At first I thought the 650s had the better looking front end, but I gotta say, after about a month of looking at the two, I think the front end of this mp4-12c is absolutely freaking beautiful.
Drove an Ariel Atom from Portland, Oregon to Ashland, Oregon and back. The Atom's lightening acceleration being very equal to its F1 suspension, it is better suited to the track then used as a road going tourer. After hours of wind-blast from semi trucks, pounding of rough pavement and a screaming supercharger beside my helmet, it was exhausting. Yet it remains an amazing experience few people get the chance to realize.
I'm from Sydney Australia, I flew to the USA Hired a dodge Charger and drove from LA to San Diego, Vegas, Death valley, Yosemite and San fran... It was AWESOME!
Great review. I'm 6'6" and about your build. You hit the nail on the head speaking to comfort over the course of a long drive. Most excellent overall review.
Last summer my dad and I went on a very similar route that you took. it was a really memorable experience for me even though we drove it in a rented camry. We drove from Las Vegas to Boulder and stopped at the Hoover Dam along the way. The entire time I was thinking of what supercar I would be driving along the very same roads in a few years. I think this video answers that question, thanks for posting. Hope you make more videos like this one.
It is wonderful that car companies are finally realizing that tall folks like sporty cars also.I am 6.5 ft tall. I was so happy when I could sit comfortably in the BRZ. I purchased a manual BRZ. I live in Maryland .I had to pick it up on long island NY. It was a holiday weekend and the traffic avoidance on the nav took me way into NJ. It was a blast driving around on the back roads of NJ and down though Delaware and over the bay bridge. The long way home. I averaged 34.5 mpg on that trip.
Love road trips in sports cars. Drove from San Francisco to L.A. then across the country to VA in my E24 M6. Great trip. Have a 996 turbo now, will be taking that up to Canada this winter.
BreeOhSix Black Magic has a spray bottle for quick cleaning tar, bugs, and road debris from your vehicle. idk why they didnt use that or any other of the many products that can be found at an auto parts store or even target/walmart
+BreeOhSix for sure, I cringed when I saw that but if some successful guy gets a new car in that price range every couple of years he probably doesn't care.
my best 'road trip' wasnt really a long road trip but it was a supercar meet...about 40-50 cars, we started off in the LA-Hollywood area made our way out to the beach, up PCH and then into the malibu canyons finally arriving at Calabasas, took the whole day with the few stops we made, but very fun
Yes, the paddles is a solid piece that pivots on its vertical axis that is positioned on the center of its lateral axis. This prevents inexperience drivers from hitting the up and down shifter at the same time.
Wow that's awesome!! first time i have ever watched a video like this and they were in Colorado, i recognized my home town in a few shots lol, Canon City, thats cool!!
Hahaha, very funny episode. I found this video because I recently saw a silver on black MP4 here in Boulder, CO. Ironic that the video goes to Boulder, UT. But anyways, fantastic car and fantastic review!
Great video, great car! The more I learn about this car and see it, the more I like it! The 2013 has about 625 hp too! I'll take mine in this exact color scheme!!
ive never done a road trip until next month when i take on a trip in my car from illinois to colorado in a 2006 volkswagen jetta 2.0t. i think ill be fine(80,000 mile service gets done next week,transmission fluid was just done yesterday and 70 to 80% tread left on my continental dws tires) life is good
Did a similar trip Colorado to California via the Hoover Dam in my own supercar; a hot rod 62 Nova. Way fun. But it was summer and about 140 degrees on the Dam!
Best road trip; Detroit to Las Vegas 3 days cross country in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo Z34. On a Utah road averaged 105 mph over and hour. Not to mention my mountain bike was hanging on for dear life off the trunk mounted bike rack. The 21 speed was literally flying behind the car.
Chicago-Phoenix non-stop 30 hours, PontiacG6, w a U-Haul. Pretty crazy driving alone. I am certain I hallucinated from fatigue in Phoenix. Fun fact: A twisty high-speed downhill section between Flagstaff - Phoenix I recall reading a road sign: DANGEROUS CROSSWINDS...Pff...I said...we get plenty of that in Chicago. Intuitively, while doing around 80, I checked the mirror that only showed 'U-HAUL' Can't tell u how close from exiting my body my heart was when I saw that sign in a 30 degree angle!
I believe you are correct sir. I love my MINI with the stick, I would like a MP4, but can not come close to buying one. Dual clutch gear boxes courtesy F1, you don't need a stick anymore.
Awesome video. Best road trip I've had was to Mt Rushmore and then devils tower. Saw a run away cow with the owner and his dog chasing it. I honked my hienz and the cow stopped to change direction. Hope the guy actual caught his runaway cow.
Not the longest trip in the world, but my favourite roastrip would have to this past summer driving from Calgary to Vancouver in my GTI. Not quite as fast as the Mclaren, but super fun on those winding mountain roads.
Bretagne - France to Oslo - Norway in one go, about 27 hours in an Audi A4. Just coffee breaks to keep my eyes open. Fun fact: on the autobahn somewhere in the pitch black night (no street lights) doing about 200 kph I saw a street sign saying look out for deer... Like I would have had any chance stopping when visibility was only as far as my headlights would go... lol, guess I should have slowed down.
I appreciate that Mclaren has made a supercar that can be comfy, but I would save it for the track. If I was a multimillionaire, I'd get that MP4-12c, but I'd still buy a 5 series or a6/7 for my long trips. 0-60 in less than 6 secs, a comfy leather/wood interior for long travel, sedan practicality, and the comfort of knowing my MP4-12c is safe at home for next track weekend.
friend and i drove an aston martin vantage from ohio back to texas a couple of years ago. badass v8 sound and divine looks did not make up for a horribly uncomfortable drivers seat (but not the passenger's oddly enough) and a rather difficult clutch and shifter.. graceland was awesome though!
I use a beltronics sti driver. Its the best one i have ever used hands down. I had a valentine one and it is sweet too. Be prepared to spend some money though.
Only Car and Driver could make a video about such a spectacular car so over the top boring. Back to MotorTrend. Oh, and thanks for making my GF sad with the dead bunny and treating it like a piece of crap by tossing it into a bush. Class act as always.
Love this car and road trip. The best road trip I've done was in 2010. My mate and I drove from Tokyo to London via Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Europe. Next up we are hoping to drive from alaska to Argentina.
Its just following the heritage of their F1 race cars, The 2013 F1 car is called the MP4-28, same engineers designed the road car as did the race car so it makes sense
I have had good luck with Toyota's also. My last car was the 2000 Celica. I have had many Corolla's back to the 80's. For a long time the 911 was the only real exotic (if you want to call it that) that tall folks could enjoy. I wanted the 83 Supra I could not fit in that one.
That really depends on your definition of "better", McLaren designed this car to be as fast as possible which necessitated an automatic box. You state that "the Japanese have already proven the fast is not better" but the most celebrated car to come from Japan in recent memory is the GT-R, a car that sacrifices everything for speed, much like the other big Japanese performance machine, the Mitsubishi EVO.
At first I thought the 650s had the better looking front end, but I gotta say, after about a month of looking at the two, I think the front end of this mp4-12c is absolutely freaking beautiful.
+Nate Von Hartleben Agreed, its the more elegant car. More reminiscent of the mclaren f1, one of the cleanest styled cars ever.
In fact, I did not like the looks of MP4-12C at all when it launched but now I absolutely love it.
wow this country sure have a wide open road and seems nice to drive a car like that, unlike my country with million speedbumps and potholes
Drove an Ariel Atom from Portland, Oregon to Ashland, Oregon and back. The Atom's lightening acceleration being very equal to its F1 suspension, it is better suited to the track then used as a road going tourer. After hours of wind-blast from semi trucks, pounding of rough pavement and a screaming supercharger beside my helmet, it was exhausting. Yet it remains an amazing experience few people get the chance to realize.
I think the 12C has gotten better looking with age. Not many cars do that.
Holy man he's 6'7!
This is why I subbed to your channel in the first place, to see video of the articles I have read every month for the past 20 years.
Awesome video! Loved reading this article in your magazine too.
The MP4-12C looks great! The 458 looks great too. Both awesome machines.
I'm from Sydney Australia, I flew to the USA Hired a dodge Charger and drove from LA to San Diego, Vegas, Death valley, Yosemite and San fran... It was AWESOME!
Great review. I'm 6'6" and about your build. You hit the nail on the head speaking to comfort over the course of a long drive. Most excellent overall review.
Last summer my dad and I went on a very similar route that you took. it was a really memorable experience for me even though we drove it in a rented camry. We drove from Las Vegas to Boulder and stopped at the Hoover Dam along the way. The entire time I was thinking of what supercar I would be driving along the very same roads in a few years. I think this video answers that question, thanks for posting. Hope you make more videos like this one.
It is wonderful that car companies are finally realizing that tall folks like sporty cars also.I am 6.5 ft tall. I was so happy when I could sit comfortably in the BRZ. I purchased a manual BRZ. I live in Maryland .I had to pick it up on long island NY. It was a holiday weekend and the traffic avoidance on the nav took me way into NJ. It was a blast driving around on the back roads of NJ and down though Delaware and over the bay bridge. The long way home. I averaged 34.5 mpg on that trip.
I had the pleasure of seeing one of these in action at the start of the GUMBALL RALLY in NYC! Spectacular car!!
When he changed down two gears to overtake, and the grin on his face... it was like a dog getting a bone haha
this a true test . a long drive that takes a few days. very nice video !
Videos great by the way! Thanks for that
I like how you guys are keeping it light. Let's see more of this!
I drove out to Colorado last year in October. Thanks for reminding me how beautiful the scenery is out there!
Best thing Car and Driver's put on youtube to date.
Nice road trip. Thanks for taking us with you on your "ride on the wild side".
I saw one of these the other day.. they're amazing
Love road trips in sports cars. Drove from San Francisco to L.A. then across the country to VA in my E24 M6. Great trip. Have a 996 turbo now, will be taking that up to Canada this winter.
Nice video. Pretty sweet road trip.
Wow! Showing respect for the car is awesome, that extra bit of effort is cool.
Windex and paper towels to clean a McLaren?!! Are you kidding me?! Buy a pack of microfiber towels and some spray detailer a least.
BreeOhSix Black Magic has a spray bottle for quick cleaning tar, bugs, and road debris from your vehicle. idk why they didnt use that or any other of the many products that can be found at an auto parts store or even target/walmart
+BreeOhSix for sure, I cringed when I saw that but if some successful guy gets a new car in that price range every couple of years he probably doesn't care.
Can you guys do more of these types of videos? I really enjoyed this one.
my best 'road trip' wasnt really a long road trip but it was a supercar meet...about 40-50 cars, we started off in the LA-Hollywood area made our way out to the beach, up PCH and then into the malibu canyons finally arriving at Calabasas, took the whole day with the few stops we made, but very fun
really cool vid.
Yes, the paddles is a solid piece that pivots on its vertical axis that is positioned on the center of its lateral axis. This prevents inexperience drivers from hitting the up and down shifter at the same time.
Enoyed the trip. Thanks.
Wow that's awesome!! first time i have ever watched a video like this and they were in Colorado, i recognized my home town in a few shots lol, Canon City, thats cool!!
Hahaha, very funny episode. I found this video because I recently saw a silver on black MP4 here in Boulder, CO. Ironic that the video goes to Boulder, UT. But anyways, fantastic car and fantastic review!
6:05 "where go the cows there goes the poop" good one!
Great video, great car! The more I learn about this car and see it, the more I like it! The 2013 has about 625 hp too! I'll take mine in this exact color scheme!!
Great video love the car very nice
Great place to test out the car!
LOL I love the way they quoted Luda.
ive never done a road trip until next month when i take on a trip in my car from illinois to colorado in a 2006 volkswagen jetta 2.0t. i think ill be fine(80,000 mile service gets done next week,transmission fluid was just done yesterday and 70 to 80% tread left on my continental dws tires) life is good
Winterset IA to Milledgeville GA. 1998 Ford Escort. Loved that day looking forward to my next one in about 3 weeks in a 2012 Focus.
Appearance-wise, its almost like Lamborghini and Ferrari had a baby. Stunning.
Did a similar trip Colorado to California via the Hoover Dam in my own supercar; a hot rod 62 Nova. Way fun. But it was summer and about 140 degrees on the Dam!
This is cool!
Beautiful!
Great film, great car.
Best road trip; Detroit to Las Vegas 3 days cross country in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo Z34. On a Utah road averaged 105 mph over and hour. Not to mention my mountain bike was hanging on for dear life off the trunk mounted bike rack. The 21 speed was literally flying behind the car.
car and driver YOU ROCK!!
"The problem with cows is that when they're not being delicious, they're pooping" That statement is greatness
How oh how does a turbo'd car sound that good!!! So impressive, hats off to Mclaren for that
Chicago-Phoenix non-stop 30 hours, PontiacG6, w a U-Haul. Pretty crazy driving alone. I am certain I hallucinated from fatigue in Phoenix. Fun fact: A twisty high-speed downhill section between Flagstaff - Phoenix I recall reading a road sign: DANGEROUS CROSSWINDS...Pff...I said...we get plenty of that in Chicago. Intuitively, while doing around 80, I checked the mirror that only showed 'U-HAUL' Can't tell u how close from exiting my body my heart was when I saw that sign in a 30 degree angle!
I believe you are correct sir. I love my MINI with the stick, I would like a MP4, but can not come close to buying one. Dual clutch gear boxes courtesy F1, you don't need a stick anymore.
The coolest roadtrip I ever been on, Hmmm Im not sure you guys havent handed the keys to that beautiful McLaren yet
McLaren MP4 12-C is very AWSOME. That's truly freaking good. That's my friendly car. That's truly rocks.
Awesome video. Best road trip I've had was to Mt Rushmore and then devils tower. Saw a run away cow with the owner and his dog chasing it. I honked my hienz and the cow stopped to change direction. Hope the guy actual caught his runaway cow.
Not the longest trip in the world, but my favourite roastrip would have to this past summer driving from Calgary to Vancouver in my GTI. Not quite as fast as the Mclaren, but super fun on those winding mountain roads.
they really quoted ludacris... lmao "lady on the street and a freak in the bed" yeah!
Nice!
Toyota Supra MkIII, Toyota Aristo, Toyota Soarer, Toyota Supra MkIV...
I'm 1.93m (6' 4") and I've owned them all very comfortably.
Bretagne - France to Oslo - Norway in one go, about 27 hours in an Audi A4. Just coffee breaks to keep my eyes open. Fun fact: on the autobahn somewhere in the pitch black night (no street lights) doing about 200 kph I saw a street sign saying look out for deer...
Like I would have had any chance stopping when visibility was only as far as my headlights would go... lol, guess I should have slowed down.
I appreciate that Mclaren has made a supercar that can be comfy, but I would save it for the track. If I was a multimillionaire, I'd get that MP4-12c, but I'd still buy a 5 series or a6/7 for my long trips. 0-60 in less than 6 secs, a comfy leather/wood interior for long travel, sedan practicality, and the comfort of knowing my MP4-12c is safe at home for next track weekend.
friend and i drove an aston martin vantage from ohio back to texas a couple of years ago. badass v8 sound and divine looks did not make up for a horribly uncomfortable drivers seat (but not the passenger's oddly enough) and a rather difficult clutch and shifter.. graceland was awesome though!
Looks beautiful in white
never seen this car in white, looks stellar!
It looks so good in white :O
I use a beltronics sti driver. Its the best one i have ever used hands down. I had a valentine one and it is sweet too. Be prepared to spend some money though.
Good video
one cow should be very proud;) how sad she probably doesn't know... amazing car and good video. Greetings
Smooth as a rolls
Your English is not bad. In fact, the parentheses were well used. lol Happy New Year.
Hahaha...I was thinking the same exact thing! "Windex, really dude?! No no no!"
Fastest car I've been in is a Ferrari F355. Loved every second of it!
nice video
magnificent car
"The problems with cows is that when they are not being delicious they are pooping" I'm still laughing.
Only Car and Driver could make a video about such a spectacular car so over the top boring. Back to MotorTrend. Oh, and thanks for making my GF sad with the dead bunny and treating it like a piece of crap by tossing it into a bush. Class act as always.
Love this car and road trip. The best road trip I've done was in 2010. My mate and I drove from Tokyo to London via Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Europe. Next up we are hoping to drive from alaska to Argentina.
Did you ever get to do that other trip?
More shows like this please and less of the shows with the bad drivers.
It was nice to hear how tall he is because i'm 6'4'' so it's nice to know us tall people can still fit in those supercars :)
Oh, and subscribed :)
GOD i wish i owned one of these.. one of the best all-round supercars to date
Gotta have that Laser/Radar Detector in there. lol
I wish more car companies (eg. aston martin) would use this mclarens excellent suspension!
I see your point from a racing point of view, but nothing beats a traditional manual transmission when it comes to enjoyment.
This car is one of my dream cars, maybe one day I will get to own or drive one.
would this be a good car to have for everyday use as well?
8:02 the smile of burning excessive petrol.. YES i love it too :-P
Its just following the heritage of their F1 race cars,
The 2013 F1 car is called the MP4-28,
same engineers designed the road car as did the race car so it makes sense
props for covering the car...
Feels like "road trips" are a popular thing with auto journalist lately
7:15 poor dog, he says do not touch me i would just get done with the car pack up and just go for a 10 min petting session of that cute dog.
9:26 why did the shifter move on its own? does flicking one paddle affect the other like a seesaw effect?
I nearly cringed when he wiped it with a paper towel. That's a great way to scratch the paint on your quarter million dollar car.
it won't scratch if the surface is wet.
nubserver It most definitely would still scratch the paint.
a wet paper towel will not scratch...
You're ignorant if you think just because the mud and poop is wet it won't still scratch the paint
I have had good luck with Toyota's also. My last car was the 2000 Celica. I have had many Corolla's back to the 80's. For a long time the 911 was the only real exotic (if you want to call it that) that tall folks could enjoy. I wanted the 83 Supra I could not fit in that one.
you're the coolest jared. you shoulda baked that rabbit on the exhaust manifold though
The paddle shifter in the McLaren is a toggle, meaning they are connected so he pulled the other side and the side we saw moved backward.
Is the paint just white or is it in pearl white? I truly love the paint job on this car! :)
What is the track that plays after Jared says "Right about in the middle of nowhere" For those who say sound hound i tried that already
That really depends on your definition of "better", McLaren designed this car to be as fast as possible which necessitated an automatic box. You state that "the Japanese have already proven the fast is not better" but the most celebrated car to come from Japan in recent memory is the GT-R, a car that sacrifices everything for speed, much like the other big Japanese performance machine, the Mitsubishi EVO.
the trouble with cows is when they're not being delicious they're pooping lmao!
what radar detector do you use? i.e. what do you recommend?
Best Supercar road trip? I've had allot. The one where I picked up my Ferrari Testarossa in Menomenee, MI, and drove to Phoenix was brilliant.