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600LT Versus others....?


kmr
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10 hours ago, 737Drvr said:

Hi kmr,

I have experience with the Performante and 600LT. Have driven a 488 as well. I’ll talk about the Performante and 600LT first, as those both have been in my garage. Both are great cars and it’s a matter of taste. I’ll tell you my pick of the two at the end. 

Exterior Design: this is subjective, of course. From the front, they are both aggressive. I love the front end of the Performante. The improvement over the base Huracan is very nice to my eye. It says, get out of the way! The McLaren looks nice too but the edge goes to the Performante. Side styling is a virtual tie with McLaren edging the Lambo because the doors go up. Back end is no contest. 600LT takes this one. The top exit exhausts, tail lights, and that huge rear diffuser make for a great backside.

Interior: both have great interiors. It’s easier to get in and out of the Performante. But both have plenty of room once you’re in. The race seats in the Performante suck. Avoid them. The carbon fiber on the race seats also doesn’t match the forged carbon on the dash trim. The standard power seats are much more comfortable and provide plenty of lateral support. Just my opinion. The McLaren can be had with full carbon interior which I recommend. It’s bare carbon whereas the external pieces are gloss. The switch gear in the Mac is of higher quality. Those switches in the middle of the Perf always felt a bit cheap to me. Lambo has the better Nav. With the Bower and Wilkins stereo option, the Mac has the superior radio. It’s a great system and I’d recommend finding a car with that option. 12 speakers in that small cabin sound very nice.

Powertrain and Performance: both cars have great engines. The V10 in the Perf is an incredible motor. Virtually bulletproof and sounds incredible. McLaren sounds actually very good because of the top exit exhausts but the Lambo sound can’t be matched. Speed isn’t everything but I’ll give you my impressions and you can look around the web to compare as well. From 0-30/60, the Perf is quicker. Past that point, it’s going to get walked by the 600LT. It won’t be pretty. From a roll, the 600LT all day. Sorry to the Perf owners but it’s going to get its ass handed to it. The only way the Perf keeps up is if the 600LT can’t get traction, which could happen if the tires are cold on the LT. 

Handling: the Perf speaks for itself here. We all know what it did at the ring. And you know from driving one that it’s lap time is genuine. Thing just claws it’s way around corners. The ALA in concert with AWD make this car punch way above its weight. The LT just can’t corner quite as well. It’s under tired but purposely so. It only has 285 section rear tires. But they are Trofeo R’s and do a remarkable job of providing grip when they are WARM.  You have to warm the tires up on this car. Then it becomes a great driving companion. It’s definitely more playful than the Performante. You can step the tail out and have some fun or cast your line and stick to it. It’s a rewarding car to drive. The steering in the Mac is better. It’s still a hydraulic unit and communicates much better than the Perf. The Perf goes where you want it to but the rack is electric and doesn’t quite have the feedback. The steering on the Mac is Porsche GT like. Probably better! 

My conclusion: deciding between these two is really hard. It’s a personal decision. You may want to take depreciation into consideration. I left that out. Macs have generally not faired well. With that being said, I feel this is the best McLaren on sale right now. The 720 is an incredible machine but has been way over produced IMO. If I’m not mistaken, approximately 1000 600LT coupes exist worldwide and they are now primarily producing 600LT Spiders. This would make the LT more rare than the Performante. But the Performante will most likely hold value beacuase of brand recognition. If money is not a concern, my vote goes to the LT. Not a popular answer here, I know. The Performante is an exceptional car. For me, most of my driving is on the street. There, the Mac just feels a bit more lively. Lighter on its feet and more engaging. That is probably a lot due to it being rear wheel drive. It’s got more than enough power and those flames are a bonus. This is all opinion of course. Go drive both and make a judgment call. You can’t go wrong either way! 

As to the 488. It’s a fine car. Fast, capable, but not as edgy as the other two. It’s the GT of the three. More comfortable, easier to get in and out of. Give it a try too. Will be good to hear what you come back with. Good Luck.

 

 

Thanks for the review. I agree with your comments.

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7 hours ago, Kevin2772 said:

What seats are in your 600LT 737Drvr?   Did you opt for the senna?

I actually took the base seats from the P1 and 675LT. They have a narrow and regular option. I got the regular option which is the wider seat. I’m 5’11” 185 and fit in them fine. If you’ve sat in a modern Porsche GT car with the Light Weight Buckets, these are very much alike. I didn’t go for the Senna seats as they would have held the car up a bit. I was an early adopter and wanted the car. I also don’t mind the look of the P1 seats. As an aside, you can also opt for the full power seats which aren’t bad either. McLaren has a nice range here. Let me know if I can be of any help. Enjoy your test drive. The car is little hellion. I love it. 

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  • 1 month later...

600LT with comfort seats for me. I would personally get a roadster, and I have spent time in both cars. I love the little roller skate feel of the LT. It is just so good. Having sold and driven both, that is the direction I would take, and 737Drvr is spot on with his comparison.

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  • 1 month later...
On 8/22/2019 at 5:44 AM, kmr said:

737Drvr thank you for taking the time to reply and write that all up. I am leaning towards the 600LT as its something different than the Gallardo and LP570 I have had. Heading to Charlotte next month to go test out all the seat options for the 600LT and drive a 720S as well. Will go from there..... 

McLaren has four issues.

Inherent unreliability.

Ridiculous prices for replacement parts. 

Eat their young product strategy.

Massive depreciation.

Fast as hell, I like the 600 LT a lot, though I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole. A buddy of mine had a 650 LT Spyder for 6 months, spent 3 months at McLaren being "fixed". Ended up a lemon. 

  

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