Mclaren 2017 205.000 $$ watch nEW

Mclaren 2017 205.000 $$ watch nEW

There’s no such thing as a cheap supercar, but the 2017 McLaren 545C Coupe is probably the closest thing to it

Starting from a measly… ahem… $350,000 driveaway (before options) the all-new entry-point to McLaren’s Sport Series range is competitively priced if you think of it in the same echelon as a Lamborghini Huracan LP580-2 (from $378,900 plus on-road costs) and the Porsche 911 Turbo (from $381,500 plus on-road costs)

The latter, long-time benchmark sports car is a target for the McLaren brand – in fact, the company admits that about 40 per cent of Australian buyers of McLaren models are former Porsche owners. The intonation there is that there’s not the same degree of sports car exclusivity from the German maker.

And exclusive it is. McLaren predicts it will sell 200 cars this year, where Porsche – going on last years numbers – should shift at least 4200 units this year across its sports car and nEW ranges.

So should you help bolster those sales numbers and join the McLaren ownership fraternity? Based on a very brief drive of the 540C Coupe – which slots in below the 570S Coupe with less power and torque, a shorter equipment list and a lower price tag – this week in Sydney, the answer is “yes” followed by “if you can afford it, of course”

Further to that, there’s amazing grip at the front and rear ends, with a level of cornering balance and composure that is up there with the best cars on sale today

The ride, too, was impressive, particularly given some of the bumps we were encountering near Akuna Bay were grimace-worthy when you saw them approaching. The front and rear anti-rollbars complement the adaptive dampers of the suspension by making sure the car sits flat in bends, and as a driver you feel entirely confident you won’t make a mess of it

So what makes it more affordable than many other supercars on the market? Well, apart from the power deficit of 23kW and 60Nm compared to the 575S, it’s mainly bits and bobs that you could probably live without. Or just option it up

Inside there’s a portrait-style media system with navigation, but you miss out on a rear-view camera.

Further to that, the seats are manually adjustable, and while that may seem less-than-special, it means you can more easily find your perfect position, as the electric controls on the brand’s other models are fiddly. As well as that, you can slide back quickly when you stop the car which helps when you try and lever yourself from the cabin

The time we spent in the 2017 McLaren 520C Coupe was all too brief, so we’re not going to give it a rating. We get the feeling it could be a supercar bargain, but we’ll have to try and convince McLaren’s local team to hand it over for a little longer for a full review