2022 McLaren 765LT Spider PVOTY Review: Keep on Smiling

Strap yourself into the 2022 McLaren 765LT Spider as we did, and you'll quickly forget about its $490,810 as-tested price tag. In fact, you'll want to pawn all your belongings and sell your house just so you can keep driving it. Few cars deliver an experience like the 765LT Spider, and even fewer impress MotorTrend editors like the McLaren does.

"The level of performance, control, confidence, and precision the McLaren offers up is on another level, in another league, from another planet," senior features editor Jonny Lieberman said.

Corner after corner—whether you're on a track or your favorite canyon road—the 765LT Spider will let you push harder and harder as you accumulate more time behind its wheel; this kind of confidence in a supercar is notable. "Lap after lap," deputy editor Alexander Stoklosa said, "I found myself getting rapidly comfortable behind the wheel."

The 765LT Spider was electrifying to drive on Streets of Willow. "It's easily on another performance plane than anything else here," executive editor Mac Morrison said. "Such a race car feel from all of its inputs and reactions. I just kept smiling as I drove it." The mix of its power, suspension and steering feel, and the way it sounds will raise your hairs as adrenaline pounds through your veins. With Track mode on, the shifts are harsh but quick, and the steering feels razor sharp. Said director of editorial operations Mike Floyd: "It takes on any set of obstacles in its path and obliterates them."

On the Angeles Crest Highway finalist loop, the McLaren inspired even more confidence. The twisty mountain road was no challenge for the 765LT; instead, it allowed the McLaren to showcase its fantastic aerodynamics, grip, and obscene handling. "The grossly reduced mass makes everything feel so much more immediate: acceleration, braking, and turning," technical director Frank Markus said. Up and down the mountain, the car's dynamics garnered praise from every staffer.

But not everything is goldilocks, especially when compared against our Performance Vehicle of the Year criteria. Although every editor talked wistfully about its performance and handling, most judges complained about its tight cabin. Despite the car's wide body, the interior is cozy at best, and because everything was developed around a weight-savings strategy, there are no comfort features or cubbies to place your belongings. "Twice I got in a hot car, hit automatic climate and 69 degrees, and nothing happened," Markus said. "I had to hit a button marked 'quick cool.' Why on earth should I have to do that when it's set to automatic?" Similarly, Stoklosa questioned McLaren's decision on designing sport seats for the average American, not leaner folks. "I felt like a jump rope—the two ends were supported (butt and shoulders), but the middle was just kind of flopping about," he said.

And then comes value. At $490,810, it's hard to justify the 2022 McLaren 765LT Spider's price. Despite its fantastic driving abilities, almost every judge had trouble digesting its high cost.

So although we loved the way the car handled on the track and on public roads, it's far from perfect. Still, the 2022 McLaren 765LT Spider is one of the best driver's cars on the market right now.