Initial reviews of the McLaren MP4-12C have begun to emerge from the world's car press, but we're a step ahead of them...sort of.
It’s been nearly 20 years since McLaren changed the automotive landscape forever. Originally conceived in an airport lounge by Ron Dennis and Gordon Murray, the McLaren F1 not only trounced its contemporaries, the Porsche 959 and the Ferrari F40, it changed the entire world’s notion of what a road car is capable of. To this day, it is still the benchmark against which all other supercars are judged.
After a brief a marriage with Mecedes Benz which brought us the SLR, McLaren has struck out on their own again with a new supercar, the MP4-12C. However, this time McLaren is not taking aim at the current crop of hypercars. At least, not yet. McLaren’s true successor to the F1 should be with us in a few years time. Instead, the MP4-12C is aimed squarely at entry-level mid-engined supercars from the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini, and as such, the MP4-12C is easily one of the most anticipated cars in recent decades.
A few weeks ago, McLaren invited a group of journalists to sample the MP4-12C at the Portimão circuit in Portugal. These journalists were the first people outside of McLaren to drive the car, and now their impressions are starting to roll in. The journos were confined to a track and no direct comparisions were made to any rivals, but early impressions seem to be very good.
Chris Harris of Evo said, “It is the most talented machine I have ever driven. “ He also went on to say that he felt that it might lack a little emotion. Read the rest of Evo Magazine's review here.
Chris Chilton of Car Magazine said, “Quite simply, this is the most complete supercar the world has ever seen. Quicker than a McLaren F1, easier to live with than an Audi R8 and more economical than a BMW M3, it rides like an executive saloon when you’re not in the mood but thrills like any supercar should when you are.” Read the rest of Car Magazine's review here.
Patrick Hong of Road & Track had this to say: “The MP4-12C has achieved all its performance targets in the same calculated fashion of its winning F1 team. It appeals to 'in-the-know' car enthusiasts who prefer their supercars understated, a different path than Ferrari, which wows its customers with more emotional appeal.” Read the rest of Road & Track's review here.
Heady praise indeed. However it seems that the final verdicts on how good the 12C actually is will have to wait for more definitive road tests. We’re sure to see just such tests in the coming months, but why wait?
Power to weight ratios, traction, power, torque curves, weight balance, and aerodynamics are just a few of the things that the makers of Gran Turismo 5 take into consideration when building a car for their game. It just so happens that among GT5's massive roster of cars is the MP4-12C, along with its chief rivals, the Ferrari 458 Italia and the Lamborghini Gallardo. And what better track to test them on than the Nürburgring Nordschleife, which is also in the game.
Things like seat-of-the-pants feel and steering feedback obviously cannot be gleaned through a Playstation 3 controller, but it stands to reason that GT5 could give us a pretty good indication of how the MP4-12C compares against its rivals in terms of outright speed. Silly? Absolutely, but until McLaren starts sending Drive Cult invites to their test drives it’s the best we can do. Also, playing GT5 is just plain fun.
First up was the oldest of the three, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4. The Lambo’s all-wheel-drive system meant that the steering lacked some purity, but it also meant excellent traction out of tight corners. The Gallardo ended up with a very admirable Nordschleife time of 7:40.
Next was the 458 Italia. After the Gallardo, the Ferrari’s front end felt super sharp. Its excellect turn-in and balance translated to a time of 7:31; a nine-second improvement over the Gallardo.
Finally it was the moment of (virtual) truth for the McLaren. The MP4-12C simply did not feel as reactive as the Ferrari and seemed to suffer from a slight amount of understeer. Its final time was a somewhat disappointing 7:38.
The McLaren is packed with technology that it’s safe to assume was not taken into account when it was implemented in GT5. Its F1-inspired corner braking technology for example, which brakes the inside front wheel when turning in, did not feel present and though the air brake deploys under hard braking, it’s probably not being met with any resistance from virtual air molecules.
Ham-fisted virtual driving? Inaccurate data on the part of the Gran Turismo developers? Another Ferrari ringer? Fire up your PS3, and let us know what you come up with. All that we know is that until the MP4-12C is put up against its rivals in the real world, this will have to do.
[Photos courtesy of McLaren Automotive]
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