The Woking-based company says the 570S Coupé “introduces McLaren DNA to the sports car segment for the first time”, bringing the lessons learned during the development of the 650S supercar and P1 hypercar to a lower price - which officials have confirmed is £143,25
The 570S Coupé also marks the official birth of the McLaren Sports Series, which will be developed as the entry-level tier in a new three-rung model strategy that also incorporates the Super Series and Ultimate Series.
The debut of the Sport Series models will bring another jump in McLaren output. The company expects to hit a production peak of about 4000 cars per year when the 570S Coupé and subsequent cars in the range are established.
Aggressively priced supermini steps up interior game, but lacks performance...
Despite its entry-level billing, the 570S Coupé - which went under the code name P13 during its test and development programme — nevertheless packs heady performance that puts it firmly into the territory occupied by the high-end Porsche and Audi sports cars.
The new car retains the mid-engined format of its more powerful big brother, the 650S. Power comes from a tweaked version of the twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V8 already used in the 650S and P1 and is sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
The engine produces maximum power of 562bhp (which equates to 570PS and informs the car’s name) and 443lb ft of torque. It has been given the designation M838T E, with the ‘E’ standing for ‘evolution’.
The 570S Coupé can cover 0-62mph in 3.2sec and 0-124mph in 9.5sec, going on to a top speed of 204mph. The new McLaren can reach 100mph in 6.3 seconds.
By comparison, the £137,500 R8 V10 Plus has maximum power of 601bhp and peak torque of 413lb ft from its naturally aspirated 5.2-litre engine. Official figures indicate that the all-wheel-drive Audi can match the McLaren from 0-62mph but is 0.4sec slower to 124mph and has a claimed 205mph top speed.
Prices for the 911 Turbo S start at £142,120. With 552bhp and 516lb ft on tap from its twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre flat six, the all-wheel-drive Porsche pips its rivals from 0-62mph, taking 3.1sec. It hits 124mph in 10.3sec and its top speed is 194mph.
One of the key features of the new McLaren is its comparatively low weight. With the 570S Coupé tipping the scales at a claimed 1313kg - about 150kg lighter than the R8 V10 Plus - it has a class-leading power-to-weight ratio of 428bhp per tonne.
Crucial to the low weight is a new design of McLaren’s carbonfibre MonoCell II chassis, tweaked from the version used in the 650S. The 570S’s structure weighs less than 80kg and, in line with the new car’s focus on usability, it has modified sills to make it easier to get in and out of the cabin.
The sophisticated interlinked suspension that is a feature of the 650S has been replaced on the 570S with a more standard double wishbone design paired with adaptive dampers and anti-roll bars. As with the 650S, though, the powertrain and handling settings can still be switched between progressively more focused Normal, Sport and Track modes.
McLaren claims fuel economy of 25.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 258g/km for the 570S. The R8 V10 Plus returns a claimed 23.9mpg and the 911 Turbo S a claimed 29.1mpg. The 570S is slightly larger than the 650S in each key dimension, being 4530mm long, 2095mm wide and 1202mm tall.
The 570S is clad in aluminium bodywork, which, McLaren says, allows for an intricate panel design. The car retains key elements of the McLaren family look, such as the P1-derived front and rear lights.
There are broad similarities in shape and stance, which are largely informed by cooling considerations, but the 570S shares no panels with other McLaren models. Instead, it has bespoke aerodynamic styling features, such as the front aero blades, side skirts and rear diffuser.
Aerodynamic devices such as the rear wing are fixed, rather than active. The door tendons are inspired by the P1 and they channel cooling air into the engine bay.
It is aft of the cabin where the 570S Coupé looks significantly different from other McLaren models. In place of the 650S’s long rear glass engine cover, the new model features a ‘flying buttress’ pillar design, together with a vertical glass rear window and an engine cover that fits snugly over the V8 powerplant.
The new model is designed to provide “day-to-day usability and driveability” compared with McLaren’s more extreme offerings. There’s a greater emphasis on interior comfort, with additional stowage in the cabin, leather upholstery and a best-in-class front luggage capacity of 144 litres.
The infotainment system is mounted on a floating centre console and the 7.0in touchscreen includes sat-nav, Bluetooth and DAB radio. A four-speaker McLaren Audio system is standard, with upgraded audio kit available.
Carbon-ceramic brakes are standard, and the 570S comes with a unique design of forged alloy wheel, with 19in rims on the front and 20in on the rear, wearing Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres.
Extensive interior upgrades and customisation options are available via the ‘By McLaren’ specifications first offered on the 675LT unveiled at last month’s Geneva motor show. Other Alcantara, leather and carbonfibre upgrades are also available for the interior.
Standard specification on the 570S includes a full leather interior, LED lights and carbon-ceramic brakes.
Speaking at the launch of the new car, McLaren's executive director for global sales and marketing Jolyon Nash said: "This is probably the most important car in our short history. It's a game changer in the segment and will transform and double our business." Nash says McLaren's sales have jumped from 150 units in 2011 to 1649 units in 2014, and company was profitable in its third year of business.
Nash also poured cold water on any suggestion of McLaren developing an SUV: "In the future we will not be manufacturing or developing an SUV. We know what we're good at, making cars that are breathtaking to drive."
Mark Vinnels, executive director of product development said: "It's the definitive sports car. It delivers the McLaren DNA to a new customer base and is the first in the series as an entry point to the brand. Several new bodystyles in addition to the coupe will be rolled out over the next few years."
"30% of the components in the engine have been changed; it has not just been detuned. We have spent a lot of time on the sound and induction system; there's a lovely harmonic, tuneful sound system.
"The figures are better than some supercars out there; this is supercar performance in the sports car class."
Vinnels also says that much of the 570S's structure is new: "It's pretty much an all-new Monocell. The challenge was to deliver it on a technical and production side. It has the same stiffness but is a bit heavier, and the sills much lower to help ingress and egress. There is lots of storage space, including holes and space behind the seats."
The 570S Coupé will go on sale after its public debut at the New York motor show. A second Sport Series model, dubbed 540C, is aimed at the Asian market and should provide an entry point into the Sports Series range. That car, which will be priced from around £127,000 and is expected to offer 533bhp, is due to be revealed at the Shanghai motor show later this month.
Further down the line McLaren will expand the Sports Series range with a more spacious and practical GT model - due in 2016 - before adding a Spider variant to the range around 2017.
I like McLaren a lot and even had the pleasure of a drive in a 12C but this car is too close to the 12C/650S. It just seems a bit pointless. A smaller and even cheaper car to compete with the rest of the 911 range might be good but may also be seen as diluting the brand.
McLaren is in a tough spot. The 650S killed off the 12C even though at first it was supposed to stay on. The new Sport Series is supposed to take it to the Porsche Turbo. The problem is that the GT3 is already nipping at the heels of the 650S- without turbos and wall-to-wall carbon. How do you produce a less powerful version of the 650S to compete with the more powerful brother of the GT3- the Porsche Turbo. And without looking like the 650S but using its important bits. A classic case of being between a rock and a hard place. Last but not least Porsche is not sitting idly by and is about to introduce new powerplants next year.... in other words McLaren is aiming at a moving target.
I think the exterior mirrors on the prototype which echo the P1 are a step in the wrong direction. The P1 is a wide hypercar and needed mirrors more outboard for the driver to see more clearly. These are a nod to that car however the 650 has more sporting exterior mirrors and the do not ruin the lines down the side of the car.Look at the new Alfa 4C those mirrors sprout out like afterthoughts and ruin that car for me. This new McLaren needs to have its on identity and not use too many cues from the range, other than those it has to due to its structural build. Then we may not see it as a " baby " (I hate that analogy) P1 or 650S but as a new entry level McLaren which is what it is supposed to be.
In order to compete with the P Turbo and Turbo S the 0-60 has to be under 3,not "under 4"
For Pete's sake a TTRS with DSG is 3.5 and that is the Mk 2 ! Even a GT3 is 3.0
So to do that it needs 4WD,so is it?
Saw a recent video of a P Turbo S "Cabrio "blowing away" a GTR.
F Type R Coupe is already running mid 3's without AWD,so the new AWD should be close to 3.
Lovely car I am sure but for 130K it has to do the numbers!
Madmac,
It shows that you have never in your life driven a sports car. Chances are high you are too young even for a diving license.
Else you would not equal performance with 0-60 times.
Grow up, get over your silly humber fetish, learn to expand your vision of what makes a sports car great.
Roughly any motor bike over £5000 will "humiliate" your darlings. Does that make them better sports cars?
Even with the Super Series and the 650s production full tilt, McLaren would be making a rather exclusive 4000 cars a year. Porsche probably produces that much in a day given the success of their SUVs. More contrast than comparison!
You can hardly excuse McLaren from competing with Porsche on grounds of production numbers, when it is their own CEO who is quoted as stating that they will outclass rivals in performance numbers. Either they are competing or they are not. But at least the P13 is a better looking car than the P1, though on the few photos here not so much as the 12C.
I don't need to put my name here, it's on the left
All three McLaren cars are styled around what is in my opinion an extremely clumsily styled front end. The 650S looks like three different cars in one and then you throw the LT into it... It's a bit of a mess. At least Astons looked amazing before they all started to look the same. Saying that I still absolutely love the P1.
I can't see where that "everyday driver" role is going to fit in. If all they have is a small "boot" at the front then it's not going to work. The 911 is compromised by only having the rear seats to throw extra luggage at - the Cayman is much better in that and lots of other respects - and in a lot of cities leaving a briefcase on the backseat just equals broken glass and gone case. Hope I'm wrong but the McLaren range looks as if it is squeezing itself into a corner.
I like what McLaren is doing and think their cars, for the most part, are impressive. Particularly their interiors, which I think are absolutely brilliant. But I really think that they need to expand their engine range a little bit. I understand that developing a new engine is a huge undertaking and McLaren doesn't have the resources of VAG. They don't even need to develop a brand new one from scratch, just change it up a bit. Maybe chop two cylinders off the block and make it a twin turbo V6. Or maybe use a supercharger for the lower output engines. Or, best yet, increase bore and/or stroke a bit and try a naturally aspirated version with a 9k+ RPM redline in the above mentioned "GT3" variant...
Join the debate
StuM82
Too similar
GeToD
Between a rock and a hard place
GeToD
J13Dog
Styling
madmac
In order to compete with the
For Pete's sake a TTRS with DSG is 3.5 and that is the Mk 2 ! Even a GT3 is 3.0
So to do that it needs 4WD,so is it?
Saw a recent video of a P Turbo S "Cabrio "blowing away" a GTR.
F Type R Coupe is already running mid 3's without AWD,so the new AWD should be close to 3.
Lovely car I am sure but for 130K it has to do the numbers!
Madmac
Grunt
0-20
It shows that you have never in your life driven a sports car. Chances are high you are too young even for a diving license.
Else you would not equal performance with 0-60 times.
Grow up, get over your silly humber fetish, learn to expand your vision of what makes a sports car great.
Roughly any motor bike over £5000 will "humiliate" your darlings. Does that make them better sports cars?
fadyady
Taking on Porsche!
bowsersheepdog
Pick a number
I don't need to put my name here, it's on the left
jmd67
Not sure about this at all.
johnfaganwilliams
Just looking at this......
gillmanjr
I like what McLaren is doing
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