2019 McLaren 720S Performance, Spider

The McLaren 720S: A Bit Temperamental, But Worth It
What's new:
For 2019, McLaren adds the "Spider" convertible variant to the 720s lineup, but the hardtop carries over from 2018 with no changes. 
[Editor's note: the 720s reviewed here is a 2018].
What's hot:

• Addictive combination of brain-melting power and absolute, almost eerie on-road composure.

• The beautiful rearward greenhouse with its many facets of glass give it surprising airiness and outward visibility for a car that’s so low and cocoonlike.

• The electronic nose-lift is a lifesaver for dealing with road bumps and potholes.

What's not:

• Overbearing and argumentative electronics mean you’ll be fighting with it a lot, though mostly over little stuff at low speeds.

• It’s missing a few fundamentals, like a parking gear, and the ability to access the engine compartment.

• The attention it draws and antics it induces in others are intense even by supercar standards

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The McLaren 720S is, if nothing else, a thing to behold. A sculptural, almost molten-looking monocoque body, with its cab flung so far forward that it looks like a car carrying itself in reverse; a face like a narrow and brooding skull, festooned with fiery deep-socketed LED eyes and mysterious tunnels receding away into blackness; a rearward enclosure spangled with facets of glass like the turret on a WWII bomber and behind it, a caged engine burning red. Rounded, roof-hinged doors that ascend like the frill on some exotic reptile poised to strike. And the entire body surprisingly shot full of holes: dozens of scoops and vents and channels whose job it is to ensure the car is cooled, slippery, and pinned to the road the moment it moves. To call it otherworldly would not be exaggerating: it’s like someone gave the aliens the basic specs for a Challenger Hellcat—a car with virtually identical power outputs—and they forged it in their alien factory using elements unknown to our periodic table and tooling incomprehensible to our feeble Earthling minds. Yes, the McLaren 720S has that kind of effect on the eye

Key Features & Specs
EPA Classification	Two-Seaters
MPG/MPGe	22 Highway / 15 City
Engine	Twin Turbo Premium Unleaded V-8 4.0L/244 cu in
Transmission	Auto-Shift Manual w/OD
Drive Train	Rear Wheel Drive
Seating	2
Horsepower	710

 

Engine	8 Cylinder Engine
Transmission	7-Speed A/T
Drivetrain	Rear Wheel Drive
Fuel	Gasoline Fuel
Suspension	Data Unavailable
Steering	·         Power Steering ·         Adjustable Steering Wheel
Brakes	4-Wheel Disc Brakes