Include a four- speaker dab audio system with navigation voice control and Bluetooth plus iPod and iPhone integration one more then as I mentioned earlier your next step is to look at the alternative luxury or performance Spectrum options now both get a package of minor interior and exterior trimming

Changes plus engine bay and interior ambient lighting as for differences well on a luxury level car like this one you get power adjustable heated seats plus a special bi McLaren luxury interior with leather that’s extended onto the dashboard and the rear luggage area go for a performance spec variant and

There’s more carbon fiber trim both inside and out plus the seats are upholstered in a combination of Napa leather and Alcantara the McLaren Special Operations velocity model that tops off the lineup gets even more carbon fiber trimming and special paint options that take over 300 man hours to

Apply that’s why it costs over 60% more assuming you’re sticking with one of the mainstream variants though uh the trim package you supplied is likely to be merely the starting point from which you begin a journey of personalization before getting into that though there are a few extras that we’d say you

Really have to have on this car now perhaps the most essential of these is the nose lift system that’s pricey at just over £2,000 but it’s essential if you live in a world where you’re occasionally going to have to take your McClaren down a road with speed humps or

Potholes now this lets you raise the front suspension by 40 Ms at speeds of up to 37 mph if the working maker is really serious about this 720 being everyday usable then this is a feature that really really ought to be standard as ought front and rear parking sensors

And the rear view camera £2,000 I mean are they joking now you’d also want a sophisticated stereo setup if you’re paying the best part of a quarter of a million and indeed McLaren claims that it’s audio system is the lightest ever fitted to the car of this kind unfortunately though the standard four

Speaker package is also lightweight when it comes to sound which is why most customers are forced to upgrade to the 12 speaker Bowers and wikin setup the we’ve been trying here this comes with the Brand’s trademark Central Tweeter Kevlar speaker cones and carbon fiber woer cones for Ultra Clean base

Reproduction beyond that it’s really down to your personal preferences and the size of your bank balance now we think it would be sensible to get the vehicle tracking system and you’ll probably want the throy sports exhaust although that will set you back near £5,000 more now this car also has a

Powered steering column and we could also specified a 360° camera system system a car cover floor mats and a volumetric alarm upgrade now if you’re going to own this car you really need to take it on a track once in a while and if you’re going to do that you might

Want to specify a racing harness a fire extinguisher and the brilliant McLaren track Telemetry package that uses cameras around the car to produce video footage of your circuit driving and then you can review that to improve your Technique the remaining options are really mostly about Aesthetics uh an extensive range of expensive carbon

Fiber parts are available for the interior uh you can pick and choose between individual elements or you can opt for one of the carbon fiber upgrade packs now here we’ve got pack three uh and that uses that trimming for the front air intakes and for the roof you

Could end up spending plenty on wheels too now here these have been upgraded to five twins spoke lightweight forged rims but there are plenty of other options uh including even more exclusive 10 spoke super lightweight rims stealth platinum and satin diamond cut rim finishes are all available you’re probably going to

Be paying extra for paint work too with 20 different shades on offer spread across the Brand’s special paint and Elite paint ranges here we’ve got an azor’s elite finish and that can at further extra cost be carried forward onto brake calipers and they can be ordered in a number of colored finishes

Owners wanting even more exclusive exterior paintwork can turn to McLaren special operations for an almost infinite range of colors and for the cabin well you can add in plenty carbon fiber here too uh in this case we’ve got it on the seal panels and the a pillars plus there are

Also options that can add it onto the seat backs and various primary and secondary interior components uh would suggest you put a bit of thought into the seat spec too uh the optional regular or touring spec carbon fiber racing seats look good and they grip you tightly but they have fixed rather

Upright back rests the standard seats are far more comfortable and everyday usable whatever your choice the seat belts can be finished in black or orang orange enough with options let’s finish by taking a look at safety provision now we don’t subscribe to what seems to be an unwritten law in this exalted section

Of the market that high performance cars like this one can forgo the latest camera driven Safety Systems in pursuit of weight saving Brands like McLaren should at least offer buyers the option of adding in things like autonomous braking Lane departure warning uh driver fatigue systems and rear Collision

Assist setups there’s nothing like that available here nor can this car deliver an independent Euro endcap crash test result it hasn’t been tested by that organization and it won’t be that isn’t to say though that isn’t potentially a very safe place to be should the worst happen though the mon C2 carbon fiber

Central chassis tub is another aspect of this car that borrows from Formula 1 technology it’s claimed to be more crash resistant than any conventional chassis tub would be that’s just as well because if you lose control of a car like this it’s likely to be at much higher speeds

To try to prevent that happening in the first place there are the usual ABS anti-lock brakes and an ESP traction control system with an interim mode that allows you a little leeway for tail out hero but will cut back an extremist if it looks like Ambitions likely to get

The better of your talent um other safety orientated kit includes a tire pressure monitoring system and Hill hold assist and that prevents the car from Rolling backwards as you pull away on inclines plus driver passenger and side airbags are of course standard Now we normally start this section with fuel and CO2 figures but we won’t do that here because the likely depreciation of this car will be a far greater factor in cost of ownership than petrol consumption or benefi in kind taxation it’s probably fair to say that residual values for this model’s

Predecessor the old 650s were a bit softer than McLaren had hoped for with some customers cycling through their ownership periods quite rapidly and some grumbling about things like uh the car’s nonfunctioning Iris infotainment system and the lack of AAL fireworks those problems are less of an issue now and

The 720s also gains from the undoubted halo effect of the mighty Senna ultimate series model that sits just above it in the woki maker lineup add to that critical a claim that seems largely in accordance saying that the 720s is a vehicle that will take the Ferrari 488

Gtb’s trousers down and administer a severe spanking and you have a recipe for improved retained values McLaren certainly claims that to be the case and that’s something that’s reflected by the relatively attractive lease deals that the company offers uh the working maker reckons customers add an average of

Around £25,000 worth of options to each of its cars and that’ll happen again here creating a residual value impact which which is often overlooked when you’re calculating depreciation percentages now some extras will uh probably add to your car’s value uh things like the sports exhaust and the Bowers and milkins audio system but

Other expensive additions could have relatively little value impact when the time comes to sell uh so things like extensive carbon fiber trimming and special paint finishes Etc Bear all this in mind up front and Beyond residuals well you won’t be imagining that this 20s will be inexpensive to run and

You’ll be absolutely right uh even with managed expectations though we were a little disappointed by the quoted figures uh despite a standard engine start stop system you’re looking at 26.4 MPG on the combined cycle and 249 G per km of CO2 that’s the same by the way as

You’ll get from the Lesser 3.8 L 570s model and that’s a car that weighs 18 kilos more to give you some perspective the other contender in this segment with 4 L twin turbo V8 Ferrari’s 488 GTB that weighs 56 kilos more manages 24.8 MPG and 260 g per km both cars really ought

To do better can’t up noticing that an Audi R8 from the next class down that uses an old school 5.2 L V12 and weighs more than 170 kilos More Than This McLaren still records pretty much the same kind of running cost figures on the plus side the quoted 720s readings

Vastly better than those delivered by the only other car that you could count as a potential rival to this one Lamborghini’s Aventador now that manages only 16.4 MPG on the combined cycle and it chugs out 394 G per km of CO2 ouch it might also be worth mentioning that the

720s efficiency returns are slightly enhanced over those of the old 650s and that managed 24.2 MPG and 275 G per kilm likely owners almost certainly won’t care a fig about any of that but even they might notice the substantial 37% benefiting kind Tax rating that a 720s

Incurs meaning annual tax bills of over £20,000 fuel benefit will probably add a further £3,000 or so to this then there’s a firste road tax Ved charge of £2,000 followed by a £450 annual charge that incorporates this uh car’s luxury premium until the sixth birthday at

Which point the Ved rate reverts to £40 group 50 Insurance means that buyers will be keeping their brokers in boet 2o of course uh many owners will acquire this McLaren as just one of a stable of models and they will have negotiated their own multicard deal with their

Insurer continuing with the bad news you don’t get the 7-year free servicing package that Ferrari offers so you’ll have to pick up the tab yourself for routine maintenance and that’ll be required every 122,000 400 Mi or 12 months depending on which comes around sooner uh every second year the car will

Need a full oil change too um with expensive consumables and high labor rates you’ll certainly need to know what you’re letting yourself in for what else well the paint servic is warranted for 3 years visible cosmetic corrosion for 5 years and perforation corrosion of the vehicle body is cover for 10 years as

You’d expect the car comes with a 3-year unlimited mileage warranty and on request that can be extended to a maximum of 12 years and 100,000 Mi uh whichever package you go for roadside assistance is included too uh that in the unlikely event of a breakdown will recover your McLaren to the nearest

Dealer or provide you with a replacement car to let you carry on your journey should you be involved in a collision you’ll be pleased to know that the aluminum body panels uh will be a lot cheaper to fix than the carbon fiber or composite items used in the Brand’s

Pricing models uh the prle P0 tires will be fiercly expensive to replace though so do bear that in mind before you go track day show Booting on paper Mclaren has always had the measure of its rivals in reality though its offerings have often lacked the emotive drama that characterizes the Market’s most desirable supercars so it’s refreshing to report that the 720s delivers exactly that its predecessor the 650s was a car obviously faster than

Lesser McLaren models but not necessarily better without an empty test track it was difficult to appreciate it extra Aerotech and proactive chassis control system and it simply didn’t have the street side presence of an Italian rival in the way that their 720 does this car has its faults of course

Graduate from a Ferrari PTO feno into a 488 GTB or from a Lamborghini urakan into an adventador and you really feel a class above McLarens need to make three different model series from the same basic architecture means that moving up from a 570s into a 720s might not give

You quite the same sense of achievement the two cars do after all share plenty and basic character and each has need of an engine capable of more dramatic aall accompaniment now the Italian opposition knows how to serve that up and we don’t doubt that future mcclaren’s will too if

This car teaches us anything it’s that the working maker learns quickly which is just the point the British maker is sometimes portrayed as a high-handed somewhat arrogant company that knows it knows best the 720s proves Beyond any doubt that that’s just a lazy stereotype McLaren listens and it listens to the

People that count its customers buyers gave the brand a wish list of 650s improvements and the combination of these along with the latest in mind warping technology from working has produced a worldclass result it redefines what a Supercar should be Beautifully