2019 McLaren 720S

Base MSRP: LOL. I mean $284,745

Horsepower/Torque : ‘710’// ‘568’ ft/lbs :: underrated horsepower and torque numbers

0-60: Painful. I mean 2.39 seconds

Text: Yousef Alvi // Photography: Geoff Dennis

The world has changed as we know it.  This McLaren 720s doesn’t just redefine the supercar…it’s a complete paradigm shift in the entire world of cars.  No longer can outright speed be an antithesis of everyday practicality.  No longer can blistering handling be the bane of ride comfort.  No longer can all wheel drive be the end all and be all of vicious traction.  The McLaren 720s takes the supercar handbook and sets it on fire.  

In the not so distant past, supercars were superb but yet fragile beasts of burden.  You drive them too hard (like they were meant to do) and they would overheat, you try to put the the A/C on and they would just laugh, you try to go over a mere pebble and your spine would shatter.  The 720s, on the other hand, is one of the fastest cars in the world but with a turn of a mere switch it turns into a civil everyday cruiser.  That’s the sheer brilliance of the engineering that powers this vehicle.  

The hydraulic suspension system and the traction control system should win a Noble prize…each.  The suspension is compliant, snug and downright comfortable on the highway but with a simple turn to Track Mode turns this 720s into a surgical instrument of destruction.  Surgical is the best way to describe the 720s.    You want a track monster, switch it to Track mode and annihilate all.  You want most of that speed but don’t want to get arrested, there is Sport.  You just want to get home and cruise?  Comfort mode works like nothing else.  The 720s does all so precisely it’s truly awe inspiring. 

I know most of you are reading and are wondering  ‘’Why isn’t he talking about the speed, handling and specs already??”  I’m getting there….but to me the most fascinating part of this car is it’s ability NOT to kill you.  It’s easy to make a fast car.  Add a monstrous engine, bolt it to frame and make sure the suspension is made out of cement (because you know handling and stuff) and you’re done.  It’s almost downright impossible to make a car one of the fastest in the entire world but that you can live with everyday.  But McLaren did…and did so brilliantly.

Now onto the speed part.  The 720s is powered by a twin turbo charged V8 producing 710 horsepower and 568 ft/lbs of torque.  The scary part is…that is underrated.  There have been reports that those power levels are at the wheels…so at the crank it’s producing well over 800 horsepower.  Trust me you feel that power.  Never in my life I have experienced a vehicle that seems like it’s traveling faster from 100-140 than 0-60.  Third and Fourth gear in the 720s is like hitting second stage boosters on a rocket.  You get pinned back into your seat in such a way it physically hurts.  But here is the best part.  There is no drama from the rear end.  Yes there is some tire spin but the McLaren handles the power delivery so fluidly there is never an ‘oh shit’ moment and then the obligatory ditch.  You just hold on for dear life and laugh.

Handling wise it’s a whole another story.  Actually it isn’t.  It’s ballistic around corners as well.  The faster you go, the better the aero works and the faster well….you go.  The steering feel is so good that it needs be bottled up and put into lotion form.  I just want to slather myself in the morning with it to feel alive.  Which is the most apt way of putting it.  The steering just feels alive with the perfect amount of weight.  But it’s also light enough that you can swing into any and all parking spaces without a care to the world.  I actually found the NSX harder to park and see out of than the 720s.  

So how do I sum up the 2019 McLaren 720s?  It rewrites the rule book on what a supercar should be and it’s one of the best cars ever made. Period.