Doug DeMuro shows us the quirks and oddities of the baby McLaren.
In the McLaren hierarchy of model series, the 570S is not the Ultimate or even Super. The only other modern Macca it makes more power than is the 533-horsepower 540C. That doesn’t mean it’s not an interesting car, though.
In the video above, Doug DeMuro points out all of the little oddities about McLaren’s just-above-entry-level 562-horsepower/443-lb-ft supercar. For instance, you see the swoopy illumination coming from the headlights and tail lights? It was designed to resemble the red arch in the McLaren logo. The trunk up front has a surprising amount of room in it.
Swinging the cool multi-piece driver-side door up reveals two buttons: one for putting the 570S in tow mode and another for popping the engine cover. Just kidding. You have to remove some bolts and remove a cover just to get to that sweet, sweet twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8. Pressing that second button only pops up a hatch that allows you to pour in more engine fluids.
Inside, there’s no glove box or power seats. However, there are plenty of oddly placed and shaped storage compartments. The gauges look modern and slick. The most interesting of them all is the one that tells you how long the 570S can sit undriven before its battery goes dead – perfect for the person who can never decide whether they should take the McLaren or the Spyker or the Koenigsegg or the Bugatti or the Pagani out for a cruise.
Those features may be interesting and cool, but they’d all be kind of pointless if the 570S was a dud on the street. According to DeMuro, it’s not. It’s startlingly quick. Every move, each shift is made with urgency. The steering is immediate and accurate. I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty Super super to me.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
