McLaren 650S

I think I fell under all 4 of your classifications Fortis

 

The MP4 is a fantastic car and at first I was excited about the new upgrade but when given the decision to get the new 650S I decided to stick with the 12C I have, ordered just the way I wanted it.. simply put it is not enough of a transition to justify a change for me...

 

When given the choice of the 458, MP4, Aventador, R8 GT (TT), FGT(TT), 430(TT) have to admit the MP4 doesn't get picked a lot... getting some upgrades down to it now though so maybe that will change

 

There is nothing wrong with the car itself, aside of few technical issues which more or less got resolved, so nobody who bought one would complain about it from that respect, what I was talking about is McLaren's success as a high volume manufacturer with this particular model.

 

I see the scenario as following:

 

1) People who buy and love them, McLaren enthusiasts, familiar with the brand, people who dream of the Mac F1, people who like the SLR, fans of the brand in general who now can have a relatively affordable part of it.

 

2) Multi exotic car owners who just added one to their collection.

 

3) People who bought them because it was something new on the market, those who like the latest and greatest and would try anything once.

 

4) People who bought them due to lack of fresh product from their prefered brand.

 

When it comes to people in the 3rd and 4th category above some loved the car and kept it, most didn't and dumped it, that caused a lot of near new stock to be available on the second-hand market very quickly at high discounts, the manufacturer got backed into a corner and started slashing prices, the rest is history.

In relation to people in the 4th category, when their respective brands deliver fresh stock they will very likely jump, if McLaren fails to lock them in with fresh product/updates of their current offer they will dump and move on, that will further cause sales and profitability issues.

 

 

Good car but McLaren failed to generate the "Damn I MUST have that!" feeling, exotic car purchase almost never is about a bunch of stats, if it was you would never have buyers pay millions for used cars.

Fortis,

I was your #3 and #4.

But, once I saw that all their published 'promises' about service and quality were just hype and my dealership experience was poor ...... It was adios M/F !!

 

Here you have it, that's exactly where McLaren failed, if they bring a 911 competitor they will be successful.

 

Just exactly how is this 'volume' 911 Porsche/Audi R8 competitor car going to bring them mass sales, when they have such a wimpy dealer network? If McLaren thinks that the buyer of their "911" competitor is going to load their car onto a truck and ship it to some far away dealership for simple servicing, then they have rocks in their head.

Even if they doubled their dealers, McLaren's pathetic dealership network can network can never compete against Porsche or Audi when it comes to conveniently located dealers.

Would you buy a Porsche if the closest dealer was 500 miles away?? These guys are dreaming !!

McLaren realize this challenge and are working to improve the situation but will never come close to the nearly 200 dealers Porsche have in North America. That is not their intent whatsoever. Porsche sold over 40,000 cars in North America alone in 2013 and needs that kind of infrastructure - they also share costs in many cases with the other brands in the VWAG, a luxury that as a stand-alone brand McLaren do not have.

 

At most McLaren predict to sell about 1,800 cars per year in North America when they ramp up full production and they have not come close to that yet with just two models on offer. They are already taking a large percentage of customers from Porsche, or from individuals who would have best identified themselves as Porsche customers.

 

Ferrari have ~35 dealers in North America and Lamborghini currently operate with 30 I believe. That puts McLaren with 15 stores about halfway there in terms of major markets covered after just three years in production and more openings will follow in the coming 12 months before their volume model arrives on the scene. Even if McLaren can't serve every market Porsche does, this new car will pull sales away from the upper range of 911s which is their aim.

 

>8^)

ER

I think I fell under all 4 of your classifications Fortis

 

The MP4 is a fantastic car and at first I was excited about the new upgrade but when given the decision to get the new 650S I decided to stick with the 12C I have, ordered just the way I wanted it.. simply put it is not enough of a transition to justify a change for me...

 

When given the choice of the 458, MP4, Aventador, R8 GT (TT), FGT(TT), 430(TT) have to admit the MP4 doesn't get picked a lot... getting some upgrades down to it now though so maybe that will change

 

 

I hate being right, ohh whom am I kidding?

Fortis,

I was your #3 and #4.

But, once I saw that all their published 'promises' about service and quality were just hype and my dealership experience was poor ...... It was adios M/F !!

 

 

Many buyers in yours shoes.

McLaren realize this challenge and are working to improve the situation but will never come close to the nearly 200 dealers Porsche have in North America. That is not their intent whatsoever. Porsche sold over 40,000 cars in North America alone in 2013 and needs that kind of infrastructure - they also share costs in many cases with the other brands in the VWAG, a luxury that as a stand-alone brand McLaren do not have.

 

At most McLaren predict to sell about 1,800 cars per year in North America when they ramp up full production and they have not come close to that yet with just two models on offer. They are already taking a large percentage of customers from Porsche, or from individuals who would have best identified themselves as Porsche customers.

 

Ferrari have ~35 dealers in North America and Lamborghini currently operate with 30 I believe. That puts McLaren with 15 stores about halfway there in terms of major markets covered after just three years in production and more openings will follow in the coming 12 months before their volume model arrives on the scene. Even if McLaren can't serve every market Porsche does, this new car will pull sales away from the upper range of 911s which is their aim.

 

>8^)

ER

 

 

I feel for them, it's hard to open up new dealerships and sustain business if sales aren't there, I hope they will do well, McLaren could be a great alternative to a Porsche or a Ferrari.

 

 

I feel for them, it's hard to open up new dealerships and sustain business if sales aren't there, I hope they will do well, McLaren could be a great alternative to a Porsche or a Ferrari.

All this talk about going after the high end 911 sales, just does not compute.

Porsche's high-end 911 Turbo S is now at the same performance level of the 12C ...... So how is the 12C's less powerful "little brother" going to whip the performance of the Porsche, AND take away it's customers.

I see McLaren as a 911/R8 competitor, similar kind of philosophy, subdued looks and design, clinical in its performance delivery, a good car overall but not an exciting car, not sure if they ended up here by choice or default, I don't follow McLaren enough to be in tune with that, IMO what McLaren is missing at the moment is the 911 entry competitor if/when they bring that it will cut into 911's lunch by appealing to a completely different customer base, hopefully the extra sales will help them prop the opening of new outlets and extra income will help them beef up their range.

Two real photos of the 650S.

 

 

 

>8^)

ER

The front looks very good, huge improvement IMO.

Peloton25, what other changes have they made to the body of the car other than the front bar cover?

Side skirt on the lower edge of the door is a new addition from McLaren. They haven't offered something like that before, either on the options list or through MSO. The former 'Turning Vane' to route air into the side scoop no longer splits the vent in half, but has been replaced by a bubbled covering which is maybe the one part I am not sure is an improvement.

 

The rear bumper takes on the appearance we have come to know from the 12C High Sport and GT3 models with the blacked out center portion, but with a recessed area making it more prominent than the paint job/sticker application we have seen on other cars. Beyond that, I'm going to have to wait to read the Press Release or see one in person.

 

 

I do wish they had changed the rear lights to something like the early rendering that CAR Magazine predicted for the 12C. Never been a big fan of the vertical bars and they carry over to the 650S unchanged as far as I can tell.

 

 

>8^)

ER

If I could only have one exotic it would be the McLaren. And the reason is that it is the most capable all around car I've ever driven, and I actually drive my cars hard on the road and the track.

 

Since I can afford owning more than one exotic I fill out my collection with other cars that are more flawed and have more personality. Half of the cars I own right now I'm having built or have had built. Why? Because the current crop of Supercars are too unexciting, and I want something tailored to my own preferences but with modern supercar performance.

 

Shortcomings of the McLaren? Yes, it's a little clinical and a little generic. So is the 458. So is the 911 Turbo, Nissan GT-R, and so will be the Huracan. The only car that can run with these cars that has more character is the Aventador, and I personally don't enjoy big, wide, and heavy V12 cars. They are not fun on twisty mountain roads.

 

What's the difference between a Huracan and a 650S? Both cars are clinical, boring, unexciting, generic. But Id be pretty comfortable betting that the 650S will walk the Huracan in any speed contest. To some, that doesn't matter, but to me it matters a lot.

It mostly just Lambopower, the Mp4 is pretty well received outside of this bubble. They did exactly what they should have done, new front/rear bumper and P1 headlights, and more power. Its not as radical/edgy as a Lambo, but they arent going for that. I like the new design, and I can see myself getting 1.

 

 

I can definatley see myself in a Spider next summer!

911 Turbo S is now at the same performance level of the 12C ...... So how is the 12C's less powerful "little brother" going to whip the performance of the Porsche, AND take away it's customers.

 

if we are only talking about straight-line performance, the 991 Turbo S isn't even close to the MP4. just gauged with one last week so i know of the outcome. i think the MP4 will still ride better and look better as well. the only advantage of the porsche is ingress/egress, 4 passengers and probably a bit more luggage.

McLaren Performance figures:

 

Acceleration

0-100 kph (62 mph) 3.0 s*

0-200 kph (124 mph) 8.4 s*

0-300 kph (186 mph) 25.4 s*

0-400 m / ¼ mile 10.5 @ 139 mph*

 

Braking

100-0 km/h 30.5 m (100 ft)

200-0 km/h 123 m (404 ft)

300-0 km/h 271 m 889 ft)

 

*standard Pirelli Tires

 

 

Specs and details along with a load of photos here on GTspirit:

 

http://www.gtspirit.com/2014/02/17/new-mcl...tails-revealed/

 

>8^)

ER

If I could only have one exotic it would be the McLaren. And the reason is that it is the most capable all around car I've ever driven, and I actually drive my cars hard on the road and the track.

 

Since I can afford owning more than one exotic I fill out my collection with other cars that are more flawed and have more personality. Half of the cars I own right now I'm having built or have had built. Why? Because the current crop of Supercars are too unexciting, and I want something tailored to my own preferences but with modern supercar performance.

 

Shortcomings of the McLaren? Yes, it's a little clinical and a little generic. So is the 458. So is the 911 Turbo, Nissan GT-R, and so will be the Huracan. The only car that can run with these cars that has more character is the Aventador, and I personally don't enjoy big, wide, and heavy V12 cars. They are not fun on twisty mountain roads.

 

What's the difference between a Huracan and a 650S? Both cars are clinical, boring, unexciting, generic. But Id be pretty comfortable betting that the 650S will walk the Huracan in any speed contest. To some, that doesn't matter, but to me it matters a lot.

BTW I do like the "real pics" of the 650s, much better than the drawings. a spider version would be nice!

Specs and details along with a load of photos here on GTspirit:

 

http://www.gtspirit.com/2014/02/17/new-mcl...tails-revealed/

 

>8^)

ER

 

Wow, lots of good info in there. Sounds like its a lot more changes than initially thought. Looks great in real pictures as well, much better than renderings.

BTW I do like the "real pics" of the 650s, much better than the drawings. a spider version would be nice!

 

Yes, the spider is going to be awesome, I will take mine in Volcano red!

Yes, the spider is going to be awesome, I will take mine in Volcano red!

ill take a McLaren orange

regular 12C production is done, they are already in production of the 12C 650S, there is a driving event with 4 of the 650S down here in Sebring, April.... looking forward to testing it out... I hope Lamborghini is sandbagging on the Huracan, if not the 12C 650S is going to destroy it...

Imagine the ass kicking its going to put on the Aventador in that case!

If I could only have one exotic it would be the McLaren. ".

 

I agree I've owned a group of cars over the years . This one wins hands down!

 

ill take a McLaren orange

 

 

Um ya this looks awesome! If they only reworked the back a bit more. I want to see it in black and in white.