Some may say that the McLaren 650S is a facelift of the MP4-12C, others may argue that it’s a completely new model but, as always, the truth is somewhere in the middle. While the 650S is based on the MP4-12C, engineers and designers have made quite a few changes.
The McLaren 650S has around 25 percent new parts compared to the 12C, with the most significant upgrades regarding the engine. The 650S uses a modified version of the 12C’s 3.8-liter bi-turbocharged V8 that gains 25hp and 78Nm (58 lb-ft), bringing the total to 641hp (650PS) and 678Nm (500 lb-ft) paired to a faster seven-speed dual clutch gearbox.
Compared to the 12C, the 650S sprints from 0 to 62mph (100km/h) 0.1 seconds quicker in 3.0 seconds, while the 0-125mph (201km/h) time has improved by 0.5 seconds to 8.4 seconds. Sounds good, but how does the new model feel from behind the wheel?
Chris Harris is one of the first people to drive a McLaren 650S Spider and he says the car doesn’t feel that different from the 12C, except that it’s faster and rides better.
Head past the break to watch his review.
By Dan Mihalascu
VIDEO