What is it?
The McLaren 570S Spider is one of the newest McLaren road racers – and it takes on something of a different challenge to the traditional McLaren sports cars. Sure, it’s built for power and speed, but it’ll also do comfort and everyday living – and it’s all wrapped up in a brilliant open-top format.
The McLaren 570S competes with the likes of the Lamborghini Huracan, Ferrari 488 GTB, and Audi R8, despite the fact that it’s known as the “baby McLaren”. So-called because it’s one of the softer models available in the McLaren Sports Series. That said, this is still a legitimate road monster, with killer looks and a whole lot of speed on tap.
How does it drive?
The debut of the McLaren Sports Series completes a three-tier range alongside the Super Series and Ultimate Series. The McLaren 570S Spider is an attempt to bring McLaren values to the sports car market. Like every McLaren, the 570S is built on a solid foundation of racing technology and unparalleled performance. No other car in the class has a carbon fibre tub chassis at its core, dihedral doors, standard carbon ceramic brakes or a V8 engine featuring a flat-plane crank for the purest response.
The upshot of this is that you get race-tuned performance with superior comfort. The car is super-fast with a howling 3.8-litre V8 engine that really announces itself and its whole 562 bhp. The sound from the turbo, in particular, is one of the coolest sounds you’ll ever hear. Not that you’ll be paying much attention – the 0-100 km/h time is 3.2 seconds, so you’ll just be holding on for dear life. Indeed, driving the McLaren 570S takes away the feeling of you just driving a car; you feel like you’re part of the car itself.
Interior quality and tech
McLaren has made a name for itself as a purveyor of high-tech solutions, and the reputation remains intact with the 570S Spider. There’s the super-silly door that erects outward up giving you room to dive into the belly of the beast. But there’s also a sophisticated touchscreen interface that gives you control over everything you need.
The interior is minimal and in contrast with the car, feels much bigger than it looks. However, getting in and out of the car is a bit of a challenge. Once you have effortlessly raised the wonderfully balanced dihedral door, you are presented with the task of awkwardly sliding yourself into the form-fitting driver’s seat.
Once seated, the interior seems to expand and wrap around you. Though fairly light on creature comforts and sophisticated infotainment systems, the interior of the 570S is heavy on bespoke dashboard tailoring with very functional and beautifully crafted instrumentation.
Let’s also look at the sound system. McLaren insists that its standard four-speaker stereo system is the lightest it has fitted to a car, but it’s heavy on sound. You could easily stick on a podcast and comfortably mooch home in the 570S, such is the crispness of the sound and the insulation that the car provides.
And if you want to experience convertible life, the folding metal roof will retract in a matter of seconds, even when you’re driving at up to 40 km/h.
Running costs
You’re buying a supercar. You don’t care about costs. Still, if you’re happy to put down the AED 930,000 starting price, you should be okay with the AED 28,000 that it’ll cost you for a fully comprehensive insurance policy. Fuel-wise, things aren’t so scary – the McLaren 570S Spider delivers economy of 10.7 L/100 km, which means a theoretical range of 670 km. And it’ll cost around AED 180 to fill the 72-litre fuel tank with Super 98 at current UAE prices.
Our Verdict
If you’re fast car enthusiast, then this car gives you everything wrapped up in one package – you get speed and comfort. Love going on long journeys where you’ll encounter a twisty back road? Then the 570S Spider was made just for you.