McLaren GT 2019 UK first drive

If you love driving above all else, then this is the GT for you. No matter which way you slice it, as a device to pick apart rolling and twisting roads, the McLaren leaves its heavier and more traditionally engineered rivals looking like drunks with two left feet. In terms of grip, balance, poise and agility, the GT takes some beating.

Yes, the steering is calmer, but it’s still quick and full of feel, while the rest of the car appears to rotate around your hips in precise relation to the amount of lock you wind on. Better still, the slightly softer suspension (in Comfort and Sport, at least; Track is still too firm for the road) and less aggressive turbo lag allow you to start manipulating your line through a corner, both on and off the throttle.

However, this is all expected of a McLaren, as is the searing performance, but what about its GT credentials? On the long drag back to the UK, it proves more relaxing than you’d expect. No, it’s not nearly as supple and soothing as a Bentley Continental GT, but it’s more effortless than you’d expect, especially for a car that’s so sharp in the mountains. On the smoothly surfaced French autoroutes there’s decent suppleness, while the Pirelli P Zeros seem not to get overly vocal, even over coarser surfaces.

Expansion joints cause the odd slap and a wriggle of the steering, plus there is some wind rustle from around the door mirrors and A-pillars, but otherwise it’s remarkably restful, helped in no small part by the extra padding on the seats and the relaxingly recumbent driving position and improved visibility - although the view immediately rearward through the mirror and deeply tinted glass is far from perfect.

There’s no doubt that, judged by some traditional GT standards, the McLaren falls short, particularly in respect of its occasionally brittle ride and the noises that accompany it, particularly on poorly surfaced motorways.

Yet in most circumstances and on most surfaces it can do the long-distance thing in surprising comfort and refinement, while the extra versatility of that large rear boot means you can carry more than many rivals, as long as you’re not planning on carrying frozen goods any great distance. It feels good inside, McLaren’s take on luxury being to give the interior a real sense of occasion.

So how to class the GT? Well, for a McLaren it’s as refined and usable as they get, and for many this will be enough. But there is enough genuine civility on display here to make this a surprisingly easy companion to live with day to day for those who would normally give the firm’s cars a wide berth.

While there’s certainly a shortfall in comfort and refinement compared with true GTs, it’s nowhere near as big as the vast gulf between these slightly cumbersome machines and the scalpel-sharp and invigorating McLaren when the road gets interesting. I guess it all depends on your priorities.

McLaren GT specification

Where Hertfordshire, UK, and France Price £163,000 On sale Now Engine V8, 3994cc, twin-turbocharged, petrol Power 612bhp at 7500rpm Torque 465lb ft at 5500rpm Gearbox 7-spd dual-clutch automatic Kerb weight 1530kg Top speed 203mph 0-62mph 3.2sec Fuel economy 23.7mpg CO2 270g/km Rivals Bentley Continental GT, Aston Martin DB11