Lighter, faster GTS joins McLaren family

It’s goodbye to the McLaren GT and hello to the GTS, as the British supercar brand updates its daily driver.

Like its predecessor the GTS is designed to be the most practical machine in the McLaren family, with a focus on comfort and interior space making it suited for grand touring.

Adding an S to the GT sees a few tweaks to the styling, including a new lower front bumper with revised air intake, and updated rear fenders with taller air scoops. Assorted gloss black and exposed carbon parts are also offered, but this isn’t a radical departure from what came before.

Despite the extra bits the GTS is 22 lbs lighter than the GT and the revised air intakes contribute, along with more aggressive combustion phasing and updated timing for the four-liter twin-turbo V-8, to a 15-hp power hike. A total of 635 hp and 3344 lbs are the car’s key performance indicators. Drive is still via a seven-speed Sequential Shift Gearbox and the GTS can sprint to 62mph in 3.2 seconds, hit 124 mph in 8.9 seconds and top out at 203 mph.

Although it’s built road trip-ready, with a spacious luggage area beneath the glass tailgate, and extra space in its frunk, the GTS can still handle itself on a circuit. The Proactive Damper Control fitted to the double-wishbone suspension offers Comfort, Sport and Track settings and 380 mm carbon ceramic discs with six-piston aluminum calipers are installed up front, with four-piston calipers at the rear.

Inside, there’s a choice of Performance and TechLux designs featuring Nappa or softgrain aniline leather, and Alcantara in a wide range of colors. An electrochromatic glass roof can be optioned to shed a little more light inside and McLaren has also added new paint options including Mantis Green, Tanzanite Blue, Ice White and Lava Grey. Ten-spoke forged alloy wheels come in a selection of finishes and can be held in place by optional lightweight titanium locking wheel nuts.

In the past McLaren has had its share of quality issues so customers should be reassured by the car’s three-year unlimited mileage warranty, three-year paint warranty and ten-year anti-perforation warranty. An extended warranty can stretch the guarantees to a total of 12 years for extra peace of mind.