The McLaren Automotive Sports Series range is poised to roll out in Australia from the start of 2016, at which time they will make the British supercar brand’s line-up more accessible than ever.
The company this week hosted the local premiere of the McLaren 570S, which it has announced will wear a price tag of $408,000 plus on-road costs.
This puts it roughly half way between a Porsche 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S, and is $20,000 cheaper than a Lamborghini Huracan. It also undercuts the McLaren 650S by more than $50,000.
Meantime, the company has also announced pricing on its range-opener — the ‘softer’ McLaren 540C, which is essentially a slightly detuned version of the 570S that will sell for $350,000 from its launch a few months after the 570S.
This cuts the price of entry into the McLaren range (opened at present by the 650S) by about $110,000.
Both the 570S and 540C are part of McLaren’s Sports Series range, the entry family in its three-tier range that also comprises the Super Series (650 and 675 LT) and the Ultimate Series (the P1).
As we have previously reported, they will form a huge part of McLaren’s road car expansion, given it is expected to easily double the company’s global road car output from about 1600 cars per annum at present to more like 4000 by 2016/17.
The 570S is a mid-engined, rear-drive coupe with a carbon-fibre structure and a signature ‘shrinkwrapped’ design that echoes the P1, with flying buttresses to boost aero performance.
Under the bonnet is a 420kW/600Nm 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine matched to a seven-speed SSG semi-automatic gearbox that propels the 1313kg coupe — 150kg lighter than any rival — from 0-100km/h in a McLaren F1-matching 3.2 seconds.
The 200 km/h mark is reached in 9.5 seconds with the pace not letting up till the car reaches a top speed of 328 km/h. The car is reigned in by standard-fit carbon ceramic brakes, fitted behind forged alloy wheels shod with 225/35/R19 front and 285/35/R20 rear Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres.
There’s a newly-developed suspension system featuring independent adaptive dampers with front and rear anti-roll bars – distinct from the Super Series – and dual wishbones, with the setup controlled by the familiar ‘Normal’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Track’ handling settings.
The cabin is designed with day-to-day usability in mind. Cushier leather sports seats are standard, while racing buckets are an option. The dashboard and steering wheel are also all leather trimmed.
There’s also the most usable cabin stowage space of any McLaren model to date. This adds to the 150 litres of storage in the front luggage bay.
The 570S gets an all new TFT digital instrument cluster that changes configuration according to driving mode, a seven-inch touchscreen with integrated climate control, Bluetooth connectivity and DAB+radio mounted on a ‘floating’ centre console.
Meanwhile the 540C gets the same engine, albeit detuned to 397kW/540Nm. The 1311kg coupe (2kg lighter than the 570S) thereby dashes from 0-100km/h three-tenths slower than the 570S, in a time of 3.5 seconds, and from 0-200km/h in 10.5 seconds (1.0sec slower). Top speed is 8km/h lower at 320km/h.
Despite being an ‘entry’ car, it retains its sibling’s lightweight carbonfibre MonoCell chassis and race-derived technologies. Like the 570, it’s more focused on day-to-day usability, with improved cabin ingress and egress and “class-leading” occupant protection and safety.
It’s a potential daily driver, in other words, rather than a track special.
A subtly revised aerodynamic package and dedicated wheel design mark out the 540C against the 570S. Unique aero blades below the front bumper channel air through the lower bodywork and up over the sculpted bonnet, flanked by large LED headlights.
There are new cast alloy wheels, available with silver or stealth finish, which measure 19 inches in diameter at the front and 20 inches at the rear. These are fitted with Pirelli P Zero tyres as standard, which have been developed specifically.
The 540C retains the Formula 1-derived Brake Steer system, designed to aid cornering by applying braking force to the inside rear wheel. You can brake later approaching a corner, in practice.
The damper tuning has been revised on 540C, over 570S, with more focus on day-to-day road driving.
McLaren 570S From $408,000.
0-100 km/h 3.2 seconds
0-200 km/h 9.5 seconds
Top speed 328 km/h
Drivetrain
Engine Configuration V8 Twin Turbo / 3799cc
Power 420kW @ 7400 rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 5000-6500 rpm
Transmission 7 Speed SSG
CO2 258 g/km
Economy 9.2L/100 km (EU combined)
Dimensions and weight
Dry weight 1313 kg with lightweight options
Weight distribution 42 / 58
Length 4530mm
Width 2095mm
Height 1202mm
McLaren 540C from $350,000
0-100 km/h 3.5 seconds
0-200 km/h 10.5 seconds
Top speed 320 km/h
Drivetrain
Engine Configuration V8 Twin Turbo / 3799cc
Power 397kW @ 7500 rpm
Torque 540Nm @ 3500-6500 rpm
Transmission 7 Speed SSG
CO2 258 g/km
Economy 9.2L/100 km (EU combined)
Dimensions and weight
Dry weight 1311 kg with lightweight options
Weight distribution 42 / 58
Length 4530mm
Width 2095mm
Height 1202mm
FROM CARADVICE
http://www.caradvice.com.au/368125/mclaren-570s-and-540c-pricing-british-supercar-brand-cuts-price-of-entry-by-110k/
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Wed, 06 May, 2015 - 07:58
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