McLaren GTS

Woking's grand touring supercar returns with a new name and more power, but does it still have a place?

- YOUSUF ASHRAF

YOU FORGOT THIS EXISTED, DIDN'T YOU? The McLaren GT, or GTS as it's now known. Embarrassingly, we nearly did too. The GT has been around since 2019 as the softer-edged, most-useable entry-level McLaren, but when it was updated to become the GTS in late 2023, nobody seemed to notice. Not only because the updates were almost undetectable to the casual observer, but also because a year earlier the Artura had been launched to redefine what a baby McLaren could be. As a truly next-gen product with a bespoke V6, hybrid drive and a brand new carbon structure, it left the GTS sitting awkwardly in the range, and seeming out of date before it even arrived.

But perhaps we were wrong to ignore the GTS, because on paper it's a refreshingly pure supercar in the context of more modern rivals: mid-engined, rear-drive, with no batteries or electric motors in sight, all of its power coming from a 4-litre twin-turbo V8 alone – a rare thing in 2025. Having eight cylinders instead of six is a key point of difference to the Artura, so too the general approach of the car, says McLaren. It's been engineered to have a more rounded, refined character, to fulfil the GT part of its name. This extends to the tuning of its suspension and electro-hydraulic steering, plus the trimming, insulation and packaging of the interior, which includes an expansive rear luggage area that extends from behind the seats, over the engine and to the tail.