Pottering about the leafy lanes of Surrey, I could be in the latest supermini from Nissan or Toyota, such is my steed's lack of truculence. But I'm not; no Japanese supermini ever offered a soundtrack or view from the driver's seat anything like this one. Or 616bhp and the ability to drive to the far side of 200mph. Welcome to the McLaren MP4-12C, tweaked for 2012 and more usable than ever.To see just how usable the revised McLaren is, we're spending a day driving it on road and track. We start off with a road route that takes in every type of road from village streets to dual-carriageways, so we can see how the McLaren copes with potholes, traffic calming, urban driving and all the stuff best tackled in a supermini or SUV, rather than a low-slung two-seater.Except this low-slung two-seater copes admirably with everything thrown at it. No surprises there of course; McLaren doesn't know the meaning of the word "compromise". Knowing that conventional steel suspension wouldn't allow the MP4-12C to shine on track and high street, McLaren came up with a fluid suspension system. Featuring adaptive damping, the 12C's suspension is interconnected hydraulically and linked to a gas-filled accumulator, allowing bespoke settings depending on road conditions and driver preference.The result of this jiggery pokery is a car that in Auto mode rides surprisingly well on potholed roads. It's not quite cosseting, but it's amazingly good, considering there are 30-profile tyres up front and 35s at the back.Going hand in hand with the fluid suspension, McLaren has also binned the anti-roll bars that have been a key feature of sportscars for decades. The result is an unnatural ability to control roll under heavy cornering, while decoupling the suspension in a straight line, for the best possible wheel articulation.All this technology – and more – is tamed via a system called ProActive Chassis Control. A pair of dials allows you to adjust the suspension independently of the powertrain, so you can choose a ride stiffness anywhere between surprisingly supple and completely roll-free, while also setting up the gearshift times, steering weighting and even cabin sound levels.Each dial has a trio of settings – Normal, Sport or Track – and there are further buttons for Launch Control and Winter. And just in case those presets don't give quite what you’re after, there's further customisation available so you can set things up exactly how you want them.The centre console is busy with buttons, as it's also via switchgear that the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is controlled; there's no manual option, but there are steering wheel-mounted paddles. Use these to swap cogs and you have to use them surprisingly firmly before they take effect, but in normal road driving, regardless of how you’ve set up the chassis control, they shift ratios quickly and seamlessly.Bearing in mind how much torque the 12C's engine can generate, it's sometimes disappointing that the car's software is reluctant to allow the car to amble along at little more than tickover. Thanks to the 12C's brain dictating terms, it's rare that there's less than 2000rpm on the dial, but it's clear that with just half this showing, that fabulous V8 would be quite happy.However, even at this speed there's still another 6500rpm to go before time is called. That's the beauty of a relatively small-capacity V8 – it's easier to set the red line that much higher. After much low-speed ambling along public roads, it's time to properly put the McLaren through its paces on the Goodwood circuit. Firing out of the pit lane, the chassis control is set to Track to keep the gearchanges super-quick while the steering is sharp and direct.Initially leaving the gearchange in Auto, the car's brain works out what's required and holds onto the gears that bit longer, but there's no substitute for moving into Manual and swapping cogs myself.I'm a bit ham-fisted with my ratio choices though, thanks to a lack of familiarity with the circuit. It makes little difference however, as the McLaren's massive torque easily makes up for my lack of smoothness; negotiating bends and chicanes I can select second, third or fourth and the car just launches forward on the exit, without fuss. As soon as the throttle is floored, the 12C just grips and goes.Even with its carbon tub the 12C weighs around 1400kg, but the brakes make light work of slowing things down. They need more of a shove than you might expect before they take effect, but there's massive stopping ability there – but if you're a track day addict, there's always the £9770 ceramic disc option. To take some of the pressure off the discs, an airbrake pops up under sharp deceleration from 60mph; it's also possible to raise this manually, to increase downforce at the rear if necessary.Another weapon in McLaren's armoury is Brake Steer, which prevents wheelspin and improves traction. This, combined with super-sticky Pirelli P Zero rubber makes the car pretty much unstickable in the bends, unless you're loopy or seriously talented behind the wheel.My final laps of Goodwood are as a passenger, driven by Stuart Mosely – a man who is possibly loopy but definitely seriously talented. He shows me what the McLaren can really do; for a similar experience, just fold yourself into a ball, climb inside a spin dryer, and turn it up as fast as it'll go, but unplug it periodically for an extra bit of violent lurching, and even better if you can do all this while careering downhill at high speed – over bumpy and undulating terrain for maximum effect.Only after putting yourself through this will you have any idea of what the 12C is like flat-out round a circuit at the hands of a skilled driver. But the beauty of the 12C is that you don't have to be a skilled driver to get amazing things from it.The McLaren has tremendous power, tenacious grip and gut-wrenching brakes, and on a circuit it can perform lap after lap without fuss. But if you just want to take your kid to school in it, go shopping or take a weekend break, the 12C is up for that too.As a result it's one of the most usable supercars yet created, which is why, if you’re in a position to buy one, it's hard to see why you wouldn't. Engine 3799cc, 8 cylinders Power 616bhp Transmission 7-speed semi-automatic Fuel/CO2 24.2mpg / 279g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 3.3 seconds Top speed 205mph Price £168,500 Details correct at publication date
