• Not crash tested by Euro NCAP
• Sophisticated on-board electronics
• Rigid carbonfibre safety cell

It’s the norm for high-performance and specialist cars to miss out on being crash tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP and the McLaren 570GT is no exception – that’s not to suggest it’s remotely an unsafe car, though.

As you’d expect there’s the usual raft of airbags, a super-strong carbonfibre passenger cell and sophisticated electronics to control the car’s stability to varying degrees via the Normal, Sport and Track selectors. While this is a very easy car to drive fast the systems are designed so to prevent you getting into too much difficulty in the first place.

Ensuring you can see and be seen, especially at night, are full LED lights front and rear, while for a car capable of topping 200mph, we’d strongly recommend investing in the optional carbon ceramic brakes – pity they’re not standard at this price.

• Two boots although neither is large
• Lack of oddments storage in the cabin
• Daintily sized, easy to manoeuvre in town

With the addition of a third door to access a second boot – or Touring Deck – the McLaren 570GT is a significantly more practical proposition than the 540C and 570S coupes, as well as every other high-performance car it competes directly with.

The nose cone hides 150 litres of boot space while there’s an extra 220 litres of leather-lined room immediately behind the cabin, on top of the engine. While it’s useful to have the extra space, it’s a shallow area limiting what you can carry in it.

Depending on which side the steering wheel’s located, the glass hinges on the left or the right – UK cars are attached on the right-hand side allowing you to access the Touring Deck from the safety of the kerb, although it’s still a bit awkward to lean into.

You have to be selective about the odds and ends you intend to store in the cabin with particular emphasis in making them small and few in number. There’s the obligatory pair of cupholders mounted low down under the dashboard requiring all the dexterity of Mr Tickle to reach your beverages on the move.

Compact dimensions mean the 570GT isn’t especially daunting around town, although parking sensors and a reversing camera make the job even easier. Pity that the camera display is noticeably small on the dashboard-mounted vertical touchscreen – and the resolution is on the low side, too.