81lb more than the 570S, thanks to the extra equipment aboard) this civilised GT certainly has the ability to ruffle feathers if you ask it to, accelerating from 0-60mph in just 3.3 seconds, and pressing on to a 204mph top speed.
After lunging from hairpin to hairpin, that once-muffled engine noise now emerging into a throaty growl, we climb until we break through the tree line onto a ridge of sun-baked rock. The road opens up, allowing longer gears and higher revs. Even in Sport, the GT feels incredibly pliant and elastic over bumps, giving you a sensation of serene control, even at higher speeds. With its evocative noise and transparent steering feel, it’s incredibly engaging.
The road tips down into a huge caldera – a vast, prehistoric crater at the centre of the island, formed by a volcanic collapse. At its centre is the high cone of Mount Teide, the ‘modern’ volcano that forms the very summit of Tenerife – it last erupted in 1909. We’re hoping it doesn’t reawaken today.
Across the base of the caldera we drive, surrounded by charred black lava and glinting obsidian glass. There are plenty of tourists up here, visiting the volcano, and we can only imagine what this dart-like McLaren looks like as it spears across the long straight at the base of the mountain.
Climbing out the other side of the 10-mile-wide crater, we’re soon back on those steep slopes, and through the clouds beneath us we see the ocean again. There’s more traffic on the way down, but no matter, the GT isn’t just about driving flat-out. We settle into a more leisurely return, and enjoy the interior. Although sharing the same basic architecture as the 570S, the GT features a lot more equipment as standard, including the electrically adjusted steering column; eight-way electrically adjustable sports seats; and an eight-speaker McLaren sound system (a 12-speaker Bowers & Wilkins upgrade is also available). The GT is also the first McLaren to feature door pockets and a glove box.
But the star feature of this cabin is undoubtedly that Panoramic Roof, and the bright sunshine that fills the interior with light – never heating it, because of clever technology, just lighting it to make it feel airy and spacious. Soon we’re back on the motorway, and the Active Dynamics Panel is returned to its ‘Normal’ setting. The car relaxes beneath us.
Normal? Volcanoes, prehistoric craters, alpine passes, and a sports car that can play both the thrilling supercar and the calming, long-distance GT – could you call any of today’s drive ‘normal’?
via : http://zumzumauto.blogspot.com/
After lunging from hairpin to hairpin, that once-muffled engine noise now emerging into a throaty growl, we climb until we break through the tree line onto a ridge of sun-baked rock. The road opens up, allowing longer gears and higher revs. Even in Sport, the GT feels incredibly pliant and elastic over bumps, giving you a sensation of serene control, even at higher speeds. With its evocative noise and transparent steering feel, it’s incredibly engaging.
The road tips down into a huge caldera – a vast, prehistoric crater at the centre of the island, formed by a volcanic collapse. At its centre is the high cone of Mount Teide, the ‘modern’ volcano that forms the very summit of Tenerife – it last erupted in 1909. We’re hoping it doesn’t reawaken today.
Across the base of the caldera we drive, surrounded by charred black lava and glinting obsidian glass. There are plenty of tourists up here, visiting the volcano, and we can only imagine what this dart-like McLaren looks like as it spears across the long straight at the base of the mountain.
Climbing out the other side of the 10-mile-wide crater, we’re soon back on those steep slopes, and through the clouds beneath us we see the ocean again. There’s more traffic on the way down, but no matter, the GT isn’t just about driving flat-out. We settle into a more leisurely return, and enjoy the interior. Although sharing the same basic architecture as the 570S, the GT features a lot more equipment as standard, including the electrically adjusted steering column; eight-way electrically adjustable sports seats; and an eight-speaker McLaren sound system (a 12-speaker Bowers & Wilkins upgrade is also available). The GT is also the first McLaren to feature door pockets and a glove box.
But the star feature of this cabin is undoubtedly that Panoramic Roof, and the bright sunshine that fills the interior with light – never heating it, because of clever technology, just lighting it to make it feel airy and spacious. Soon we’re back on the motorway, and the Active Dynamics Panel is returned to its ‘Normal’ setting. The car relaxes beneath us.
Normal? Volcanoes, prehistoric craters, alpine passes, and a sports car that can play both the thrilling supercar and the calming, long-distance GT – could you call any of today’s drive ‘normal’?
via : http://zumzumauto.blogspot.com/
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