The McLaren GT has been given a major update and upgrade for 2024, and enough has changed that McLaren reckons it's worth a new badge entirely - welcome to the GTS.
In spirit, the GTS remains largely the same as the outgoing GT - while still spectacularly quick and poised, it's also a more comfortable, more everyday-useable alternative to the likes of the S and Longtail models. It's also surprisingly practical...
Lava Grey paintwork
On the outside, the styling remains much as it was, but the GTS does get a new front bumper with a 'hammerhead' shape, alongside new front air intakes, which channel more air to the GTS' radiators. At the back, there are also new air intakes - and like the ones at the front these can be finished in glossy carbon fibre if you like.
There are new GTS badges, which can be finished in a shiny black, and there's an almost endless list of exterior carbon fibre options for that full-on F1 car look. It's all topped off by a new paint option - 'Lava Grey' - which includes little flakes of metallic red in the finish, for a surprisingly warm look when the light catches it right. Other new colour options include Mantis Green, Tanzanite Blue and Ice White.
Inside, there's a ten-inch digital driver's display, backed up by a seven-inch portrait-style infotainment screen. That gets a ten-core processor for better speed and responsiveness, and it comes with sat-nav with HERE navigation mapping and real-time traffic information, Bluetooth telephone connectivity and media streaming, plus DAB digital radio. A Bowers & Wilkins premium audio system comprising 12 speakers, along with carbon fibre sub-bass woofers and Kevlar mid-range drive units is optionally available.
More practical than a 5 Series
You can also choose to have either a carbon fibre roof (made from recycled carbon fibre, as it happens), or a glass roof with an electrochrome dimming function. The bucket seats come with Nappa leather as standard, but you can upgrade that to Softgrain Aniline leather and Alcantara if you go for the TechLux interior package.
Impressively, the GTS really is a practical car, and not just with the caveat of 'for a supercar.' Behind the cabin is a really quite large 420-litre boot, accessed by the glass tailgate. There's another 150-litre 'frunk' in the nose, so your low-slung, mid-engined McLaren GTS actually has more luggage space than a new BMW 5 Series.
Under the skin, the GTS uses the latest evolution of McLaren's carbon fibre MonoCell II-T monocoque chassis, to which is bolted aluminium double-wishbone suspension featuring continuously variable, twin-valve hydraulic dampers from McLaren Automotive's 'Official Intelligent Suspension Supplier', Monroe. McLaren says that these work with a system called Proactive Damper Control, which means suspension characteristics can alter using the three Active Dynamics modes - Comfort, Sport and Track. This ranges from maximum compliance in Comfort, ideal for more relaxed driving, to much more robust damper control in Track mode, for dynamic drives.
The braking system is impressive, too - 390mm carbon-ceramic brake discs at the front and 380mm discs at the rear, all carbon ceramic. With lightweight six-piston aluminium calipers (four-piston at the rear), the braking system delivers immense feel and performance, capable of bringing the car to a halt from 100km/h in just 32 metres - the standard recognised braking distance by the AA for stopping from 50km/h is 25 metres...
15hp extra
The GTS gets an upgrade in power compared to the outgoing GT. The 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 M840TE engine now has 635hp at 7,800rpm, which is 15hp more than before. There's also 6430Nm of torque heading for the rear wheels via McLaren's seven-speed SSG paddle-shift transmission, which is enough to propel the GTS from 0-100km/h in just 3.2 seconds. The top speed is 326km/h. Not bad for the supposedly softest car in the lineup.
Then again, McLaren makes a virtue of the GTS' relative softness, claiming that: "the GTS is also well within its comfort zone in urban environments" helped by excellent all-round visibility for a low-slung, mid-engined car and a new nose-lift system that adds an extra 20mm of ground clearance in just four seconds, twice as fast as the old GT could manage.
The GTS comes with a standard three-year vehicle warranty with unlimited mileage, as well as a three-year paint warranty and a ten-year anti-perforation warranty. It's also eligible for the McLaren Extended Warranty, which can be purchased in 12- or 24-month periods up to a total warranty of 12 years. Three years of vehicle servicing is included with the McLaren Service Plan.
"The new McLaren GTS offers an unmatched blend of McLaren driving dynamics and performance, with refinement and practicality. When you want a true supercar driving experience, the GTS delivers that; when you want to relax on a longer journey or with luggage for a weekend away, the GTS is an ideal companion. This is a car that is true to McLaren's racing DNA but with multiple layers of ability" said Michael Leiters, CEO of McLaren Automotive.