Skip advert
Advertisement

McLaren Senna review - the ultimate track driving experience - Performance and 0-60 time

McLaren has taken a legendary name and produced what genuinely could become a legendary car

Performance and 0-60 time

With 659bhp/ton you won’t be surprised to hear that the Senna is fast. Just how fast is clearly betrayed by the numbers, with 62mph arriving in 2.8 seconds, 124mph in 6.8 seconds and 186mph after just 18.5 seconds, but in reality it doesn’t seem that much quicker than the already studenously rapid 720 S - perhaps additional performance becomes largely academic beyond a certain lofty point. In any case, the top speed is 211 mph, but such matters were hardly McLaren’s focus with this car.

There’s certainly a lot more noise and drama to the way it accelerates, thanks to the Senna’s minimalistic cabin, reduced sound proofing material and dorsal air intake, which really screams as the V8 is wound up to high rpms. Nevertheless, the engine still sounds essentially the same as all the 3.8-litre and 4-litre McLaren V8s do - that is to say, hard-edged, aggressive, but not exactly melodic. One new facet to its character is the vibration felt: McLaren have fitted more rigid engine mounts, and at certain revs the V8 sends a fizzing tremor down the driver’s spine.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Porsche 718 Boxster/Cayman 2.0 four-cylinder – the car world's greatest misses
Porsche 718 four cylinder
Features

Porsche 718 Boxster/Cayman 2.0 four-cylinder – the car world's greatest misses

Downsizing the engine of Porsche’s entry-level sports car was an embarrassing flat-four fiasco
18 Feb 2025
Used Porsche 911 (991, 2011 - 2018) review – should you buy the unloved 911?
Porsche 991 Carrera rear
In-depth reviews

Used Porsche 911 (991, 2011 - 2018) review – should you buy the unloved 911?

For better or worse, the 991 was a huge moment of change for the Porsche 911, as it passed the half-century mark. We look back at the black sheep of t…
17 Feb 2025
Used car deals of the week
Main used car deals
Advice

Used car deals of the week

In this week’s used car deals, we’ve sourced everything from a Hyundai i30 N to a four-cylinder Porsche 718 Cayman
19 Feb 2025