Mclaren from ferrari f430?

I have an F430 Spider and a 12C Spider. The Mc is better in every way except maybe sound. The Mc is a great daily driver with better handling, more speed and much more comfortable. If you haven't, you need to drive one to be convinced.

Joe

 

Agree with everything.

 

I'd wait till you can try the 570 as well. 570 might be a better choice than a 12C at that point.

 

That pretty much sums it up...wrt to sound, it is different in a good way, if you get a Mclaren make sure it has the sports exhaust, lots of burbles, pops and snarls...Still hard to beat a NA Ferrari V8, but still very good.

MB

 

The transmission is a big step up from the 430's F1. If you have a stick, well then... The McLaren transmission might not be as engaging. While it doesn't sound as good, the turbo motor in the Mac will eat the 430s lunch when it comes to outright thrust. I think the Mac has much higher build quality than the Ferrari though not as artistic. Early cars had some deficiencies but the factory has continuously improved and updated the older cars.

 

I am in a similar dilemma as you... (kind of), trying to decide if i want a 458 or 12c. Thought the 12c would be a good choice due to rarity , but all the reviews come back as a bland , sterile car. Check out Clarkson and then Harris reviews.

 

See it and drive it. It will change your mind.

Joe

 

If you like turbos, then it's the car to get.

BTW, I'd still suggest you wait and try the 570S. Will be pretty much just as quick as the 12C, but better inside and out.

You thinking Spider or Coupe? I'd also suggest you join McLarenLife if you haven't already. It's probably the best community for McLaren stuff if you thinking about buying one.

 

Not sure if Clarkson came up with the soulless comment or he was just following the heard of Ferrari sycophants journalists fearing the wrath of an objective review that does not fit the narrative enforced by Ferrari. I wonder if he will call the 488TT as soulless with the muted sound, the clips I have heard so far are pretty crappy by comparison to the 12C/650s.

Chris Harris does a much better review and there are several out there of the 12C, 12C spider and 12C vs. 991TTS on youtube.

The issue with the 12C/650s is when you are going 90 mph through the twisties it feels like 45 because the car is just that fast and smooth and under control, whereas the 360/430/458 is going much slower yet feels like you are on the knifes edge, so if you life the near death experience, keep the 430. If you want a superior car, get the Mclaren.

MB

 

Clarkson also loved, then hated and again loved the Ford GT. Not too consistent.

Joe

 

boca, the 650S is noticeably faster. Lots of guys on McLaren life daily drive their cars. Ingress and egress is goofy until you have some practice. Much easier on the drivers side where you have a steering wheel to grab onto. The 570S is supposed to be easier to get in and out of. If you have any back or mobility issues it is something to think about but again, once you get used to the maneuver, it isn't that bad. If you like the feel of a turbo car, the McLaren will be right up your alley.

 

I have owned both cars. I love both cars but they are somewhat different.

The 430 is a better sports car but the F1 feels dated compared to the 458.

The MC has three settings for . sound, chasis and throttle. It can feel like a Bentley or a race car depending how you feel.

my car was a 12C and had stunning looks.

I had trouble with my car within a short time of the new car purchase. I traded it on an Adventador.

I think the 12C can be purchased at a good price. I would be sure your dealer is within an hour of you in case you need work or it breaks down. My dealer was very good to me.

Good luck on your purchase.

Lee

 

I drove the Mclaren yesterday and I have a lot of seat time in the 430. Personally, I much preferred the 12C, and I will go as far as to say EVERY SINGLE NEGATIVE REVIEW IS WRONG about that car. I was blown away by the handling, performance, engagement, and build quality. Most importantly, it did not feel derivative, which is my biggest complaint with all modern "Supercars." I don't know if it was the suspension tuning or what, but is has a very unique character...and not "bland" at all. The car felt almost telepathically connected to me. Granted, I didn't drive it close to the limit, but I had a blast even at very responsible speeds.

Most notably, however, the car had a very purpose built personality. Modern Ferraris purposely have a good bit of theater injected into them--right down to the finely tuned engine note and the F1 mimickry in the controls. The Mclaren dispenses with all such frivolity. She is extremely serious, almost brooding, but feels like it is itching for a fight and has a big fat chip on its shoulder.

Its one of those cars that you really have to drive to understand. The car is truly epic and may be the absolute best kept secret in supercars right now.

I am embarrassed that I ever said a negative word about them.

 

Well said! I will repeat myself. You have to drive it to believe it. I first drove it at the Track and I had to have one.

Joe

 

You're absolutely right.

I went from a 458 (Italia first then Spider) to a 12C (Spider) and I couldn't agree more. I could never understood the negative tags given to the 12C. If you couldn't find emotion in this car you weren't trying very hard. Now, in fairness to the reviewers most of the gushed about the 12C but in summation, when they compared it to the Ferrari 458, they gave the nod to the 458 with the idea that the 458 had "more emotion" and if you're a jaded car reviewer then the great sound and roughness of the Ferrari maybe stand out a little more for you. It takes more time to get to know the McLaren because it has different characteristics (like the way longer throw throttle pedal and rock-solid chassis that can take more than you're initially comfortable giving it) that don't always present themselves on the first drive. Plus you have a built-in bias based on years of Ferrari nailing great driving cars. But it didn't come from outright performance, handling or chassis feel because the 12C spanks the 458 in those areas and frankly, as someone with both cars in his garage, I think they were plain wrong. I think the McLaren was a whole new type of supercar and they just didn't know what to make of it. I also think some prominent early reviewer made that conclusion and everyone else felt safe to jump on the bandwagon as way to not diss the Ferrari they had gushed about as one of the greatest cars ever. With the 650S you saw a lot of reviewers putting it on equal footing with the 458 but, again, but they were still playing it safe not wanting to admit the McLaren was the better car. I think it's simply peer pressure at work which absolutely IS a real thing in journalism.

At the time I first did a proper test drive in a 12C I owned a 458 (still do) and I was shocked at how much better the McLaren's carbon fiber chassis made the car and how much more performance it offered.

Another thing to consider is that any 12C you drive today has had an upgrade since those first review cars. McLaren added 25 horse power, and made software improvements, to the original cars at no charge to their owners. I think McLaren was a little too conservative in the original version of the 12C both in performance and styling but to their credit they improved on already-great performance once they had a fleet of them on the road with more miles on them and realized they could safely turn them up a bit. Unfortunately nobody went back and rewrote their reviews to accommodate these changes so the initial impression stuck. When McLaren finished the P1 they decided to go back and revise the 12C to add some of the reviewer-loved qualities of the P1, make the styling a little less conservative, improve some technical details, add more HP and rebadge it as 650S. Some McLaren 12C owners were unhappy about that but I think it was absolutely the right thing to do and reviews and sales for the 650S proved it. If you love the 12C you're going to also love the 650S, maybe even a bit more

Since the 12C upgrades McLaren has been slowly rolling up their shirt-sleeves, loosening their collar, and taking their ties off. They were a little too perfection-oriented when they got back into making cars with the 12C and each successive new model (or upgrade in the case of 650S) has seen them loosen up and build products with more passion and flare. The P1 was really the first time they infused a little "crazy" in their cars and it's just the most incredible car to drive being full of emotion, feedback, rawness and personality (fire-breathing monster personality!). The 650S took the 12C and loosened it up a bit while making some subtle but nice improvements and bring some of the passion they developed into the P1 into their mid-range model lineup. The new 675LT, being a track-oriented car, apparently adds even more "fun" to the 650S equation plus 25 horsepower, minus 200 pounds, plus more downforce, etc. I've got one on order.

The new 570S brings some of that new-found McLaren emotion into the styling as well, an a price-point that will help more and more people learn about the McLaren brand, while staying with their amazing base engine, incredible carbon fiber chassis, and delicious carbon ceramic brakes. I think it's the most beautiful car McLaren has yet made and the interior styling lives up to the beautiful exterior as well.

So the future looks bright for McLaren! After seeing the rapid progression of McLaren's cars I can only imagine how incredible the replacement for 650S will be. It will be a fully new car this time and it will be in the marketplace alongside the 488. The time I don't think we'll see reviewers showing pity on the Ferrari any more. That's not to say Ferrari won't have a proper answer to it after the 488 but they had better start with a carbon fiber chassis this time or they'll get crushed.

 

As an epilogue to my earlier post... I have a disdain for modern sports cars. However, I was so blown away by the Mclaren that I went back to the dealership this morning and bought the exact car I test drove. I didn't even give them a chance to detail it! It's going back for its service detailing etc next week... But for now.... I am like a kid at Christmas

 

That's a pretty powerful testimonial.

 

Congratulations and welcome to the 1,000 smiles club of Mclaren owners.

MB

 

Thanks! I picked it up at 12, took one daughter to the doctor with a stomach flu in comfort mode to subdue the nausea, dropped her home, put the 12c into sport and high tailed it to my other daughters school to pick her up for her last day. Then put it in automatic mode so I could relax and catch up with her. Dropped her off, turned the switch back to sport and had a blast exploring the cars sublime handling and engine note. I just love this car!!!!
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Keep us posted on the cars reliability as dealerships are few and far between

 

Will do! My dealer is 5 minutes away and supposedly is recognized for its superior service so I don't know if I will be a good benchmark for mclaren as a whole!