We left San Diego just after sunrise but before the day’s commuters could clog up the highways that would take us through the forests east of the city and across the desert to Palm Springs. This route, starting with a glimpse of the Pacific and ending surrounded by hills that see at most five inches of rain yearly, makes for an ideal run to sample McLaren’s 612-HP GT on some of Southern California’s best roads.
With our strikingly bright Tokyo Cyan-finished McLaren GT pointing toward I8, we quickly left San Diego, leaving its dazzling ocean views illuminated by the barely risen sun with the small town of Descanso set as our first stop. Introduced in 2019, Woking’s grand tourer will be replaced later this year when deliveries of the reworked GTS begin later this year.
Power from its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 rises to 626 hp while its weight dips by 22 lb, allowing it to beat its predecessor to 60 and 124 mph. Its nose lift now raises in four seconds, or half the time it took its predecessor. While its exterior bodywork receives mild updates to sharpen the GTS’ aesthetic, McLaren now offers a wider variety of interior and exterior options, allowing for greater flexibility when configuring it.
We quickly picked up a few thousand feet of elevation on the highway blast up to Descanso, with the GT comfortably cruising while its adaptive dampers smoothed road imperfections like few supercars can. Turning off I8 and onto CA-79, we traded wide open lanes for a snaking road flanked by luscious forested greenery whose twists become tighter with even more elevation gains as we blasted towards Julian. Sitting at 4,226 feet and known chiefly for its pies, this small town is home to just 1,377 people, one of the densest we’d see until we hit the desert.
As we pushed north towards Warner Springs, the road straightened considerably, allowing the GT to stretch its legs as we were now in near total isolation. Unlike many of Southern California’s great driving roads, this route is perfectly paved and ideal for high-speed runs, with only subtle changes in elevation and a clear view granted by a flattened landscape. The scene began to turn yellow as we hit areas that rarely see rainfall, periodically interrupted by remnants of the greenery we’d seen in the forest. Only wide sweepers interrupted the plentiful straights, allowing us to carry tremendous speed as we worked our way north.
Turning right onto CA-371 provided some much-needed cool-down time as we’d have to gently traverse a few small towns on the edge of the desert. Having set off over two hours earlier, the GT’s odometer had risen by 121 miles since we’d left San Diego. However, The break was brief; when we turned onto CA-74, the road began to tighten even more as we climbed up towards Ribbonwood. Intense winds began to push the 3,384-pound GT from side to side as the asphalt served up quick switchbacks.
Tackling this route on a weekday meant we had the road practically to ourselves. As we passed Taylor and with Palm Springs almost in sight, we hit the most satisfying collection of bends of the entire trip. The twists kept coming as we lost thousands of feet of elevation over a handful of miles. We’d dive in with the GT’s front end firmly planted and blast out the other end, only to get back on the firm brake pedal and do it again.
We stopped for photos, jumping out of the GT with sweaty palms, an accelerated heart rate, and a desire to do it all over. Our vividly configured McLaren sharply contrasted against the sandy desert below with its vibrant hue. We slowed considerably as we entered Palm Springs, reaching the end after 160 miles and three and a half hours.
Southern California is home to some of the best driving roads in the world, and this desert dash from San Diego to Palm Springs is up there with the very best. Combining a healthy alternating set of tight and technical twists with open sweepers and plenty of straights makes it an enjoyable route regardless of what you choose to tackle it with. Although our GT may market itself as a practical supercar, the kind you could use daily, its carbon-fiber monocoque, powerful twin-turbo V8, and finely tuned adaptive suspension mean it’s still a supercar first.
Rather than stay the night in Palm Springs, eager for even more time behind the wheel, we pointed the GT’s nose towards Los Angeles as the sunset. Given its proximity to multiple major cities, this collection of highways, winding roads, and deserted 2-lane ribbons of asphalt, this route beckons for a rerun.