McLaren 750S review

So besides the Speedy Kiwi and the cheery primary colour palette of Apple CarPlay, what’s new inside the 750S? In truth, not a whole lot. Shifting the mode rockers up onto the instrument screen has meant the loss of the folding binnacle Track mode Easter egg from the 720S, which is a pity, but apparently this has saved a bit of weight and also helped refinement inside – i.e. there are fewer moving parts to rattle. 

Interior fit and finish in the three coupes and Spider we’ve tested so far was strong. Not even a few days blasting around Wales for the twin test managed to introduce a squeak. The materials look and feel well chosen and the switchgear has a tactility entirely absent from Ferrari’s infuriating haptic non-buttons. Heck, it’s easier to adjust the Bowers & Wilkins volume than in a Golf.

The 8.0-inch touchscreen reacts faster to a quick scroll through the menus than the bug-infested old system, and McLaren says it’s upgraded the radio aerial and Bluetooth module so you’ll be able to listen to the football without missing this weekend’s VAR meltdown, and your friends won’t ask why you’ve locked yourself in a filing cabinet when they answer your call.

Job done inside?

Flaws remain. The controls for the electric seats are still mounted on the front of the chair, so you need a third wrist and a masters degree in 4D chess to adjust the backrest. The cupholder is a tight fit, storage behind the transmission controls is harder to reach than the last Pringle in the tube and the armrest lid mechanism still feels like a 4.59pm Friday afternoon job. 

Worse still, the cubbyhole underneath isn’t really big enough for a smartphone when it’s plugged into the cable you need to use CarPlay. D’oh. 

But visibility remains peerless (even in the Spider thanks to its beautiful glass buttresses), the comfort seats do what they say on the tin, and the P1-esque sports seats are a such fabulous semi-reclined fit you’ll have to be a real weight-saving sadist to demand the slimline Senna-style race-chairs are fitted. And you’ll regret those immediately because they’re terrible.

Is it practical?

Much more than you might expect for a mid-engined supercar. The boot (under the nose, with no annoying secondary latch on the bonnet) is incredibly deep and offers 150 litres of cargo space. You can also store 58 litres-worth of stuff on the shelf above the engine, but that space is better kept clear so you can enjoy the amazing glassy visibility and option the engine room porthole, showcasing the 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8.

What if I need more headroom?

Try the Spider. For an extra £24,400 McLaren will fit your 750S with a two-piece retractable hard-top that motors away in 11 seconds at up to 31mph. It’s a quiet mechanism, and because the 750S carbon tub is monumentally stiff, the car needs no extra bracing. As a result, it’s only 49kg heavier than the Coupe. Not a penalty that 750 horsepower notices, that.