The McLaren GT was about to enter its fourth year on the market. Instead, the Woking, England, sports car company (now wholly owned by Bahrain’s Mumtalakat sovereign wealth fund) decided on a mid-cycle refresh and a name change. The upgraded coupe is called the GTS, its twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 making 626 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque, 14 more horses than the GT with the same torque. The gain comes courtesy of a new tune for ignition timing and combustion phasing. Power-to-weight makes the move we like to see as well, McLaren cutting 22 pounds from the GTS compared to the GT thanks to a recycled carbon fiber roof and a carbon fiber rear structure. The 0-60 time is unmoved at 3.1 seconds, but the haul to 124 miles per hour comes 0.1 second sooner at 8.9 seconds. Optional titanium lug nuts shed even more weight.
This is all about being sharper, not faster, though. Starts with the bodywork, new front intakes and taller side scoops lending a touch more aggression. The blades lining the front intakes, as well as other garnish areas around the coupe like the side mirror caps, come standard in gloss black but can be optioned with gloss carbon fiber. A Stealth Package goes further by blacking out the badges and tinting places like the mirror caps and window surrounds.
Even better, we’re told the steering’s been recalibrated. We hope that means more of the telepathic clarity McLaren’s sports cars demonstrate; the GT’s comparably muted liveliness was one of our few nitpicks on the grand tourer. Carbon ceramic stoppers come standard now, supplanting the standard iron discs on the GT. Last up for the functional changes, the front lift system gets the nose raised 0.8 inch in half the time as in the GT, four seconds instead of eight.
Inside, the digital gauge cluster downsizes to 10.25 inches from 12.3 inches. The seven-inch infotainment screen carries over, able to conduct the details of an optional 12-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system. We’d recommend the stereo — McLaren sells the GTS with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, encouraging long hours at high speed and high volume.
Standard customization options expand with a new Ice White, Mantis Green, Lava Grey, and Tanzanite Blue paints. There are soft-grain aniline leather seats available with double-piping, new contrast stitching, and heating depending on whether one chooses the Standard, Performance, or TechLux trim. An optional Turbine 10-spoke forged alloy wheel in five finishes is exclusive to this car.
Reservations are open now, as is the configurator. McLaren didn’t advertise a price, but the 2023 GT started at just under $210,000.
