2014 McLaren 650S drive review

What is it?

The McLaren 650S is the third automobile McLaren Automotive has introduced since its relaunch as a road-car manufacturer in 2011. This one slots far below the $1.2 million, 903-hp McLaren P1 hybrid and slightly above the established McLaren MP4-12C. The two-seat, rear mid-engine 12C got a lukewarm reception when it debuted three years ago—widely praised for engineering excellence and civility, sometimes criticized for an emotional-appeal shortage.

Credit McLaren for listening. The company calls the 650S the “the ultimate in luxury, engagement and excitement on road and track,” with “the widest breadth of capabilities of any supercar.” We'd call the newest McLaren an effort to ratchet the brand slightly upward on the gold-chain meter. The 650S is less subtle in its brilliance than a 12C, but no less refined.

Like all McLarens, road or race, the 650S starts with a carbon-fiber tub. The company's “MonoCell” forms the car's center between the wheel wells and weighs just 165 pounds. McLaren says that beyond reduced mass, the MonoCell delivers advantages in torsional rigidity, durability, crash protection and consistent quality, compared to conventional steel- or aluminum-frame construction. Cells fabricated from aluminum extrusions and castings form essentially giant bumpers at the 650S' ends, absorbing impact energy before it reaches the tub. The aluminum cells also make the McLaren 650S easy -- though not necessarily cheap -- to repair.

Power comes from McLaren's M838T V8, manufactured in England by Ricardo. This 3.8-liter twin-turbo engine gets new, lighter pistons; re-ported heads; revised cam timing; and larger exhaust valves for the 650S. Output increases to 650 PS (hence, the name) or 641 hp —up 25 hp from the 12C. As significantly, torque increases 58 lb-ft to 500 peak, and all this comes with the efficiency to avoid a gas-guzzler tax.

Race-gearbox manufacturer Graziano supplies the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, with control strategy revised from the 12C. Key objectives were more low-speed smoothness, predictability and refinement, but there are also a couple speed-shift/performance improvements, including “cylinder cut” technology, momentarily interrupting the spark and popping an extra fuel squirt on reignition, generating an aurally satisfying exhaust flare during fast upshifts. And, just in case, there's a winter mode.

McLaren
The McLaren 650S carbon brakes stop the car quickly and without excessive noise when driven at tame speeds.

The 650S' all-wishbone suspension is also recalibrated from the 12C, starting with substantially firmer springs front and rear. Yet McLaren insists the 650S still delivers “ride comfort to executive saloon standards,” thanks to revised shock mounts and recalibration of its ProActive Chassis Control (PCC) suspension. PCC is similar in concept to Audi's Dynamic Ride Control, with interconnected shocks and a central gas reservoir. It varies damping rates at each wheel independently through corners, keeping the body virtually flat, and decouples the wheels in a straight line for maximum articulation and compliance. It also eliminates the weight of conventional antiroll bars.

McLaren says the 650S delivers 40 percent more downforce than the 12C on average, thanks largely to refined active aerodynamics. The McLaren Airbrake in back is more responsive, dropping completely under full throttle but extending fully if the suspension unloads, as when cresting a hill.

The brakes are carbon ceramic with 15.5-inch rotors in front, 15-inch rear. The standard wheels are forged, each 4.5 pounds lighter than the 12C's cast wheels, shod with 650S-specific Pirelli P Zero Corsas (235/35 19 front, 305/30 20 rear). Tamer, standard P Zeros—and winter tires—are optional.

The 650S comes with a standard full Alcantara interior and more, well, stuff than the 12C. The range includes standard nav, voice command and Bluetooth tethering; an electric steering column with an easy-access seat; mega-watt stereo upgrades; a backup camera; and various carbon-fiber trim options. Fixed-back carbon-fiber racing seats are offered in North America.

Then there's the look. The 650S retains the 12C's basic shape but adapts the P1's front end and inverted-comma LED headlights. It generally has more blades and vanes and more exposed carbon fiber than the 12C, and it is less obviously shaped by aerodynamics.

The 650S Spider features a two-piece roof panel, which retracts in 17 seconds, under a hard tonneau between the buttresses. The rear glass opens and closes independently. McLaren says the Spider has the coupe's torsional rigidity with no structural enhancements, thanks to the MonoCell's stiffness. The additional 84 pounds of mass comes entirely from the roof and operating mechanism.

The latest McLaren debuts in the United States April 18 at the New York auto show and goes on sale immediately -- $265,500 for the coupe and $280,225 for the Spider. Regular options can easily add $75,000, and McLaren expects average transactions about 20 percent above the base price.

For now, at least, McLaren seems willing to cannibalize its own sales. The company sold 1,300 12Cs in 2013 (35 percent of them in North America), but it doesn't expect the 650S to drive the total much past 1,500. With just a 10 percent price step-up, we think buyers eying a 12C will choose the 650S instead.

Company executives say they may rethink their North American and European lineups going forward, but there is no plan to end 12C production. In some countries outside those markets, the tax structure makes the 12C/650S price differential considerably larger.

McLaren
Carbon fiber makes up a large part of the McLaren 650S supercar.

How's it drive?

Like a light, incredibly powerful, $265K supercar, if you can go fast. Politely, if you can't.

The numbers explain a lot. With one horsepower for every 4.5 pounds, the 650S has a better power-to-weight ratio than any Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche -- any road car -- you can buy for under $900,000. Porsche's limited-run 918 surpasses it, but only by a hair.

We'll bet the farm the 650S can easily break three seconds in properly timed 0-60-mph runs. McLaren says the 650S hits 100 in 5.7 seconds, sooner than some reasonably quick cars hit 60, and finishes the standing quarter mile in 10.5 seconds. That's 0.6-second quicker than the iconic '90s McLaren F1. The factory reports top speeds of 207 mph for the coupe, 203 for the Spider.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature deprived us of an opportunity to explore the 650S' limits. McLaren gladly offered track time, but steady rain left a greasy surface at the Ascari circuit near Ronda, Spain. Cool temperatures made it challenging for McLaren's development drivers to keep sufficient heat in the Corsas. Hot laps were wisely left to the pros, though even in the passenger seat some things are obvious. The 650S' balance leaves enough grip in the wet for experienced drivers to generate queasiness-inducing g loads. And even in wet, lesser drivers can manage small, predictably consistent opposite-lock slides without losing the handle. The 650S is way fast, but its behavior is also rock-steady reliable. The stability electronics make an almost perfect babysitter. In sport mode, they leave enough latitude to push, explore and learn, but the electronics can usually intervene before catastrophic failure.

Fortunately, you don't need a racetrack or perfectly dry pavement to find joy in the 650S powertrain. Manual shifts are lightning quick, with no interruption in the flow of acceleration. The V8 sounds a bit more aggressive than the 12C's, and its torque curve is fatter. Yet, it isn't flat. At full-boot the torque builds slightly with revs, emphasizing the pull of acceleration. And at about 6,000 rpm, when you figure it must be nearly tapped out, there's a rocket shot of revs and thrust that blows the tach needle to the 8,500-rpm redline and your head back into the head rest -- you're 50 mph past the auto pista limit in second gear. We'd call that a peak automotive experience only a few road cars can deliver -- there's no lack of emotion.

Inputs in the 650S feel generally heavier than those in the 12C, particularly the steering. It's not more direct or precise, just more substantial, with more effort required. The standard brakes stop the 650S from 60 mph in 100 feet, according to McLaren. While the pedal is direct, with a short operating stroke, the carbon-ceramics generally feel and sound like conventional steel, bringing us to another 650S noteworthy trait.

When the elements or the traffic don't co-operate, the driver might gripe, but the 650S will not. If the flow slows, the car's brakes shed speed without noise or grating. The car absorbs rough pavement without low-frequency vibration or startling jars. And when the flow picks up again, the transmission finds its way to seventh as quickly as it can to conserve revs, and the 650S plods respectfully along.

McLaren
Alcantara and leather make up pretty much every interior surface on the McLaren 650S.

If you've experienced Graziano's single-clutch automated gearbox, as we have in the Aston Martin Vantage, the dual-clutch might startle you. On the road, the single-clutch can be a nightmare of bobbing heads and snapping necks. In the McLaren, the dual-clutch trundles along in full auto mode, as free of lurch or drag as any performance manumatic extant, including Porsche's PDK.

The 650S' blade doors swing up fairly easily. Its steering column can lift and its driver seat can slide rearward automatically to make maximum entry space. The doors swing shut more easily than they go up, without a serious stretch. The seatbelt is right where you want it, with less fishing than in a lot of ordinary sedans. Finish and detail in the cockpit are excellent -- leather or Alcantara -- and the switchgear is clean and easy to master. There's room in the coupe's luggage compartment for two decent-sized fitted suitcases and even more in the Spider if you're willing to use the top's stowage space. Perhaps its McLaren's ease of function in all circumstances that's taken for lacking passion.

If your legs are on the short side, you might have a small gripe with what you see from the driver's seat. A fairly thick A-pillar could be sitting right where you're looking into a left-hand bend. Otherwise the view out is unobstructed and impressive. The angled rear glass on the coupe changes the rearward perspective compared to the flat glass on the Spider, but it allows you to see more of the engine in the mirror.

Do I want it?

Of course you do if the alternative is a Nissan 370Z or a Jaguar F-Type or a Camaro Z/28. If the choice is a Ferrari 458 Italia or a Lamborghini Hurac

By J.P. Vettraino