McLaren 675LT: which 3.8 DSG to choose (weight, top speed, torque band)
The McLaren 675LT has one generation (from 2015-01-01, no end date in the data) and one body: Cabrio. Both catalogue versions share the name 3.8 DSG. They are not the same car. Distinguish them by kerb weight, top speed, and where peak torque is quoted: 3.8 DSG at 1270 kg / 326 km/h / 700 Nm at 5000–6500 versus 3.8 DSG at 1230 kg / 330 km/h / 700 Nm at 5500–6500.
McLaren 675LT: which 3.8 DSG to choose (weight, top speed, torque band)
The McLaren 675LT has one generation (from 2015-01-01, no end date in the data) and one body: Cabrio. Both catalogue versions share the name 3.8 DSG. They are not the same car. Distinguish them by kerb weight, top speed, and where peak torque is quoted: 3.8 DSG at 1270 kg / 326 km/h / 700 Nm at 5000–6500 versus 3.8 DSG at 1230 kg / 330 km/h / 700 Nm at 5500–6500. Power is identical: 675 hp (496 kW) at 7100 rpm from 3799 cm³ Gasoline, 8 cylinders, V-shaped, Turbo, Central, Direct injection (direct), 4 valves per cylinder, 93 × 69.9, fuel 98. Gearbox and drive are identical: Robotic, 7, RWD. 0–100 km/h is 2.9 s on both. Ground clearance is 99 mm on both. CO2 is 275 on both. Fuel use, tank, wheels, gross weight, eco class, and compression ratio are not measured on the heavier 3.8 DSG; the lighter 3.8 DSG has city / highway / mixed 17.5 / 8.5 / 11.7, while tank, wheels, gross weight, eco class, and compression remain not measured.
675LT specs: two 3.8 DSG versions, same name
| Version | hp @ rpm | Nm @ rpm | cm³ | Fuel | Cylinders | Layout | Boost | Gearbox | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.8 DSG (1270 kg, 326 km/h) | 675 @ 7100 | 700 @ 5000–6500 | 3799 | Gasoline | 8 | V-shaped | Turbo | Robotic 7 | RWD |
| 3.8 DSG (1230 kg, 330 km/h) | 675 @ 7100 | 700 @ 5500–6500 | 3799 | Gasoline | 8 | V-shaped | Turbo | Robotic 7 | RWD |
There is no second generation to “buy newer.” Both 3.8 DSG lines start 2015-01-01 with stop not measured. Choice is inside generation 1, Cabrio, two modifications.
Engine: same 675 hp, different torque window
Specific output is the same on both 3.8 DSG versions: 675 hp / 3.799 l ≈ 177.7 hp per litre. Peak torque is 700 Nm on both. The difference is the band:
- 3.8 DSG (1270 kg): 700 Nm from 5000 to 6500 rpm — 1500 rpm wide, starting 500 rpm earlier.
- 3.8 DSG (1230 kg): 700 Nm from 5500 to 6500 rpm — 1000 rpm wide.
The heavier 3.8 DSG therefore lists the same 700 Nm over a wider, lower-starting window. Peak power rpm is 7100 on both. Boost is Turbo on both. Fuel is 98 on both. Do not invent a different cylinder count or layout: both are 8, V-shaped, Central, Direct injection (direct), 4 valves per cylinder, 93 × 69.9.
Performance: 0–100 identical, top speed not
0–100 km/h is 2.9 s on both 3.8 DSG versions. That figure does not decide the purchase.
Top speed does:
- 3.8 DSG (1270 kg): 326 km/h
- 3.8 DSG (1230 kg): 330 km/h — +4 km/h
The lighter 3.8 DSG is the faster catalogue car at the top end. The heavier 3.8 DSG is not slower to 100 km/h in these data; it is 4 km/h lower at vmax.
CO2 is 275 on both. Eco class is not measured on either.
Weight: 40 kg is the real split
Kerb weight:
- 3.8 DSG (326 km/h): 1270 kg
- 3.8 DSG (330 km/h): 1230 kg
Difference: 40 kg (about 3.1% lighter on the 1230 kg car). Gross weight is not measured on either.
Mass per horsepower:
- 1270 / 675 ≈ 1.88 kg/hp
- 1230 / 675 ≈ 1.82 kg/hp
The lighter 3.8 DSG is about 0.06 kg/hp keener on paper. Power-to-weight:
- 675 / 1270 ≈ 0.531 hp/kg
- 675 / 1230 ≈ 0.549 hp/kg
Ground clearance is 99 mm on both — not a reason to pick one 3.8 DSG over the other. Wheel sizes are not measured on either. Tank volume is not measured on either.
Suspension is Independent, spring front and rear on both. Brakes are Ceramic ventilated front and rear on both. Those fields do not separate the two 3.8 DSG versions.
mpg / fuel: only one 3.8 DSG is measured
Fuel consumption:
- 3.8 DSG (1270 kg, 326 km/h): city not measured, highway not measured, mixed not measured.
- 3.8 DSG (1230 kg, 330 km/h): city 17.5, highway 8.5, mixed 11.7.
If you need a mixed figure in the catalogue, only the lighter 3.8 DSG has one. Absence on the heavier 3.8 DSG is not “zero use”; it is not measured. Tank is not measured on both, so range cannot be calculated from these data.
Highway versus city on the measured 3.8 DSG: 17.5 city vs 8.5 highway — city is 9.0 higher than highway; mixed 11.7 sits between them.
Dimensions: what is known vs not measured
Known on both 3.8 DSG versions: kerb weight (1270 vs 1230), ground clearance 99 mm.
Not measured on both: gross weight, tank, wheels.
Do not treat missing wheels or tank as “this 675LT has no wheels / no tank.” The catalogue did not measure them.
Which 3.8 DSG to choose
There is no price in the data, so “extra money” cannot be stated in currency. What the numbers buy is this:
Choose 3.8 DSG (1230 kg, 330 km/h, 700 Nm at 5500–6500) if you want the lower kerb weight (−40 kg vs 1270), the higher top speed (+4 km/h vs 326), the slightly lower kg/hp (1.82 vs 1.88), and a published fuel set (17.5 / 8.5 / 11.7). This is the only 3.8 DSG with measured consumption. Torque peak starts later (5500 vs 5000).
Choose 3.8 DSG (1270 kg, 326 km/h, 700 Nm at 5000–6500) if the wider, lower torque band matters more than 40 kg and 4 km/h: 700 Nm from 5000, not 5500, over 1500 rpm instead of 1000. You accept 326 km/h instead of 330, 1270 kg instead of 1230, and fuel, tank, and wheels all not measured.
Do not choose by generation. Generation 1 is the only generation. Both versions are Cabrio, both from 2015-01-01, both Robotic 7 RWD, both 675 hp / 700 Nm / 3799 / Gasoline / Turbo / 2.9 s to 100 / CO2 275 / clearance 99 / Ceramic ventilated brakes / Independent, spring suspension.
Do not choose by horsepower. Both 3.8 DSG versions are 675 hp and 496 kW at 7100. The name collision is real: use weight, vmax, and torque rpm, not the badge.
Arithmetic recap (from these data only): same litres, same hp, same 0–100, same CO2, same clearance; −40 kg, +4 km/h, and a measured 11.7 mixed on the lighter 3.8 DSG; +500 rpm earlier start of 700 Nm on the heavier 3.8 DSG. That is the whole buying split.