Autocar UK – 07 August 2019

But one of my original concerns,

namely, how I’d be treated by other

r oa d u s e r s , c a me t o l it t le. Ye s , y ou’d

get the occasional idiot welded to

your tail, iPhone filming away, but it

was rare. For some reason the 720S

got far less attention than the i8.

I also worried it would be so fast

that all it would ensure was that I was

always in traffic because the clear

bit s w ou ld b e de v ou r e d s o r apid l y.

In fact, so devastating is the car’s

overtaking ability, this undeniable

t r ut h i s of f s e t i n v e r y l a r ge pa r t b y

its ability to get past cars in complete

s a fe t y i n pl a c e s y ou’d s t a nd no c h a nc e

in almost anything else.

Even so, when you call for power

you don’t always get what you ask for.

Sometimes it feels merely explosively

rather than apocalyptically fast –

a nd y ou on l y ne e d t o lo ok at t he l it t le

flashing light to know why. Even on

dry, straight, smooth roads and on

vast Pirelli summer tyres, the 720S

operates at, or perhaps a little beyond,

the practical traction limits of rear-

wheel drive. To admit to the speed

at which the car has broken traction

e v e n i n s uc h b e n i g n c ond it ion s w ou ld

b e t o a d m it t o br e a k i n g t he l aw, s o

I’m not going to do it.

Instead I’ll recall just one trip, to

Geneva and back. It did 1500 miles in

two journeys, proving beyond doubt

that this is the most able supercar

I’ve driven. From Wales to Dijon I

s at i n g r e at c om for t , w it h my c r u i s e

and climate control, digital radio,

Bluetooth telephone and heated

seats. Then from Dijon to Geneva

and back, I drove a car so deft, quick,

communicative, safe and fun that the

mere thought of it, all these months

later, still raises my heart-rate.

It has been an extraordinary six

months, and while Y27 has now gone,

the memories will remain. And that,

a f t e r a l l , i s w h at l i v i n g w it h a c a r l i k e

this should deliver. And deliver it did,

better than I thought possible. And

no one i s t a k i n g t he m aw ay.

ANDREW FRANKEL

LOATHE IT

LOVE IT

NAVIGATION

McLaren has dumped its home-

grown system, but the nav is still

not exactly state of the art.

RELIABILITY

In all meaningful senses, it has been

faultless. I take its reliability as an

absolute given.

TRACTION

Even on summer rubber you often

find the full performance potential

i s r e s t ri c t e d by r e a r t y r e g ri p.

THE CHASSIS

The ability to provide class-leading

ride comfort and track car agility

when called for is unprecedented.

POWERTRAIN

More power than 95% of drivers

can use 95% of the time. Stunning,

outrageous performance.

OWN ONE? SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE

[email protected]

Performance is

outstanding even in

exalted company

Which one wo

uld you

use to carry a

nimal

feed? Yup, 72

0 S it is

Geneva^ trip^ pro

ved

the 720 S’s^ long-

distance^ creden

tials

`

The 720S operates at the practical

traction limits of rear-wheel drive

a

McLAREN 720S

MILEAGE

Mileage at start 87

Mileage at end 6422

PRICES

List price new £224,990

List price now £224,990

Price as tested £246,580

Dealer value now £200,000

Private value now £190,000

Trade value now £180,000

OPTIONS

Sports exhaust £4900, 10-spoke super-

lightweight forged alloys £4520, 360deg parking

a s s i s t a n c e £4 7 2 0 , n o s e l i f t £ 2 2 0 0 , A u r o ra B l u e

paint £1940, Stealth wheel finish £1170, McLaren

orange brake calipers £1140, steering wheel with

carbon black Alcantara rim £520, car cover £480

FUEL CONSUMPTION AND RANGE

Claimed economy 23.2mpg (WLTP)

Fuel tank 72 litre

Test average 25.4mpg

Test best 28.9mpg

Test worst 12.3mpg

Real-world range 320 miles

TECH HIGHLIGHTS

0-62mph 2.9sec

Top speed 212mph

Engine V8, 3994cc,

turbocharged, petrol

Max power 710bhp at 7500rpm

Max torque 567lb ft at 5500rpm

Transmission 7-spd dual-clutch auto

Boot 360 litres

Wheels 9.0Jx19in (f),

11.0Jx20in (r)

Tyres 245/30 ZR19 (f),

305/30 ZR20 (r)

Kerb weight 1419kg

SERVICE AND RUNNING COSTS

Contract hire rate £2400pcm

CO 2 276g/km

Service costs none

Other costs none

Fuel costs £1472

Running costs inc fuel £1472

Cost per mile 23 pence

Depreciation £44,990

Cost per mile inc dep’n £7.33

Faults Headlights once refused to see around

corners

PREVIOUS REPORTS

2 0 Fe b , 6 M a r, 2 0 M a r, 3 A p r, 1 0 A p r, 1 M a y, 1 5 M a y,

29 May, 12 Jun, 3 Jul, 10 Jul, 7 Aug

TEST DATA

It’s incomprehensible

that McLaren can already

build a car of the 720’s

calibre. There’s no mainstream

supercar that puts you in such direct

contact with the road. This car wants

nothing for performance, and yet

the ergonomics (but not, alas, the

electronics) are better than most. RL

SECOND OPINION

I love the dash and the way the

information is presented, and

revolving it so it shows only a strip rev

counter, speed and fuel is great not

just for track use as intended but also

for driving in the dark. Remember

Sa a b’s ‘ n i g ht pa ne l’ t h at le f t ju s t t he

speedo to look at? Always wondered

why more didn’t do that – and now I

wonder even more.

On the downside, I always worried

about its width and damaging those

hideously expensive wheels (which

mercifully survived). And while I

happily left it in car parks overnight,

would I have done so were it actually

my money that bought the car and my

insurance that would have to pay for

any resulting damage? Probably not. D

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7 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 65