Borrowing a bit of the halo effect from its P1 and 650S siblings, the McLaren 570S Coupé has been revealed ahead of its debut at the New York Auto Show this week, and marks the official birth of the McLaren Sports Series, which will be developed as the entry-level model to go head-to-head with the Porsche 911 Turbo S and Audi R8 V10 Plus. To be marketed as McLaren’s most usable car, the 570S Coupé will occupy level one of a three-rung model strategy that also incorporates the Super Series and Ultimate Series.
The new model is designed to provide “day-to-day usability and driveability” compared with McLaren’s more extreme offerings. The interior provides considerably more hospitable space and additional stowage in the leather covered cabin, and offers best-in-class front luggage compartment capacity of 144 litres. However, just because it is less Teutonic and brutal, doesn’t mean the 570S Coupé will fill the roll of a grocery-getter.
The 570S retains the mid-engined format of its more powerful big brother, the 650S. Power comes from a tweaked 562bhp version of the twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V8 already used in the 650S and P1 and is delivered to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Utilizing the advantages of its 80kg lighter carbonfibre MonoCell II chassis, tweaked from the version used in the 650S, the 570S Coupé can sprint from 0-62mph in 3.2sec and 0-124mph in 9.5 sec, reaching a top speed of 204mph. These performance figures, combined with its projected price tag, suggest the new 570S Coupé will match the performance of its Audi and Porsche rivals’ at a substantially lower cost.
The car retains key elements of the McLaren family look, such as the P1-derived front and rear lights, yet the 570S Coupé shares no panels with other McLaren models. Instead, it has bespoke aerodynamic styling features, such as the front aero blades, side skirts, fixed rear wing and rear diffuser. A more standard double wishbone suspension with adaptive dampers and anti-roll bars has been fitted, which can be switched between Normal, Sport and Track modes.
Light, quick and relatively affordable, the new McLaren 570S Coupé intends to wear its entry-level halo proudly.
