The massive side mirrors give great visibility and extend off of the car by long, aerodynamically sculpted arms.
Due to the low hood and dash, the view out of the front of the car is so good that you feel like you should be able to see your own feet. The front grills feed the two large air to water heat exchangers for the air to water intercoolers mounted in the engine bay. This reduces the charge pipe length to improve throttle response.Outward visibility is excellent and similar to an NSX whose cockpit was inspired by the 360-degree view canopy of an F16 Fighter. The 12C’s very low dash and small gauge cluster gives an unobstructed view of the road ahead of you which is framed by the muscular haunches of the front fenders. The view is so good it makes parking easy since you can see the parking block pretty much until you need to stop to avoid smashing in to it. The side view windows allow for good visibility and the large side mirrors help make up for the slight lack of rear visibility which is completely eliminated when the air brake deploys.
Each door has its own climate controls which give the 12C a very symmetrical interior that continues the simple theme.The 12C has dual-zone climate control which is located on each door with its own knob, temperature display, and independent fan speed. The center console is reserved for McLaren’s touch-screen IRIS Android-based entertainment, media, and navigation system with a full web browser and built-in Wi-Fi which is part of the 2014 update. The 12Cs were initially released with more of a ‘beta’ version of the IRIS software that a lot of the owners did not like. I have to commend McLaren for having these software updates to improve their product for their customers. As far as comfort and daily drivability goes, it’s hard to beat supportive seats with seat warmers and luxurious suede and high quality leather all around you.
In between the seats are the main driving control buttons from the parking brake to the Neutral, Reverse, and Drive buttons.
Above that on the center console within easy visibility and reach are the driver-focused controls. There is a button for Winter driving, a button for Launch Control, an “Active” button, two knobs and the Start/Stop button.On the center console, there are two main driving dynamic control knobs. A handling (H) knob on the left and Powertrain (P) knob on the right which both have three settings: Normal, Sport, and Track. Prior to adjusting these you need to push the “Active” button that’s in between and below the two knobs. Within the H knob is an Aero button which raises the rear wing and activates the airbrake under heavy baking; and within the P knob is the Manual button, which allows manual shifting via the steering-wheel mounted paddles. Below that is a Winter button which slows down the response of the car’s controls for driving on very low grip surfaces and next to that is the Launch Control button.
Once you know where everything is and what thy stand for, the simple layout is quite intuitive; but it almost takes a semester to figure everything out; including Launch Control.
LAUNCH CONTROL:
-Press down the brake with your left foot and hold.
-Push the “Active” button.
-Select the H & P modes (Normal for H, Track for P seems to be good).
-Push the Launch button.
-Floor the throttle with you right foot.
(The RPMs will build to 3,000rpm and the dash will show the boost building)
(Once the launch is ready):
-Release the brakes with your left foot for a minimal wheelspin launch and ~3.0 seconds to 60 with automatic up-shifts.
