2015 McLaren 650S
650S is the real driver’s supercar
Imthishan Giado
One almost feels sorry for the 12C. McLaren’s first true ‘mass market’ supercar, it had such a brief time in the sun – just three years – before being replaced by the 650S. By comparison, the Countach was on sale for nearly twenty years.
But such is the brutal pace of modern supercar development that sees cars superseded almost as soon as they’re born. And really, you shouldn’t feel sorry at all because the 650S is in (almost) every respect a better car than the 12C that preceded it.
This all looks a bit familiar
Under the skin, the 650 is basically a 12C, sharing the same carbon tub with aluminium subframes, the same interior and the same 3.8-litre twin turbo V8. ‘Same’ is something of a misnomer; when the 12C came out this motor produced 592bhp/443 lb ft but in the 650S it makes (you guessed it) 641bhp (650ps) and 500lb ft of torque, largely thanks to revised pistons, headers and exhaust.
I’m one of the few people who like the somewhat milquetoast looks of the original 12C (because it reminded me of the hero car from Pole Position!) and am perhaps slightly disappointed that they have revised the front end to mimic the P1 hypercar, an organic design that feels uncomfortably married to the traditional blocky stance of the 12C. The anime-style front end has one practical benefit; it provides up to 40% more downforce. Viva progress.
Out back, the diffuser has been reshaped to be more like the GT3 race car, while the side intakes are larger and the headlights are now brighter LEDs. The 650S is offered as both coupe and spider, the latter capable of dropping its top in a mere 17 seconds at speeds of up to 30kph. There’s little difference these days between fixed roof and drop top versions these days in terms of torsional rigidity, and McLaren claims both cars handle identically.
As with the 12C, the interior pulls off the neat trick of being both comfortable and commodious with a wide airy greenhouse and a minimalist centre console. The huge central speedo remains the main focus of the driver with twin screens on either side to relay crucial information through oddly small fonts.
When we first drove the 12C the Android-based touchscreen software did hardly anything besides tell what station you were listening to but now it’s a lot better and pretty easy to figure out, with a great stereo and easy pairing to any smartphone.
I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
The navigation system, however, remains sub par; on the winding streets of Malaga it was easily confused, fiddly to operate and eventually we resorted to asking some locals the way to Ascari! Oddly, I found the optional carbon fibre racing seats more comfortable than the regular power options; blame my stiff formal childhood upbringing perhaps.
But you’re here to er…hear how the 650S is better than the 12C. It’s not a night and day difference; the 12C was blindingly quick to 100kph and the 650S is only a few tenths faster at three seconds dead. To give you an idea of how fast the 650S is, 200kph comes in from rest in a mere 8.4 seconds. You can’t beat the midrange thump of those turbos. No naturally-aspirated Italian rival comes even close to matching it for instant-go pace.
Does it sound better?
Massively. The engine noise is a lot better too, the V8 less muffled before. It’s not quite the symphonic majesty of Maranello’s high-rev screamers but a more angry, urgent blast of thunder and ferocity. Amusingly, there’s a ton of turbo whistle as well between gear changes. For best use, get the Spider. In fact, considering it’s just as rigid as the coupe and identical-sounding with the roof up, I don’t know why anyone bothers with the hardtop.
In the city, the 650S is as easy to drive as a Yaris with light, nimble steering and with a standard rear view camera, remarkably easy to park. The seven-speed Graziano dual-clutch is docile and slurs along nicely in traffic. As before, the ride is absorbent and composed, though slightly harsher than the magic carpet sublimity of the 12C. Of all the top-dollar real-deal supercars, this remains the easiest to live with every day.
Get out of town, find some winding roads, and you’ll find the real animal in the 650S. Make you flip the powertrain and handling switches over to Sport first; the transformation from city cruiser to blood-pumping supercar is immediate. This thing absolutely hauls through the twisties, the steering an extension of your wrists, the handling delicate and predictable, stopping sublime thanks to improved pedal feel.
Understeer? Largely absent unless you’re a goon with the helm. Interestingly the 650S has a looser feel to the rear end than the 12C and you get the impression the rear axle is shifting slightly on high speed exits, as if it plans to step out. Of course, the nannies won’t let it unless you turn everything off – not advisable anywhere except on a very understanding track!
Is it exciting?
As always with the McLaren, you feel a slight distance from the experience, as though you’re being guided around the track by an expert co pilot. It’s an unavoidable byproduct of this generation of hypercars that are practically fly-by-wire. Still, it’s the only way to harness this level of performance safely on the road.
On the Ascari track we had more freedom to find the 650S’s limits. I’ll tell you right now – with the wick turned all the way up it’s a borderline track car. In full track mode the suspension becomes harsh and unyielding, the engine knows only ‘on’ and ‘off’ and with body roll reduced to zero, handling is professional-grade difficult. That tail out action I mentioned before? Full on slides, though stability control always catches it before there’s too much danger.
The hydraulic dynamic suspension is a weird sensation at first. You don’t really get a sense of what the car is doing beneath you or what the wheels are up to as all the fluid sloshes around. Best to treat it like a driving simulator; you pick your lines and braking points, turn in and let the PC figure it out. It’s generally idiot proof unless you make the mistake of turning all the nannies off – and that won’t happen accidentally because there’s no obvious way to disable the safety systems. (It is possible, just extraordinarily complicated).
In full-on, every-man-for-himself-mode the 650S is the equal of any racecar on track. With optional carbon ceramic brakes, it’ll last nearly as long as too.
Verdict
You almost get the sense that the 650S is a smirking jab in the eye to Fezza, proof that you can build a track car without compromising on luxury. Fair enough, though I wish they had baked some of the same level of raw desirability into the 650S; it’s still an IT geek’s special, a humourless dreadnaught with infinite tricks up its sleeves.
Can’t fault it though for the way it drives, though, on track or off. Want the fastest, most complete junior supercar right now? It comes from Woking.
Just don’t ask it to find its way home.
2015 McLaren 650S
Specs
Prices:
Coupe: AED 1,048,500
Spider: AED 1,161,000
Engine: 3.80-litre biturbo V8, 641bhp @ 7250pm, 500lb ft @ 6000rpm
Performance: 2.9secs 0-100kph, 333kph (Coupe) 329kph (Spider), 11.7L/100
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch, rear wheel drive
Weight:
Coupe: 1428kg
Spider: 1468kg
