Supercars turn heads when they come roaring down the street, but as any responsible owner will tell you, they are not designed to do this very often. This can leave many wannabe supercar owners wondering if they can use their McLaren as a daily driver.
McLarens generally cannot be used as a daily driver. There are a lot of factors that go into deciding whether a car is suitable as a daily driver, and McLarens do not fit the bill. They are designed with the intent of impressive performance at the cost of daily comfort and reliability.
This is a grand oversimplification as McLaren supercars are incredible in their own right. While the focus of the manufacturer is on performance, spending a small fortune on a supercar means you get a host of benefits from your vehicle that may suit as a daily driver, and we discuss these below.
What Makes A Car A Good Daily Driver?
A daily driver is any car that you use for your day-to-day usage, whether it is going to work, picking up groceries, or dropping the kids off at school. Anyone who owns a supercar will tell you that most vehicles like those are not designed to be driven daily. You take a massive risk whenever you take the car out for a drive, but obviously you can’t just keep it imprisoned in your garage either.
Cars like these are meant to be driven. Not driving them is denying them their purpose. If you’re willing to take the plunge and make a supercar like a McLaren your daily driver, you need to make sure your car selection is well thought out, and it complements your daily life.
Fuel Consumption
For a supercar to be a good daily driver, it needs to offer reasonable gas mileage. Supercars often have awful mileage, even in comfort driving mode, so it’s an important consideration. The worse the mileage, the more often you need to get gas, and the more expensive and impractical it becomes.
You won’t find a highly economic supercar that gives you 40 mpg, but when your car is doing barely 10 mpg, you’re going to feel it. Supercars aren’t designed to be efficient – they’re designed to be fast and impressive. So, in order for a supercar to be a decent daily driver, some of this performance needs to be sacrificed in favor of better mileage.
Height Appropriate
Especially in the cities, it’s imperative that your car has a favorable or adjustable ride height. Supercars tend to be very low to the ground, essentially keeping their driver a few inches off the floor. It gives them that sleek, futuristic look that all such vehicles have. The downside is that these cars are terrible for daily driving, especially if your route has speed bumps.
If your daily route does not have speed bumps, or your chosen daily driver has unreasonably good suspension, or just isn’t hugging the tarmac all the time, then you won’t have this issue. It seems trivial to mention, but it’s necessary because even one odd bump will cause your heart to lurch into your throat. Never mind that, but you could damage the car too!
Comfort Mode
Most supercars come with the option of a comfort mode as a standard these days. This has softer suspension and easier steering, which is vital when driving around in traffic. Because of how standardized it is, you’ll be hard pressed to find a car without the comfort mode drive option. Nevertheless, it is important to make sure, especially for a daily driver.
Another overlooked factor is the field of view when it comes to engaging in traffic. Supercars don’t always have good visibility so you would need to be hyper-aware of other cars. There isn’t particular consideration given to this during the designing and manufacturing process, so when picking your ideal daily driver supercar, you should make sure that you’ve got good visibility.
Simple Maintenance
A daily driver sees a lot of hurt on the road. There are potholes, road debris, and reckless drivers. It will see a lot of wear and tear, even if you’re extremely careful. So, you must be sure that your daily driver is robust enough not to need constant servicing, but is also relatively easy to do maintenance work on in the first place.
The other issue with maintenance work on supercars is that they’re not produced in large numbers. A lot of components may even be hand-built and put together under one roof. That means it may not only be expensive to get any necessary repairs, but it also might take a long time too.
Practicality
Practicality is the final key thing to consider when thinking of a supercar as a daily driver. Manufacturers don’t give you lots of empty space to put groceries in when they could have used that space to give your supercar an even bigger engine. It seems like a trivial issue, but it’s important if you plan to use your car for daily errands.
If you have a large family, you’ll run into another problem as well. Supercars tend to be two-seater vehicles, which means they’re more aerodynamic, weigh a lot less, and perform better. The downside is that if you have kids, you don’t really have anywhere to put them! This can rule out a lot of supercars as daily drivers for some people.
Which McLarens Are Good Daily Drivers?
McLaren GT
Among all McLarens on offer, the GT stands out as the best daily driver option. It is an incredible piece of machinery with two different storage trunks, a monster engine, and decent visibility.
The iconic McLaren doors are still present, so you’re going to have trouble opening them in very cramped places – just make sure to give yourself plenty of room when you’re parking. The comfort mode is incredible, and the sports mode is… well, it’s a McLaren. There aren’t many cars that can compete!
McLaren MP4-12C
The MP4-12C is a special McLaren supercar that was designed and manufactured, from start to finish, by McLaren themselves. It uses a carbon fiber composite for its chassis and is a stunning car overall. The drawback is visibility, as there are a lot of blind spots, so if your city traffic is aggressive and bad, this would not be an ideal choice.
Like many supercars, it has doors that open up vertically. This, while wicked cool, is definitely not the most dignified way to exit your vehicle when you have to hold the door at a precise angle because the cramped city parking leaves you little room otherwise. The comfort of driving a 12C is unparalleled however, and the engine performance is as impressive as McLarens go.
McLaren 720S
The 720S makes for a decent compromise between the slow comfort of a daily driver and the completely outrageous monster on the road that supercars tend to be.
It’s practical, with decent storage. You will still struggle with parking, and maintenance requirements tend to be more frequent and cost more than its counterparts. Be wary of the suspension however, as the 720S is low to the ground so will need pretty clear roads with minimal bumps for a comfortable ride.
Does McLaren Make Good Daily Drivers?
McLaren doesn’t tend to make good daily drivers, but they do have some supercars that can be used for this purpose. They can compete with some good daily driver supercars in the same price range, but the bottom line is that these cars are made for performance, not everyday practicality.
Final Thoughts
McLarens are not the best supercars to make your daily driver. But if your lifestyle matches or complements the limitations these vehicles tend to have, and you choose the right option, you can have a brilliant supercar in your possession that you can take out every day.