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NEW AND FUTURE CARS
2020
McLAREN
GT
These are great times to be one of the
mega-wealthy. Case in point: the all-new
McLaren GT, the brand’s first road-going
production model to tip the balance in
favor of public prowess over country
club lap times. That’s not to say it’s slow,
however; it shares some of its carbon-fiber
MonoCell II-T chassis with the Speedtail.
In fact, with 612 hp and 465 lb-ft on tap
from its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine,
the 2020 McLaren GT is capable of
3.1-second 0-60 sprints and a top speed of
203 mph, and it can reach 124 mph from
a dead stop in just 9.0 seconds. Despite
a decided move toward greater creature
comforts, a more spacious cabin, and
more stowage space, the GT weighs just
3,384 pounds, according to McLaren. The
combination of the touring-focused cabin
layout and McLaren’s brilliant engine,
suspension, and chassis means the GT
is at the top of the super-grand-tourer
class—on paper, at least.
For those well-heeled enough to own
a McLaren GT, the performance and
handling are nearly a given. What’s not
to be taken for granted, however, is the
monstrous amount of stowage space
the engineers at McLaren have fit into
a mid-engine car. To make the most
room possible, the engine is mounted
even lower than in McLaren’s track-bred
beasties, making room for a long deck
above the engine that will fit a full-size
professional golf bag or ample luggage for
a couple’s weekend retreat.
Not one to leave you feeling like a hero
on the canyon roads and looking like a
zero scraping your way into the five-star
parking lot of your choice, the McLaren
GT sports 5.1 inches of ground clearance
with the front-end lift system deployed.
For the audiophiles, a 12-speaker audio
system spouts tunes, commanded from a
12.3-inch touchscreen interface.ON SALE:
Now
BASE PRICE:
$210,000MINI JOHN
COOPER
WORKS
CLUBMAN,
COUNTRYMAN
Who wants a Mini with 301 hp? We do!
John Cooper, race driver and developer of
the original Mini Cooper, would no doubt
be proud of how much power the new
JCW models are pushing. That said, we’re
guessing he’d also be perplexed at how
big the Clubman and Countryman are.
The latest JCW Clubman and
Countryman are making more power
thanks to an updated 2.0-liter turbo-four
that’s been pushed to levels previously
unheard of in the marque’s 60 storied
years. Aside from an extra 73 horses,ON SALE:
JCW Countryman: Late 2019
JCW Clubman: Late 2019
BASE PRICE:
JCW Countryman: $40,000 (est)
JCW Clubman: $38,000 (est)torque has increased from 258 to 331
lb-ft over the still-a-hoot-to-drive S
variants. The downside is that the
upgraded powerplant is mated to
just one transmission, an eight-speed
automatic with paddle shifters,
though the cars do get a mechanical
locking front differential as standard.
Mini says the JCW Clubman will
spring from 0 to 62 mph in 4.9
seconds, while the JCW Countryman
will get you there in 5.1 ticks—that’s
a healthy 1.4 and 1.5 seconds quicker
than the previous versions. Top speed
for both is limited to 155 mph. The
cool AWD compacts get a bigger JCW
sport brake system with four-piston,
fixed-caliper discs on the rear wheels
to help slow things down. Both cars
also get the standard sport chassis
and an adaptive chassis setup that
allows it to be lowered by 0.4 inch.
Up front are new LED headlights,
and the Clubman receives LED rear
lights with a groovy Union Jack
design. If you’re interested, you’d be
advised to get your order in soon;
they’re limited to 3,000 units each.CountrymanClubman