Trackside with McLaren’s ‘no compromise’ 650S Coupe and Spider

Harder, better, faster, stronger: you’re likely familiar with these adjectives being tossed around when comparing a new supercar to its predecessor. However, McLaren threw a curveball when introducing me to the 2015 McLaren 650S with words like softer, more comfortable, and — perhaps the weirdest of all — squishier.

McLaren wants the new 650S to be a super sports car without compromises, an “everyday supercar” that you can drive to the shops to pick up a few things — well very few things, the front trunk is downright tiny — and then drive straight onto a racetrack for a few hot laps. In this pursuit, McLaren added quite a few creature comforts to the 650S’ standard amenities list (satellite navigation, Bluetooth, LED headlamps, power seats and steering column) even as it shaved 13 pounds elsewhere to sharpen the car’s performance when compared to the MP-12C upon which this new model is based.

Hop behind the wheel and leave the twin knobs for the engine and chassis controls in their Normal setting and you might find the 650S is more docile than the less powerful 12C, its suspension softer around town. Crank up the optional Meridian audio system and drop the top (if you’ve chosen the retractable-roofed Spider model) and the supercar feels downright comfortable. In moderate traffic, forward visibility is pretty good thanks to a massive, deeply sloped windshield and thoughtful pillar placement. Rear visibility is crap — as is often the case with supercars — but an optional rearview camera takes some of the guesswork out of backing up. Though with a sticker price that easily sails north of $300k with options, parking is more likely the valet’s problem.

3.8-liter, twin-turbo engine

But the new 650S isn’t all trips to the shops and comfortable boulevard cruises. Ask McLaren’s engineers and they’ll tell you that it’s simultaneously a more focused performer as well.

Tucked low and amidships, just behind the carbon fiber tub that forms the passenger cell, you’ll find the 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged V-8 engine. Similar to the mill in the 12C, this engine’s output has been increased to 650PS (about 641 horsepower) and 500 pound-feet of torque. That power flows through a standard 7-speed dual clutch automated-manual transmission on a very short journey to the rear wheels.

The engine’s throttle response and the transmission’s shift programs are customizable via a three-position switch on the center console. Normal smooths out the throttle response and slows down the shifts for more predictable around town performance and reduced CO2 emissions. Fuel economy in this mode is stated at combined 24.2 mpg.

Twist the powertrain control knob to Sport or Track to sharpen the transmission’s shifts and awaken the throttle mapping. Exhaust valves open and the engine’s note grows louder as the supercar becomes more eager to accelerate. Zero to 60 mph runs take just 2.9 seconds, according to McLaren. Zero to 100 happens in just 5.7 seconds. Maximum speed for the fixed roof Coupe is 207 mpg while the retractable roofed Spider is limited to 204 mph thanks to slightly different aerodynamics and about 89 more pounds of curb weight.

A supercar is supposed to be a dramatic beast that makes the pilot feel like a bonafide racecar driver, so the McLaren’s 3.8-liter V-8 and its mated gearbox feature a pair of odd/interesting features that add to the drama of the drive. The first is “inertial push.” A bit of clever programming to the electronics of the engine and transmission creates a brief surge of torque in the instant before an upshift, momentarily carrying the vehicle forward smoothly where most cars would feel a slight drop in acceleration while the revs drop. The dual-clutch transmission shifts so damn fast that it likely doesn’t need much help, but the result is smooth, linear acceleration with hardly a shudder during hard upshifts.

The other feature, called “cylinder cut,” momentarily cuts the spark to the combustion chambers during upshifts, but not the fuel. It then instantly ignites the extra fuel, creating an audible pop and exhaust flare on upshifts. I’m told there’s no performance advantage to this “cylinder cut,” but it makes the car sound really, reeeeally cool. I’m perfectly alright with that.

F1-inspired suspension

Beneath the newly styled body, you’ll find the same Monocell carbon-fiber tub with lightweight aluminum subframes that forms the basis of 12C. However, the particulars of the suspension system have been adjusted. Spring rates are up, as are damper rates, for a more controlled ride and reduced chassis vibration. The steering system has been sharpened to provide better fingertip feel to the driver.

McLaren’s ProActive Chassis Control (PCC) system returns with its hydraulically interconnected dampers that use fluid pressure to reduce roll, squat, and dive — keeping the chassis flat when cornering, accelerating, and braking — while allowing increased compliance over bumps. The hydraulic system allows the 650S to get away with not using anti-roll bars and allows the driver to adjust the characteristics of the system with the flip of a three-position switch with settings for, you guessed it, Normal, Sport, and Track.

The 650S also does without another traditional performance car hallmark, the limited slip differential. The supercar instead uses an open differential making use of a feature called Brake Steer to apply bias braking to the inside rear wheel, simultaneously shortening the turning radius and causing the open differential to behave like a torque vectoring limited slip differential. This has the advantage of lighter weight, since all of the tech trickery is electronic rather than mechanical, but I worry about increased brake wear.

Not that braking is too much of a concern on the road with standard carbon ceramic brakes with rotors larger than most car’s wheels at each corner. However, on the track with McLaren’s driving instructor behind the wheel, I noticed that the brakes started to smell and heated up significantly after a few no-holds-barred hot laps.

Active aerodynamics

However, the friction brakes aren’t the only thing helping to shave mphs off of the 650S.

The active aerodynamic “AirBrake” makes a return for this generation with even more functionality in tow. The system still pops the rear spoiler up to a nearly vertical position under heavy braking to help slow the 650S quickly and, as nice bonus, reduce nose dive. This extra-strong downforce at the rear end under braking also keeps the rear wheels in the game, spreading the work of the friction brakes more evenly across all four discs, where most cars rely heavily on just the fronts.

The active aerodynamics have been retuned to be more articulate under a wider range of conditions. After flattening for most of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s front straight, the rear wing adds a touch of downforce to keep the suspension settled as you crest the hill at the end of the straight and keeps the car stable coming into the high-speed Turn 1 before flipping the wing straight up as you jam on the brakes for the hairpin Turn 2.

The system has been reprogrammed to work in tandem with the 650S’ new front spoiler, a fixed chin wing that is integrated into reworked fascia. Together, the new aerodynamics are good for a 24 percent decrease in downforce at 150 mph when compared to the 12C.

On the track at Laguna Seca

After taking it easy for a few warm-up laps, I was given the green light to drop the hammer on the 650S. Off the line, the dual-clutch transmission feels just a hair lazy for the fraction of a second that it takes to get the engine hooked up to the wheels, but then I’m off and the acceleration is tremendous and drama-free. Even with the launch control system engaged, there’s minimal power wasted to wheelspin off of the line.

I’ve been around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca enough times that the nice lady at the gate with the stack of waivers recognizes me, but going around it in a proper supercar makes this a unique trip for me. It takes a few laps behind the wheel (and a few demo laps in the passenger seat) to really trust that the 650S can do what my eyes and reflexes are telling me shouldn’t be possible.

Braking points are later than I’ve ever experienced, cornering speeds higher, but McLaren’s claim of an “everyday supercar” that’s as easy to drive on the road as the track works both ways. This is a surprisingly approachable low-slung, 500 pound-foot twisting supercar that I think scales well with the driver’s skill level. My heat on the track consisted of myself and two other journalists, of whom I was the only one who’d ever been on a racetrack, but everyone seemed to be having a good time. (I could tell from the smiles on their faces as I lapped them.)

Laguna Seca isn’t a flat track. I mentioned the sharp crest at the top of the front straight where many cars get squirrely as their suspensions unload. In the 650S at triple-digit speeds, the experience is still gut-wrenching like a roller coaster, but not exactly terrifying. Surprisingly, the normally easy Turn 3 was a tricky one for me, partially due to overconfidence on my part, and partially because it was so easy to carry more speed than I was used to out of the hairpin of Turn 2.

After a quick blast past the mid-field grandstands, Turn 5 and 6 really showcase the ability of the hydraulic PCC to keep the chassis flat under cornering Gs, of the Formula 1-inspired wishbone suspension to cope with rolling over the track’s apex curbs, and of the standard Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires to keep everything stuck to the road.

Then it’s a five-story vertical drop down the Turn 8 Corkscrew — easy-peasy — and into the off-camber fast left-hander of the “Rainey Curve” Turn 9. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m just a hair terrified of this corner, thanks to my tendency to understeer through it after carrying too much speed off of the Corkscrew and then snap oversteer trying to correct. But the 650S handled it like a dream, shaving off speed smoothly, predictably, and — most importantly — quickly on the approach and remaining almost telepathically balanced as I tickled the throttle on the way to Turns 10 and 11 for a quick rinse and repeat up the front straight.

I was able to try laps with various combinations of the powertrain and handling settings, from full Normal-Normal to the sharpest Track-Track. To McLaren’s credit, the 650S feels noticeably different after each click of the knobs, though the difference between Sport and Track was really only felt when I was really pushing it hard.

During my laps, I didn’t notice any sort of brake fade, which put my mind at ease about the potential drawbacks of the Corner Brake system’s electronic trail braking, but that’s probably because my skill level is more suited to tossing a 370Z around a track than a 650S. Later in the day, McLaren’s own driver managed to heat the stoppers up pretty good on a demo lap later in the day. Predictably, he only praised the carbon ceramic brakes for their performance when heated up.

An “everyday” supercar, not an “everyman”

Faster, softer, sharper, squishier: the McLaren 650S proves that these words need not be mutually exclusive. It has delivered on its promise to build an “everyday supercar” with the 650S. This is a car that you can take to the track and then twist a few knobs and drive to the grocery to pick up a few fixings for dinner. That is, of course, if you’ve got a few hundred thou to burn. It’s an “everyday supercar,” not an “everyman supercar.”

The 2015 McLaren 650S Coupe and Spider start at $265,500 and $280,225, respectively, but that price can clear $300k easily with a long list of available and pricey options. Paint can cost up to $5,540 extra depending on the color you choose; there are also tens of thousands of dollars worth of carbon fiber styling upgrades and $6,940 carbon fiber seats to consider. Meridian audio is a $4,170 option if you’re the one guy who wants to listen to anything other than that gorgeous exhaust note, and the rear camera that I praised earlier is a $1,400 option that probably should be standard.

Not that I’m complaining; as supercars go, a well-equipped 2015 650S Spider that rings in at $330k is a fantastic deal for a fantastic performer. That is, unless you count the Corvette as a supercar.