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McLaren GT

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Expert Rating

McLaren GT

(2019 – present)

    Summary


    The McLaren GT was unveiled at the 2019 Geneva motor show as the UK sports car brand’s first ‘proper’ grand tourer. It’s by no means a typical GT, however, based on the 720S supercar with its mid-mounted twin-turbo V8 engine.

    This leans towards the McLaren handling better than a typical GT with a heavy front-mounted engine, but makes ticking the practicality boxes, such as reasonable boot space, more difficult.

    McLaren solves this by shrinking the engine – in both the space it occupies and its power, to a ‘mere’ 620hp. This frees up a reasonably large but shallow boot space under the glass rear deck, added to space under the front hood.

    What Car? likes the concept – compared to typical GTs “the McLaren feels light on its feet, diving into corners with gusto and next to no body roll,” and adding that the car rides better than many executive cars they’ve tested.

    Autocar acknowledges McLaren has tried to make typical supercar traits easier – the huge upwards swinging doors are lighter, and it’s not so difficult to slide across the wide sill and lower oneself into the seat. Doing so, however, “didn’t become as intuitive as you might hope on a GT car.”

    Finally the looks divide opinions – some testers regard the GT as visually stunning, others question whether it is bold enough. “We just wish McLaren had done more to distinguish the GT from the rest of the range,” says Auto Express. “It’s a great car but it could have been a bit more special.”

    Yet the GT will make up a quarter of McLaren sales, according to Car, which adds, “look at it as a mid-engined Porsche 911 Turbo and you can see the appeal.”

    As of December 2022, the McLaren GT currently holds an Expert Rating of 71% based on 18 different reviews from the UK media.

    The Car Expert Best of British horizontal banner

    McLaren GT highlights

    • Superb performance and handling…
    • …combined with surprisingly comfortable ride
    • Head-turning looks
    • Quality interior

    McLaren GT lowlights

    • Not that easy to get in and out of
    • Poor infotainment tech
    • Shallow boot
    • Is this really practical enough to be called a GT?
    • …or refined enough to be called a GT?

    Key specifications


    Body style: Mid-engined coupé
    Engine: petrol
    Price: From £165,300 on-road

    Launched: Summer 2019
    Last updated: N/A
    Replacement due: TBA


    Media reviews


    Reviews, road test and comparisons from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

    The Car Expert

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    Auto Express

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    Auto Trader

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    Autocar

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    Car

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    Carbuyer

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    Daily Mail

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    Daily Mirror

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    Eurekar

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    Evo

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    Parkers

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    The Sun

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    The Sunday Times

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    Top Gear

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    What Car?

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    Safety rating


    No safety rating

    As of December 2022, the McLaren GT has not been crash-tested by independent safety authority, Euro NCAP. Having to buy a few GTs for testing would probably blow Euro NCAP’s budget for the whole year, so it’s unlikely to ever happen.

    Eco rating


    No eco rating

    As of December 2022, the McLaren GT has not been lab tested by Green NCAP. Again, we’re not expecting it to happen anytime soon – so you’ll have to use your imagination to work out how environmentally friendly a luxury GT with a twin-turbo petrol V8 engine from a supercar might be.

    Similar cars


    If you’re looking at the McLaren GT, you might also be interested in these alternatives

    Aston Martin DB11 | Bentley Continental GT | BMW 8 Series | Ferrari Roma | Lexus LC | Maserati MC20 | Mercedes-AMG GT | Polestar 1 | Porsche 911 Turbo | Rolls-Royce Wraith

    You won’t find many mid-engined cars claiming to be GTs so the perceived rivals to the McLaren are rather more traditional front-engined models, such as the Aston Martin DB11, Bentley Continental GT or even a BMW 8 Series. But like most cars at this end of the market, the GT will mostly be bought not because it’s a Grand Tourer, but because it’s a McLaren.


    More news, reviews and information about the McLaren GT at The Car Expert

    McLaren GT test drive

    McLaren GT test drive

    New 620hp McLaren GT revealed

    New 620hp McLaren GT revealed

    Buy a McLaren GT


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    The McLaren GT is the brand’s first grand tourer, but it's very different to most luxury GTs – which has both positive and negative results.McLaren GT