McLaren 720S (2017 - 2024) review – an eCoty-winning supercar for Porsche 911 money

Some 15 years ago McLaren launched the MP4-12C. Technically impressive and very, very quick, the one thing it couldn’t quite do was warm the soul.

But such was McLaren's progress, its first ground-up replacement in 2017 represented a huge leap for the brand, because the 720S couldn’t have been more different. There will be a few who’ll always take the theatre and passion of the Italian supercar brands over the more effiicent Ron Dennis-style of doing things, but spend any time with a 720S and you’ll understand why it was our Car of the Year in 2017, and why it still continues to thrill us almost a decade on.

With striking and original styling giving it a presence like few other supercars, an astonishingly potent drivetrain and one of the best chassis of any production car, the 720S wasn't just a performance benchmark like its 650S and 12C predecessors, but it was one of the most engaging and complete supercars on sale.

It’s not a car without faults – McLaren’s V8 has rarely been the most melodic of partners, the infotainment system is a nuisance to operate and good lord do these things shed value, but the 720S remains one of our favourite cars. And now in used form, it represents enormous band for your buck.

McLaren 720S in detail

• Engine, gearbox and technical specs – The basic architecture is familiar from several other McLarens, but it’s certainly put to good use here
• Performance and 0-60 time – As our measured 5.6sec 0-100mph time suggests, the 720S is as brutally fast as it gets
• Ride and handling - Fluid and talkative, the 720S handles as well as it goes
• MPG and running costs - It’s a supercar, right? Still, nearly 30mpg should be possible on a run
• Interior and tech - Great to look at and sit in, and provided you don’t focus too much on the smaller controls, great to use too
• Design - A high point in the current McLaren range – purposeful, but also beautifully sculpted

evo Car of the Year 2017 verdict – Stuart Gallagher

“Throughout the year the 720S has proved its credentials at every opportunity. From our first drive back in May (evo 236), contributing editor John Barker concluded: ‘The new generation Super Series McLaren is astonishingly, effortlessly fast, and remarkably efficient. You can cover ground at an unbelievable pace in complete control, and yet feel oddly unexcited.’ Damning with faint praise? Slightly. But with more exposure, more time behind the wheel and more superunleaded fed into its 4-litre V8, the 720S came to us more, got under our skin and proved to us why it’s worthy of the 2017 crown.

“A 2000-mile road-trip (evo 242) had Adam Towler convinced: ‘Precision is, for me, the 720’s defining characteristic, but by no means its only one. Completely absorbing, frighteningly intense, life-affirming, but not inherently scary – everything the car does is defined by absolute precision.’ 

“Steve Sutcliffe described the 720S as an intense experience when it came to extracting a lap time from it (also issue 242): ‘Insane. Absolutely, brilliantly insane.’ James Disdale found it equally enthralling: ‘It’ll cause no more sweat on the commute than an executive saloon, but find the right road to fully explore its potential and you’ll experience the biggest hit of undiluted adrenaline this side of a base jumper.’

“For me the 720S is all of the above, but it’s also what it says about the company, how far it has come and, perhaps crucially, what is yet to follow. The 720S is the product of a manufacturer that hasn’t changed its focus on wanting to build the most exciting, thrilling and best performance cars it can despite any obstacles it has faced along the way. McLaren Automotive has defined itself as one of the greats, and in the 720S it has created the best of the best: evo’s Car of the Year.”

McLaren 720S: Values, rivals and buying guide

64

Since the rise of McLaren Automotive in 2010, it’s been aimed squarely at one marque: Ferrari. The 12C fought the 458, the 650S fought the 488, the 720S went toe-to-toe with the Ferrari F8 Tributo, while its successor the 750S is Woking’s riposte to the Ferrari 296 GTB.

We’ve also compared the 720S in Track Pack trim (roll bar, buckets and enough carbon to shed 24kg) with the Ferrari 488 Pista, Lamborghini Aventador SVJ and Porsche 991 GT3 RS – a test in which the McLaren held its head high. The 720S, like all its predecessors, always traded on chassis stiffness, suppleness of ride, body control, steering feel and blistering performance. A carbon tub, what is still a cutting-edge suspension system and the fact the 750S really doesn’t look all that different to the 720S means this eight year-old supercar still feels and looks fresh.

What makes the 720S especially interesting however, is that it’s a serial depreciator. None is a more prominent poster car for depreciation in the premium and performance car space, except perhaps for the Porsche Taycan. 

64

Not great for McLaren’s image, excellent for those who want an eCoty-winning supercar for 911 money. Early examples have already dropped as low as £100,000 – a fall of £100k from the basic, non-optioned figure they were worth originally. In terms of bang for your buck, they’re a bargain that should be too good to ignore, though there are caveats.

Those caveats are around reliability. A wise buyer of an early 720S will secure a warranty to cover off the issues they can suffer. The engines can be susceptible to failures due to relatively weak pistons and cylinder liners. They can also suffer with electrical issues and the infotainment system was somewhat on the backfoot from launch.

Happily with common issues come specialists there to take care of them. Thorney Motorsport have risen to the fore in recent years as the preeminent McLaren experts that in a worst case scenario, can fully rebuild a McLaren V8 with a 12-month warranty for £25k.