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    McLaren 720S

    Hello everyone, my name Hugo, I am 23 and I am living in Paris, France. 

    I always had this impression that journalists, especially Youtubers (if we can call them journalist) liked to criticise the 720S for its lack of soul, of sound... Maybe they allow themselves this type of comment because McLaren does not have yet the aura of Ferrari or Lamborghini. However, I wanted to have my personal opinion on this car Smiley

    So, after a couple of phone calls here I was with a McLaren 720S, for 3 days kindly lent by McLaren Press.

    I have to admit that I prefer the 650/75 S/LT in terms of styling, however, I like the ethos of "form follows function" and the work done by Robert Melville and Frank Stephenson is impressive. I also hand washed the car and this is how I understood the way the panels were working together and how the air was managed by watching the water slowly running off the body.. Sexy no?

    Build quality is ok and I am very pleased that McLaren borrows no switches from other brands. The digital cluster can rotate in race mode (or by a simple button), it's useless (still less useless than the drift mode on M5, E63, CLA 45 and new RS3 Smiley), but cool. The infotainment is nice when you don't use it and the navigation acts like your friend who thinks he knows a city, but in reality doesn't. At least you discover new places. However, as an anorak I love that the "home" button is the home of McLaren, the MTC. 

    But I was really impressed by the way it drives. The engine (M840T) is explosive, the rev's needle is thrown to the redline when you have your foot down and you have no inertia at all! The gearbox is very fast and I love the "clic" of the paddle shift, it creates a sort of interaction between the driver and the gearbox. The TC is not intrusive and works hand in hand with a perfectly calibrated suspension, which, by the way, is very confortable, another proof that low weight (+/-1300kg here) has only advantages. The steering is great but I find it a bit loose on tight turns. Great chassis, great powertrain, great gearbox but the sound is a bit muted albeit very discernable. Having a car that is this fast and this safe at the same time is a real engineering achievement Smiley. The seating position is really nice too and the visibility excellent. Maybe it is just too good? What do you think?

    In 10 years the progress made by McLaren in just mind-blogging. Yes, there is the reliability part. As far as I am concern, during my 3 days nothing alarming, one or two electronic glitches like the alarm going on when accessing the boot. It is funny at 4pm, but less funny (and a bit irritating) at 2am in a very calm neighborhood Smiley

    I deeply think this car deserves more praise, but for the moment it is what it is. C'est la vie. 

    P.S. in the next post I will provide you some pictures of the inside of the car, but not of the interior. I think I am the only one to understand this sentence... That's sad but it's ok. 

    PP.S. sorry for my approximate English.

    Regards,

    Hugo

    1636482117085E44E2B22-DFAE-4832-B81B-ADA9C53B950F.jpeg1CFFB3CC-228E-4614-AC18-B3399D1F3664.jpeg
    8E03945C-B3FC-47B6-9614-EFD8986898DB.jpeg
    1636482117098C390B0E0-70E1-4964-A512-E9B9D0867523.jpeg
    16364821171256AC80497-F896-4233-9D0B-CD54AFF46F82.jpeg
    163648211702660908D8B-3B37-4A5E-9927-F1BDCDFE32EE.jpeg


    Re: McLaren 720S

    Some technical details of the 720S. Don't hesitate to tell me your thoughts on the 720S smileyIMG-2336.jpg
    IMG-2337.jpg
    IMG-2302.jpg
    IMG-2293.jpg
    IMG-2296.jpg


    Re: McLaren 720S

    Thanks for sharing Hugo !  Do you possess some press credentials that helped you get a press car loaner or were you just super lucky to ask the right person at the right time ?


    Re: McLaren 720S

    Thanks for you review Hugo, excellent English and fair points, I was just musing that you were just 4 years old when me and some other old farts first started posting on here frown

    One point of fact normally specced 720's weigh in at around 1470kg DIN so lighter than say 991GT2RS (1512kg DIN) but not as low as the 1420kg Mclaren claim.


    --

     

     

     

     

    997 GT2 2014 3.9 Mezger, 800PS @ 1.2 bar

    993 Turbo, 2006 built 3.8, 577PS/797NM, 1440kg DIN sold to a worthy enthusiast.


    Re: McLaren 720S

    Great review Hugo, thank you.


    --

    1988 Peugeot 205 Rallye / 2004 Porsche 996 GT3 RS  / 2018 Mercedes-AMG E63 S / 2020 Ferrari 812SF


    Re: McLaren 720S

    Very informative review from HugoF, and nicely written.

    I wonder how the 720S copes with wet surfaces especially in the rain with its elevated HP and substantial torque.

    Lamborghini and Porsche think all-important to fit AWD to their cars with 100 HP less.

    Is this because McLaren don't have the necessary hardware available to offer this possibility or is their chassis more competent?

     


    --

     

    "Porsche....and Nothing else matters"

     


    Re: McLaren 720S

    Welcome Hugo and thanks for joining us and sharing your experiences. Smiley Smiley


    --

    RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Lamborghini Huracan Performante (2019), Mercedes GLC63 S AMG (2020), Mercedes C63 S AMG Cab (2019), Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (2019 EU)


    Re: McLaren 720S

    I say we vote him into the ‘inner circle’.  Great job and welcome. 


    Re: McLaren 720S

    Welcome Hugo and thanks for the review Smiley 

    TB993tt:

    Thanks for you review Hugo, excellent English and fair points, I was just musing that you were just 4 years old when me and some other old farts first started posting on here frown

    Damn... I feel old Smiley


    Re: McLaren 720S

    Carlos from Spain:

    Welcome Hugo and thanks for the review Smiley 

    TB993tt:

    Thanks for you review Hugo, excellent English and fair points, I was just musing that you were just 4 years old when me and some other old farts first started posting on here frown

    Damn... I feel old Smiley

    At least now I'm not the youngest person posting Smiley

    Welcome Hugo, nice review and good pics. 


    Re: McLaren 720S

    HugoF:

    Hello everyone, my name Hugo, I am 23 and I am living in Paris, France. 

    I always had this impression that journalists, especially Youtubers (if we can call them journalist) liked to criticise the 720S for its lack of soul, of sound... Maybe they allow themselves this type of comment because McLaren does not have yet the aura of Ferrari or Lamborghini. However, I wanted to have my personal opinion on this car Smiley

    So, after a couple of phone calls here I was with a McLaren 720S, for 3 days kindly lent by McLaren Press.

    I have to admit that I prefer the 650/75 S/LT in terms of styling, however, I like the ethos of "form follows function" and the work done by Robert Melville and Frank Stephenson is impressive. I also hand washed the car and this is how I understood the way the panels were working together and how the air was managed by watching the water slowly running off the body.. Sexy no?

    Build quality is ok and I am very pleased that McLaren borrows no switches from other brands. The digital cluster can rotate in race mode (or by a simple button), it's useless (still less useless than the drift mode on M5, E63, CLA 45 and new RS3 Smiley), but cool. The infotainment is nice when you don't use it and the navigation acts like your friend who thinks he knows a city, but in reality doesn't. At least you discover new places. However, as an anorak I love that the "home" button is the home of McLaren, the MTC. 

    But I was really impressed by the way it drives. The engine (M840T) is explosive, the rev's needle is thrown to the redline when you have your foot down and you have no inertia at all! The gearbox is very fast and I love the "clic" of the paddle shift, it creates a sort of interaction between the driver and the gearbox. The TC is not intrusive and works hand in hand with a perfectly calibrated suspension, which, by the way, is very confortable, another proof that low weight (+/-1300kg here) has only advantages. The steering is great but I find it a bit loose on tight turns. Great chassis, great powertrain, great gearbox but the sound is a bit muted albeit very discernable. Having a car that is this fast and this safe at the same time is a real engineering achievement Smiley. The seating position is really nice too and the visibility excellent. Maybe it is just too good? What do you think?

    In 10 years the progress made by McLaren in just mind-blogging. Yes, there is the reliability part. As far as I am concern, during my 3 days nothing alarming, one or two electronic glitches like the alarm going on when accessing the boot. It is funny at 4pm, but less funny (and a bit irritating) at 2am in a very calm neighborhood Smiley

    I deeply think this car deserves more praise, but for the moment it is what it is. C'est la vie. 

    P.S. in the next post I will provide you some pictures of the inside of the car, but not of the interior. I think I am the only one to understand this sentence... That's sad but it's ok. 

    PP.S. sorry for my approximate English.

    Regards,

    Hugo

    1636482117085E44E2B22-DFAE-4832-B81B-ADA9C53B950F.jpeg1CFFB3CC-228E-4614-AC18-B3399D1F3664.jpeg
    8E03945C-B3FC-47B6-9614-EFD8986898DB.jpeg
    1636482117098C390B0E0-70E1-4964-A512-E9B9D0867523.jpeg
    16364821171256AC80497-F896-4233-9D0B-CD54AFF46F82.jpeg
    163648211702660908D8B-3B37-4A5E-9927-F1BDCDFE32EE.jpeg

    Hugo,

    thnx for joining us.

    I can assure you that the 720S is the best sports car you can buy for less than 300.000 € - I am not biased just realistic Smiley


    --

    AM


    Re: McLaren 720S

    8E812DAB-B8F1-4BC2-83AF-BB9FFD8CFC5C_1_201_a.jpeg


    --

    AM


    Re: McLaren 720S

    Thank you very much for the kind comments guys! I am really happy to have found this forum. I have few friends that like cars but I cannot call them passionate nor petrolhead. I have this impression that my generation is not into cars!

    So happy to be finally able to share my passion with other people, it took me almost 15 years to find you guys. Yesterday I spent hours checking the forum, the people, your stories with your cars. For me this is the closest thing to a fairytale, after Cinderella of course. 

    Many more to come 


    Re: McLaren 720S

    Yes, I have a website where I am reviewing cars! To be honest, I was quite lucky regarding Macca. I know the manager of the Parisian dealer who invited me to the reveal of the Artura last January (before the official launch). There I met someone from the communication/press department. I told her about the website and she was interested so a couple of months after she lent me a car. We know each other pretty well now. 

    By the way, this website was for me the opportunity to write about what I like, to have access to cars that I wanted to discover. I started during summer 2019 with a Range Rover Sport P400e!


    Re: McLaren 720S

    This is a very good question reginos. I drove it on wet roads as well and it was sort of fine. You can make the car rotate well and makes it lively. It is not a vicious car but you need to respect it (especially in the wet) and to make gentle inputs on the controls.

    I also think that Mclaren, for the last decade, tried its best to make lightweight cars, which don't go well with 4WD. However, the new Artura (V6 hybrid) is going to be 4WD, so if you consider: carbon cell ; the 4WD system ; the hybrid system, this is going to be blimey fast. 


    Re: McLaren 720S

    Leawood911:

    I say we vote him into the ‘inner circle’.  Great job and welcome. 

    It would be a pleasure to enter in this circle Smiley

    P.S. : sorry guys I don't really know how to use the forum yet, so I am making one post for one answer. I'll get better with time, must be so bothering to have me posting 3 times in a row Smiley


    Re: McLaren 720S

    Very very beautiful car. From this angle it looks like the baby between a wind tunnel and a plane. Love it! And these wheels Smiley they look like flowers. Do you have the sky-view-roof (which you can control the opacity)? 


    Re: McLaren 720S

    HugoF:

    This is a very good question reginos. I drove it on wet roads as well and it was sort of fine. You can make the car rotate well and makes it lively. It is not a vicious car but you need to respect it (especially in the wet) and to make gentle inputs on the controls.

    I also think that Mclaren, for the last decade, tried its best to make lightweight cars, which don't go well with 4WD. However, the new Artura (V6 hybrid) is going to be 4WD, so if you consider: carbon cell ; the 4WD system ; the hybrid system, this is going to be blimey fast. 

    Thank you for replying to my query Smiley


    --

    "Porsche....and Nothing else matters"


    Re: McLaren 720S

    HugoF:

    Very very beautiful car. From this angle it looks like the baby between a wind tunnel and a plane. Love it! And these wheels Smiley they look like flowers. Do you have the sky-view-roof (which you can control the opacity)? 

    Yes, I have the opacity controllable roof. I don’t use it often, I am driving as lot as possible roof down.


    --

    AM


    Re: McLaren 720S

    Post your website’s URL so we can help drive traffic and get your revenue numbers up. 


    Re: McLaren 720S

    HugoF:

    Thank you very much for the kind comments guys! I am really happy to have found this forum. I have few friends that like cars but I cannot call them passionate nor petrolhead. I have this impression that my generation is not into cars!

    So happy to be finally able to share my passion with other people, it took me almost 15 years to find you guys. Yesterday I spent hours checking the forum, the people, your stories with your cars. For me this is the closest thing to a fairytale, after Cinderella of course. 

    Many more to come 

    Mate you have been reviewing chat rooms since you were 8! Crazy but ok.


    Re: McLaren 720S

    Welcome to Rennteam 


    Re: McLaren 720S

    CGX car nut:

    Post your website’s URL so we can help drive traffic and get your revenue numbers up. 

    Thank you very much. This is very nice of you. However, the website is in French... Here is the website:  http://www.hauteautomobile.com/Smiley

     


    Re: McLaren 720S

    intouch1:

    Welcome to Rennteam 

    Thank you very much!


    Re: McLaren 720S

    ALDO:
    HugoF:

    Very very beautiful car. From this angle it looks like the baby between a wind tunnel and a plane. Love it! And these wheels Smiley they look like flowers. Do you have the sky-view-roof (which you can control the opacity)? 

    Yes, I have the opacity controllable roof. I don’t use it often, I am driving as lot as possible roof down.

    Oh that is really nice! I guess you are having a lot of fun with that car! Amazing piece of engineering Smiley

    Did you try the 765LT? I would like to know what people who drove the car think of itSmiley


    Re: McLaren 720S

    HugoF:
    ALDO:
    HugoF:

    Very very beautiful car. From this angle it looks like the baby between a wind tunnel and a plane. Love it! And these wheels Smiley they look like flowers. Do you have the sky-view-roof (which you can control the opacity)? 

    Yes, I have the opacity controllable roof. I don’t use it often, I am driving as lot as possible roof down.

    Oh that is really nice! I guess you are having a lot of fun with that car! Amazing piece of engineering Smiley

    Did you try the 765LT? I would like to know what people who drove the car think of itSmiley

    Another one of our members (SSO.) has an automotive blog and he's written a few great pieces there about his McL ownership, including him impressions of the 765LT. Check those out.


    Re: McLaren 720S

    HugoF:
    CGX car nut:

    Post your website’s URL so we can help drive traffic and get your revenue numbers up. 

    Thank you very much. This is very nice of you. However, the website is in French... Here is the website:  http://www.hauteautomobile.com/Smiley

     

    Bienvenue, Hugo Smiley


    --

    GT Lover, Porsche fan

    991.2 GT3 manual

    Cayenne GTS 2014


    Re: McLaren 720S

    Another one of our members (SSO.) has an automotive blog and he's written a few great pieces there about his McL ownership, including him impressions of the 765LT. Check those out.

    Oh thank you. I guess it is the following link:  https://karenable.com/the-mclaren-765lt-spider-the-use-case-rule/

    765LT looks awesome, and that Nardo Orange (I think) fits the car so well! 


    Re: McLaren 720S

    the-missile:
    HugoF:
    CGX car nut:

    Post your website’s URL so we can help drive traffic and get your revenue numbers up. 

    Thank you very much. This is very nice of you. However, the website is in French... Here is the website:  http://www.hauteautomobile.com/Smiley

     

    Bienvenue, Hugo Smiley

     

    Merci beaucoup ! I didn't see see a lot of GT3 in manual in France. You must have a really good time on our beautiful roads! Tempted by the 992 GT3? 

     

    Hugo.


    Re: McLaren 720S

    HugoF:

     

    Merci beaucoup ! I didn't see see a lot of GT3 in manual in France. You must have a really good time on our beautiful roads! Tempted by the 992 GT3? 

     

    Hugo.

    I do not like the 992 and heading towards a GT4RS if I have to be honest. However, the 992GT3RS bloated style looks much more interesting than regular 3!


    --

    GT Lover, Porsche fan

    991.2 GT3 manual

    Cayenne GTS 2014


     
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