2018 Mclaren 720S

2018 Mclaren 720S Review

Founded by a legendary race-car driver and engineer, McLaren is all about bringing track-friendly performance to the street. The 720S is a prime example of this approach. It can run from 0 to 100 mph in the time it takes many typical sports cars to reach 60 mph. Nor does the 720S look like a typical sports car. The car’s lightweight carbon-fiber body is shaped more like an aggressive alien spacecraft.

The 2018 McLaren 720S is a two-door, two-seat supercar with compact dimensions. A convertible, the 720S Spider, also is available. McLaren offers a base model along with two higher trims known as the Luxury specification and the Performance specification. The standard powertrain has a twin-turbocharged V8 engine, a seven-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive. Top rivals include the Ferrari 488, Lamborghini Huracán and Porsche 911.

The McLaren 720S is all new for 2018.

Exterior

With a mid-engine design, the 720S stores its powerplant between the passenger compartment and rear wheels. This pushes the seating area toward the front of the car, which means the 720S seems to be surging forward even when it’s parked. With the coupe, a canopy-like top adds to the outer space vibe. But the real show-stoppers are the car’s front-hinged vertically opening doors. Even the Spider has those despite its power-retractable hardtop.

The well-equipped base model comes with full LED lighting, an automatically deploying rear spoiler, high-mounted dual exhaust outlets, aluminum-alloy wheels and heated power-folding mirrors with a reverse tilt-down function. Alternative aluminum-alloy wheel designs are available, as are carbon-fiber upgrades for body pieces such as the hood intakes, mirror caps, front splitter, roof and lower rear bumper. Another option exposes the carbon fiber of the car’s Monocage II body structure.

Interior

The 720S has a driver-focused cabin that gets a lot of its high-tech style from the arrangement of its hardware. The entire housing for the digital instrument panel rises up and down, allowing it to show either a full array of gauges or just a thin line of the most important driving information. As for the center controls, most are in a single vertical line below a tablet-style infotainment screen. That all works together with the car’s forward seating position to make you feel like you’re always part of the action. The 720S also has front and rear storage compartments with 5.3 and 7.4 cubic feet of space, respectively.

Standard equipment includes manually adjustable sport seats, dual-zone climate control, cruise control and a tilt-and-telescoping steering column. McLaren offers features such as leather upholstery, heated power-adjustable seats, carbon-fiber racing seats, carbon fiber accents, a power-adjustable steering column and a leather- or Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel.

Performance

A twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 is standard for the 720S and delivers 710 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque. That engine is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive. However, the 720S can outrun plenty of all-wheel-drive cars. It can rocket from 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds, reach 100 mph in 5.5 seconds and hit a top speed of 212 mph. Also standard are performance enhancers such as carbon-ceramic brakes, launch control, three drive modes and an adaptive suspension that makes the 720S feel like its stuck to the road. A sport exhaust and a suspension that can raise the car for steep driveways are optional.

Fuel economy ratings for the 720S come in at 15/22 mpg city/highway.

Technology

The 720S provides standard technology such as a touchscreen infotainment system with a 7-inch display, Bluetooth, two USB ports, an auxiliary input jack and a four-speaker sound system. The optional 12-speaker sound system is by Bowers & Wilkins.

Driver-assistance options include a rearview camera, a top-down camera and front and rear parking sensors. The car also bundles three more cameras with an available telemetry system that lets you record track-day video and performance data.