The contours of the 720S McLaren Automotive are distinctly McLaren, yet the details are boldly different. The designers took inspiration from the Great White Shark, a sleek yet brutal hunting machine. The smooth flow of the exterior lines manipulates onrushing air to reduce drag and cool the engine. Slim pillars on the teardrop-shaped cabin allow for the glass canopy that floods the interior with daylight and offers unrivalled visibility.
An innovation of the technology first seen in the McLaren P1™ hypercar, the MonoCage II is a one-piece carbon fiber tub that now includes the roof. Unique to the supercar category, this high-strength, low-weight passenger cell provides unrivalled rigidity. The MonoCage II, unique to the 720S, extends over the engine bay and includes wider door apertures that open into the roof.
The opening of the doors is one of the most alluring design features of the 720S. The twin-hinged dihedral doors sweep forward and up, to make entering and exiting effortless and elegant. The doors feature an 80-degree angle of opening and require 155mm less space per side than is needed to fully open the doors of a McLaren 650S. This increases accessibility when parked in tight spaces, especially in close proximity to a wall, and the doors also open to only 1,953mm high, an important factor in underground parking spaces.
The beating heart of the 720S is a new powerful M840T engine with 720HP. Press the start button and the twin-turbo V8 comes alive with a potent growl that ignites your senses and focuses your mind. Every part of this 4.0-litre unit is refined to maximize power, sharpen responses, and increase fuel efficiency.
With the significantly greater power and torque – and further aided by the decrease in vehicle weight –the new 4.0-litre engine gives the McLaren 720S a thrilling power-to-weight ratio of 553hp-per-ton in its lightest dry weight form. This comfortably exceeds the still-impressive 478hp-per-ton output of the 650S and gives the new 720S best-in-segment power-to-weight performance.
Data from an array of sensors enables the 720S to better read the road and select a set-up that maximizes grip. From a winding mountain pass to a challenging racetrack, you can push the limit with full control.
Inside the cockpit, controls are carefully angled and positioned for easy reach with minimum distraction. It’s an interior crafted around the driver.One of the most sumptuous leathers in the world extends from the electronically operated and heated seats to the dashboard, headlining and rear luggage area.
McLaren’s know-how with lightweight, aerodynamic, ferocious supercars is undeniable, and the 720S is proof. A 710-hp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 drives the rear wheels through a seven-speed automatic. A Drift mode is offered in addition to Comfort, Sport, and Track settings to allow for adrenaline. A touch screen infotainment system is standard, as is a digital gauge cluster that hides away in the dashboard when in Track mode.
The new Monocage II tub now incorporates carbon fiber consisting of the windshield surround and continues through the center roof section. These improve structural integrity—load bearing for the 650S, this car’s predecessor, was handled entirely by the lower tub—which explains why coupe and spyder versions had the same torsional rigidity. The composite greenhouse components also save weight compared to the previous model’s aluminum pillars and windshield header. McLaren says the body is 40 pounds lighter, with the 720S’s overall dry weight falling to a claimed 2828 pounds with every available lightweight option.
The back bears a distinct resemblance to the McLaren P1 with the rear wing in its deployed position—the new dark headlight apertures are very color sensitive.Visually, the most obvious difference is the loss of the 650S’s side air intakes, with the 720S looking sleeker and more muscular without them; air is now directed to the engine and radiators by a channel next to the rear windows.
Crushing acceleration of 0-60mph in just 2.8 seconds, 0-100km/h in 2.9 seconds and 0-200km/h in 7.8 seconds puts the new McLaren 720S in pole position in the supercar performance league. On the way to a maximum speed of 341km/h, the standing quarter mile sprint is dispatched in 10.3 seconds. Despite the dramatic gains in accelerative performance, fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions have also improved in comparison to the McLaren 650S, respectively by 1.0 litre/100km in the combined cycle and 26g/km under the NEDC.
The turbochargers and intercoolers are completely new. The waste gates and dump valve are electronically controlled to actively manage the build-up of power and torque from low rpm, contributing to improved engine efficiency and emissions control. New Port Fuel Injection doubles the number of injectors from eight to sixteen, the twin-injector solution improving fuel nebulisation and delivering improved combustion and lower emissions.
The steering’s weight is lighter than the supercar norm, but McLaren’s decision to employ electro hydraulically assisted steering means it retains much more of the sort of low-speed feel that electrically assisted systems tend to filter out as unwanted noise.