McLaren GT transforms into more powerful GTS

McLaren has replaced its GT supercar with an updated version boasting more power and a host of extra personalization options.

It’s called the GTS, and McLaren on Monday started accepting reservations. A price tag hasn’t been announced but the outgoing GT is priced from $208,490.

The GT reached the U.S. for the 2020 model year, positioned as McLaren’s model designed for grand touring. As a result it comes with more storage space than your typical mid-engine supercar: a total of 20.1 cubic feet, including 14.8 cubic feet on a shelf located above the engine bay. This level of practicality is unchanged on the new GTS.

Instead, the key modification is the extra power. A twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 pumps out 626 hp, up 14 hp on the GT. The extra oomph is courtesy of revised combustion phasing and ignition timing, and helps deliver 0-60 mph acceleration in 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 203 mph in the GTS, according to McLaren. Drive is to the rear wheels only, via a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

McLaren GTS

To aid ride and handling, the GTS relies on adaptive dampers, speed-sensitive steering, specially developed Pirelli P Zero tires, and powerful carbon-ceramic brake rotors. The dampers are a twin-valve design that helps widen the spread between comfort and performance, which the driver can adjust via a drive mode selector.

A few visual tweaks further set apart the GTS from the GT. A new front fascia features more pronounced air intakes that are also wider than on the GT. The intakes on the top of the rear fenders have also been made more pronounced, and McLaren offers a gloss carbon-fiber finish for the blades that cut across the intakes, instead of the standard gloss black. Other exterior details are also finished in gloss black as standard but can also be ordered with a carbon finish, such as the side mirror caps and some of the aerodynamic elements. A carbon-fiber roof is standard.

The cabin features electrically adjusted and heated seats lined in leather and featuring more padding than you’ll normally find in a McLaren supercar, such as the new 750S. The digital gauge cluster has been downsized from the GT’s 12.3-inch screen to a 10.3-inch screen in the GTS, while both models feature a 7.0-inch touchscreen display for the infotainment. For audio buffs, a 12-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system with carbon-fiber sub-bass woofers and Kevlar mid-range units is available. Luxury touches like polished and knurled aluminum switches are found in the cabin, and buyers can select carbon-fiber accents throughout.

McLaren has also upgraded the car’s lift system to help prevent scrapes when driving up steep driveways or over tall speed bumps. The system raises the ground clearance from the standard 4.3 inches to 5.1 inches, requiring just four seconds, or half the time as the system on the GT.