McLaren 570S Buyers Guide

The McLaren 570S has quickly become one of the hottest cars on the planet. It took the world by storm with its release at the 2015 New York International AutoShow, branded by many as the “Baby P1”. McLaren that this model and its variants will help to nearly triple the company’s sales volume by 2020, and being just a year away from that goal we can say the 570S has surely done just that.

As McLaren is a relatively new member to the Exotic Car world we see a lot of faults in their first-year designs (remember the MP4-12C?), however, the 570S has seen little to NO issues in the way of mechanics or customer complaints.

With the first models rolling into showroom floors in 2016, 570Ss can now be spotted everywhere from suburban streets, to rap music videos, to car shows of enthusiasts and fanatics alike. This car hits almost every talking point when you think of a “hot exotic”: doors go up, comes with loads of carbon options, looks good in almost any color, sleek lines, aggressive exhaust, and a spaceship-like design that only McLaren can seem to successfully pull off with every car it creates.

The 570S was the first car to take on a new platform after the era of the MP4, 650S, 675LT came about. It was born to be the entry-level supercar from the brand that redefined supercars all together. Believe it or not, the 570S was made to directly compete with the Porsche 911 Turbo: same performance, same power, and about the same price. However, in the eyes of true supercar enthusiasts, that’s about all the two have in common.

While the Porsche 911 Turbo goes for a more refined look with excellent handling on the streets and the track, the 570S was created to not only perform like a beast but look like one as well.

The front of the 570S is incredibly sleek with almost a half circle with rigid edge design. At the bottom of the front bumper, you can find air vents that sweep up seamlessly behind the heritage McLaren logo shaped headlights. All the front space is of course taken up by a “frunk” that can fit about a carry on bag in its hollow bucket shape. The 570S is an incredibly low car, and the design of the roof reflects that – coasting ever so slightly above the height of the windshield and not much more.

Along the sides, you get a sense of the lines that make the 570S so beautiful and aggressive. Panels with sills (we prefer them to be carbon of course) hide the butterfly doors that the 570S is famous for having. Behind those doors hide another set of air vents that help bring more air back into the rear mid-engine. The wheels of the McLaren 570S are staggered, as most good supercars are, with 19 inches in the front and 20 in the back. While the designs of the 570S wheels are beautiful, you know me, I am always a fan of adding some dope HRE’s or ADV1’s on there for a little added “FU” effect.

Along the back of the McLaren, you see the inspiration of the P1 at every turn.  A rear deck lid bonnet (that again should also try to be completely carbon) that covers the beautiful V8 twin turbo engine with of course air vents coming out of the top. A little duckbill of a drop off comes before the rear bumper. This piece (PLEASE PLEASE TRY TO GET CARBON) houses the skinny LED taillights and similar diffuser style of the mothership.

The car itself, when compared to the 650S series, seems to be a bit smaller, but like many of those and myself can attest: good things come in small packages.

Truly a sight unlike any other, the McLaren 570S has something about it that just makes kids, adults, novices, enthusiasts, dreamers, and racers alike all turn their heads in appreciation as this beauty passes them by.

Driving Experience

I am happy to be able to write this buyer’s guide for you as I have owned two 570S’s, one I bought used completely stock but with every carbon option in the book and the other I bought brand new and turned it into Project Nemesis: the world’s first fully built 570S (thanks of course to Vorsteiner and Velocity AP). And if you know anything about me, it’s that I never buy a car twice unless I absolutely LOVE IT.

The 570S still bears the same carbon fiber chassis to make it lightweight and durable like it’s past relatives, but has a tweaked version of the same 3.8 liter twin turbo V8 that is used in the 650S/P1, sitting as a rear mid-engine and delivers 562 horsepower and 443 pounds of torque with the help of a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. The car goes 0-60 in 3.2 seconds and has a top speed of 204mph. But even with all this power, the McLaren handles more like a sports car than a supercar. What I mean by that is that this car is easy to get in and out of, easy to maneuver in a crowded parking lot, a breeze to park with, and just simple to drive even if you have never owned one before.

The 570S comes equipped with numerous features that make it incredible to drive almost anywhere, at any time, with any driver behind the wheel.

For one it has Brake Steer: a McLaren F1 creation that further enhances handling and safety of the 570S. This mechanism applies braking force to the inside of the wheels during tight cornering, leaving very little room for error out on the track. This brake steer is also helped by the highly sought after Carbon Ceramic Brakes (which we should ALL strive to have on our exotics).

Like the 650S generation, the 570S comes with the IRIS interface… which, sadly, isn’t my favorite. It truly is one of my only complaints with the car itself. You think paying $200K for one of these would result in an easy to use and manageable while driving interface (much like it’s competition: The 911 Porsche Turbo) but no. It has gotten better over the years with the new software updates, but the electrical component of the IRIS system just isn’t for me. In all fairness, it does come with some cool features for those who are interested in the track readiness of the 570S, such as lap times, GPS circuit mapping, and even track cameras as an added bonus!

The Active Dynamics Panel is still alive and well in the 570S and is perhaps one of the most innovative of all the supercars. Allowing you to toggle not only between power but suspension characteristics as well: Normal, Sport, or Track is available for both components allowing the driver to truly customize their experience with the car.

Now as I mentioned before I have owned two of these cars, one I left completely stock but the other I built out. This build did in fact feature tune, downpipes, and exhaust all from Velocity AP that not only enhanced our performance specs past a 650S, but also added a sound that would remind people of the incredible power the car had (nothing sounds better than a good turbo spool). A perfect addition that is honestly far from pricey and yet creates a very enjoyable driving experience. If you are looking to get in and out of the 570S as a quick flip, then I don’t recommend going through a tuning process, but if you are looking to add a beautiful monster in your garage as a weekend warrior that you want to be a neck-breaker everywhere she goes: do the tune!

McLaren 570S Cost of Ownership/Maintenance

Now I have one other complaint about McLarens… the maintenance.

McLaren’s are spaceships, as I stated earlier, and while spaceships are beyond sexy to look at and drive, there are only so many people who can fix them when they are broken, and those few people want money.

Being one big computer means when a light goes off in your McLaren there is a certain code needed to reset that light: check engine, oil change, maintenance required, etc. Guess who are the only people who have access to those codes: McLaren.

McLarens as of now can really only be serviced BY McLaren, which means when it comes time to get something routine such an oil change you are shlepping to the nearest dealership and paying whatever they tell you because you honestly have no other choice.

All McLaren’s come with a 3 year/unlimited mile warranty on the vehicle which covers most generic work that needs to be done to the McLaren at any time, or so one would think. Software updates come with the warranty so your IRIS system is safe for 3 years. After that upgrades are sold to customers at cost, which is still $1,800. No joke.

The warranty agreement on the McLaren’s is no laughing matter either, any missed 1yr/10k mile service interval will result in a voided warranty almost automatically. All service work must also be performed by a McLaren dealership at their disclosure of time: taking anywhere up to 6 hours for a simple oil change and inspection to 3 weeks to fly a tech out to look at a broken seal effecting transmission leakage.

The simple service consisting of an oil change, windshield wiper replacement, and a thorough inspection will cost you upwards of $1,500-$2,000. Tires and brakes are no small charge either, tires are going to cost you about $2,000 as well when replacing all four and if you went all in for the carbon ceramic brakes, you’ll dish out about another $2,000 when replacing all four as well.

Though expensive, McLaren stands by their work and if any issues arise they are quick to resolve them. Luckily enough for 570 series owners, these cars have seen little to NO mechanical/electrical issues in the past 3-4 years of production and ownership.

McLaren 570S Model Year Changes

While the 570S has only been out since 2016, not too much has been done in the way of altering the Baby P1, but new variants and additions have been made none the less.

2016

The McLaren 570S is seen on showrooms and is seen as the shiny new toy that almost everyone wants to play with… however, playtime doesn’t come cheap at a $184,900 base model price point.

I should also mention, just to be a good sport, a cheaper, less powerful, more “slimmed-down” version of the 570S is available internationally but not in the U.S and it is known as the McLaren 540C. It never came to the states as we generally lacked interest in a slower, slightly cheaper model because this is America and we like our cars fast, damnit!

2017

The McLaren 570GT was released onto the roads after its debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. The GT is simply less track focused and a more daily driver worthy version of the 570S. The GT, for example, has more cargo space in the back (resulting in a loss of the deck lid from the 570S which gives the car more of a hatchback look), better sound insulation to cut out wind/road noise, and a softer suspension.

The 570S Spider also began to roam about in the later months of 2017. Keeping the same mechanism, the two-piece hardtop aluminum roof falls into the back of the car and remains hidden until called upon again. Though the better parts of the 570S remained unchanged with the Spiders release, three new colors were given (Vega Blue, Sicilian Yellow, and Ventura Orange) and new forged aluminum wheels entered the spectrum of usage.

2018

No major changes to the model.

2019

This is the year that will see new chic, and sporty upgrades for the  570S, 570S Spider, and the 570GT across the board.

The 570GT has been given more of the favorited hand here as it will now have the option to have Sport Pack, giving the once comfortable cruiser the ability to perform just as well as the 570S with upgraded steering and suspension.

Custom colors and the lightweight 10 spoke wheels of the Spider will now be available for all three models, as well as a slightly taller rear spoiler, if that makes a difference for you.

Perhaps these slight adjustments are occurring because a new beast has been awoken and the others are trembling in fear at the almighty 600LT.

Much like how the 650S evolved into the 675LT, history has repeated itself. The 600LT is longer than the rest of the 570 line it was built off of, but the 600LT also features enhanced aerodynamic elements such as an extended front splitter and rear diffuser, new side sills, and an aero-enhancing fixed rear wing for increased downforce. Major weight is reduced in the 600LT thanks to increased use of carbon fiber along the interior of the car, shaving off 212 pounds. But perhaps one of the most distinguishable and jaw-dropping features of the 600LT is its exhaust placement…right smack dab in the middle of the top of the rear of the car, sticking out like two smokestacks on a ship. The 3.8 twin-turbo engine is still a staple of usage but has been tuned to produce more horsepower and torque than the 570 line and this beast shaves .3 seconds off the 0-60 time, now getting up to snuff in just 2.9 seconds. While still early in the first months of delivery, the 600LT Spider was released, it holds the same mechanism to close and open the roof as the 570, but only being released a few months after it’s coupe version didn’t call for any other mass changes to be made to body or style.

McLaren 570S Options

No one does options like Ferrari, but McLaren comes pretty close too. The most sought after options in the McLaren 570S would be carbon packs both inside and outside, the more carbon the better.

Colors also play a role more in resale than anything else, these are the types of cars that do well in both loud colors like: orange, blue, yellow, green and more muted and stealthy colors like: white, black, gray, etc.

Though the options on McLaren’s may seem few and far between they are incredibly important when it comes to resale, the more options you have, the more dollar you can command on your listing.

We were able to get our hands on some option lists for the 570S and 600LT for you to see and understand the dollar structure behind the add ons that could make or break your McLaren:

570S Options List

Best Years To Buy The McLaren 570S

The one thing McLaren does that I don’t agree with is that they flood the market with production, units are always available and in every possible configuration, you could imagine. However, with hundreds of other supercar options to choose from this increased supply doesn’t meet high demand and thus the used market is susceptible to major drops in value.

However thanks to having a few years on the market, but not enough years to lose warranty, right now in 2019 we recommend getting into a 2017 McLaren. Their values are currently stable and miles should be low enough (no more than 3,500 x years on market: in this case 3,500 x 2 = around 7,000 miles allowed) you to be able to hack in and out of without losing your ass.

Conclusion

The Baby P1-570S has taken the exotic world by storm. McLaren did an absolutely phenomenal job of making an incredible “wow factor” car into a daily driver that is also a track monster in its own right. While many compared the 570S to the 911 Turbo, through this buyers guide I hope you are able to see that the two could not be more different aside from power and price point. McLaren’s while new to the game are surely making waves, every car they have produced is able to evoke an emotion in all those who see it. To some it is seen as a futuristic craft on wheels, others it is a street legal version of a once famous F1 car, but no matter what you can’t deny that this car is both a beauty and a beast.

Hack-Ability Meter


You may also like

Porsche 991 GT3 RS Buyers Guide

Porsche 991 GT3 RS Buyers Guide

Ferrari 488 Buyers Guide

Ferrari 488 Buyers Guide

Mastermind: 03-25-24

Mastermind: 03-25-24

Ready To Buy Hack Your Dream Car?

Join over 22,000 members who have used our strategies to buy their dream car without using their own money... while saving on taxes, insurance, depreciation, and maintenance.