McLaren’s sensible yet scintillating Artura V6 hybrid arrives in Australia, marking a brave step forward for the British supercar marque
- How much does the McLaren Artura cost?
- What equipment comes with the McLaren Artura?
- How safe is the McLaren Artura?
- What technology does the McLaren Artura feature?
- What powers the McLaren Artura?
- How fuel efficient is the McLaren Artura?
- What is the McLaren Artura like to drive?
- What is the McLaren Artura like inside?
- Should I buy a McLaren Artura?
This is a brave new guard for McLaren. Having dabbled in hybrid power with the pioneering P1 hypercar in 2013, and the Speedtail that followed it in 2018, the British manufacturer is now ushering in wholesale change to its Australian line-up. The 2023 McLaren Artura is a new-from-the-ground-up supercar debuting a totally new platform and chassis plus a fresh twin-turbo V6 petrol engine mated to an electric motor. It is indeed a new era of performance, and one that promises to safeguard the Woking marque from tightening emissions restrictions – for now. But does it make for a better supercar experience?
How much does the McLaren Artura cost?
The 2023 McLaren Artura begins trickling into Australia from this month priced at $449,500 plus on-road costs.
That price marks a $55,000 premium on the V8-powered, non-hybrid McLaren 570S that continues to underpin the line-up (for now), and slots the Artura just below the scintillating V8-powered McLaren 720S (from $489,900 plus ORCs).
However, the Artura reads like a relative bargain when you begin looking at its competitive set, notably the Ferrari 296 GTB plug-in hybrid, which retails for an eye-watering $604,000 plus on-roads.
What equipment comes with the McLaren Artura?
The new 2023 McLaren Artura very much represents a new era of technology and performance for the British supercar brand – a virtue which extends to its everyday equipment levels.
As standard it gets soft-close doors, full LED headlights and tail-lights, Jet Black Alcantara Clubsport seats, Alcantara headlining, black satin gearshift paddles, 10-spoke super-light forged rims and carbon-ceramic brakes.
There are three preconfigured styling packs which are available at no additional cost: Performance, Techlux and Vision, each bringing some additional Nappa leather trim and different colour arrangements.
In Australia, the Artura comes equipped standard with a Tech pack (usually $12,000) comprising 12-speaker premium sound system and brand-first safety equipment.
Also inclusive of the price tag in Australia is the Practicality pack, bringing hydraulic nose lift, power-fold mirrors and front and rear parking sensors.
Options are de rigueur in this end of the market, and not surprisingly McLaren offers a lengthy catalogue of them if a buyer wants their supercar in hot pink, for instance. Those services are courtesy of the firm’s MSO bespoke division.
Other add-ons include an Alcantara steering wheel ($1680), carbon-fibre interior pack ($780) and the powered-adjusted Comfort seats fitted to our test car ($6260).
McLaren says the Artura can be used as a daily driver, and to that extent it is backed by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty in Australia, with the hybrid battery covered by a separate six-year/75,000km term. There’s also 10-year factory coverage for corrosion protection.
The first three years of servicing are covered by McLaren too, across 12-month/15,000km intervals. However, those provisions don’t extend to wear-and-tear items like tyres and brakes.
How safe is the McLaren Artura?
In supercar terms, it’s very safe. Not only does the 2023 McLaren Artura feature a new carbon-fibre monocoque structure, it is also the first McLaren to debut advanced safety aids including adaptive cruise control with road sign recognition, lane departure warning, high beam assist and 360-degree park assist.
There’s also full airbag coverage and an intelligent suite of electronic driving aids.
What technology does the McLaren Artura feature?
Infotainment in the 2023 McLaren Artura comprises a 10.0-inch digital instrument cluster and an 8.0-inch centre infotainment touch-screen that is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and runs a sophisticated telemetry system.
The car’s electrical architecture is also run through a new ethernet system, which is thought to be the cause of the Artura’s delay to global markets. McLaren was originally poised to launch before its key rival, the Ferrari 296 GTB.
It’s worth mentioning that one vehicle at the Australian launch was affected by an apparent electrical glitch.
At one point, it refused to switch out of Comfort drive mode and had to be switched off and locked in order to restore full functionality.
What powers the McLaren Artura?
Here’s where the 2023 McLaren Artura begins to make its statement.
Housed within the new carbon-fibre monocoque – a one-piece moulding that is stronger and stiffer than the unit it replaces – is a new 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine mated to a 15.4kg electric motor that is positioned within the bellhousing of the car’s also-new eight-speed transmission.
First, we’ll cover the combustion side of the ledger.
Engineered from scratch and designed especially for the new MCLA architecture, the 120-degree V6 (codenamed M630) sits 40mm lower than its predecessor and tips the scales 50kg lighter, at a remarkable 160kg. The engine sits on liquid-filled mounts while the turbos reside in the top of the vee for optimum delivery.
It also features a sound-sapping petrol particulate filter necessary for tightening emissions. More on that shortly.
The engine alone produces 430kW and 585Nm – both healthy bumps over the outgoing V8. But to really make things interesting, the Artura’s outputs are augmented by a 70kW/225Nm axial-flux motor which feeds energy from a 7.4kWh lithium-ion battery.
Provided you have a full complement of charge (which takes about 2.5 hours from a household outlet), the Artura is claimed to offer 31km of electric range and a top EV speed of 130km/h. More on this shortly.
The combination means McLaren’s first series-production High-Performance Hybrid (HPH) supercar boasts a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of just 3.0 seconds, 0-200km/h in only 8.3sec, 0-300km/h in 21.5sec and a 330km/h top speed.
Braking from 100km/h to standstill is claimed to require just 31 metres, thanks to Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres fitted to 19-inch front and 20-inch rear alloy wheels with carbon-ceramic brake discs and six-piston callipers.
The front suspension still uses control arms, but the rear configuration now employs a multi-link design to improve stiffness. Coil springs and anti-roll bars eschew hydropneumatic suspension employed by McLaren models higher in the food-chain.
While power is nice, McLaren says it was more focused on keeping weight down. To that end, you have to commend its engineers because the McLaren Artura tips the scales at a fairly-lithe 1498kg with a load of fuel on board.
In the supercar arms race, the Artura undercuts its nemesis, the Ferrari 296 GTB, by a considerable 75kg. That said, a more powerful electric motor endows the Fazza with towering 610kW and 740Nm outputs.
The McLaren shuffles all of its drive to the rear wheels via a new electronically controlled mechanical limited-slip differential.
Naturally, McLaren wanted to infuse the Artura with familiar handling traits, and to that end ensured it retained a hydraulic steering rack and ventured away from a brake-by-wire system. To us, both are massive boons for the driver.
The entire package is neatly woven together with a huge emphasis on aero and efficiency.
Asked whether the new platform was compatible with the firm’s evergreen V8 engine, chief engineer Geoff Grose said it was designed “with an emphasis on looking forward”.
Make of that what you will…
How fuel efficient is the McLaren Artura?
Officially, the 2023 McLaren Artura will sip a miserly 4.6L/100km in a mix of conditions.
Yet as we know, fuel claims are purely academic in a supercar. We’ll await a proper road-going review before we hand down our consumption figures.
Anchor: Driving & Comfort
What is the McLaren Artura like to drive?
The 2023 McLaren Artura is clearly a brave new guard for the brand, and nowhere is that better demonstrated than in the way it drives.
As a default, the Artura starts under electric propulsion, meaning no typical supercar yelp as the combustion engine wakes to life.
At this month’s launch, held at the main circuit at Sydney Motorsport Park, our drive begins as such. We amble out of the pits in Electric mode and await the surge of electric torque as we roll on the accelerator heading into Eastern Creek’s turn two.
Except, the typical electric surge is missing. The Artura instead builds speed relatively steadily under electric propulsion, the same way a naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine might.
Call upon more speed by burying the accelerator and the Artura refuses to elicit petrol assistance in Electric mode either – an important consideration for road driving and particularly overtakes. Though this is a handy function for social responsibility, and not waking the neighbours…
We switch to Comfort mode, which offers a better PHEV balance and brings to action the petrol V6. Immediately, the Artura offers considerably more urge, and from a low point in the rev spectrum.
With no regenerative braking to speak of in this mode, the Artura rolls freely on the tarmac and feels much like an ordinary combustion-engined McLaren.
With the petrol in play, you can no longer hear the eight-speed transmission at work in the background either. The engine chimes in and out of operation at low speeds, and feels fairly seamless in doing so.
We’ll report back more on this feature – and the overall ride and handling balance – after a proper Australian road drive. For the purposes of this report, Sport and Track is where it’s at.
Even with a new architecture and a new engine, you can’t help but make comparisons between the Artura and every other McLaren road car offered in the past 12 years; chiefly, the variations of V8 that powered those vehicles.
As such, we’re acutely chasing the signature mid-range and top-end surge that cars like the 720S have made a speciality.
It’s the sort of sensory overload you crave; the horizon becomes warped as your brain tries to calculate what’s happening in front of you, all against the backdrop of a workman-like flat-plane V8 soundtrack.
The short story is the Artura’s V6 doesn’t quite match expectations. Sure, the numbers suggest otherwise. But when it comes to the feeling inside the cockpit – the reason you arguably buy a supercar – the Artura feels a little too aloof and clinical.
Firstly, the V6 sound isn’t anything to write home about. It wails, especially nearing the 8500rpm cut-out, but it lacks the rasp and theatre that a supercar ought to have on a vacant grand prix circuit.
If we were to put a finger on it, it’s the petrol particulate filter that dampens the Artura’s vocals, as necessary as it might be.
That’s not to say the Artura is slow. In fact, it is rapid, underlined by an accessible low-end punch and natural mid-range cadence that instantly converts to fast lap times.
Tie in the proficient new eight-speed gearbox and clinical power-down and it’s a sure-fire winner.
Yet the Artura lacks the visceral, horizon-reeling blur that other McLaren models have come to epitomise.
It’s a similar story with the handling package. The Artura’s immediate driving virtues are that of stability and poise: it feels like a wide car even on a full-width GP circuit, and is underlined at all times by a swift-thinking stability control suite that keeps a tight rein on proceedings, with some wriggle room for fun.
Moreover, the redesigned rear-end and e-differential conspire to deliver loads of traction under power – again imbuing the driver with confidence and stability.
The Artura’s hydraulically controlled steering feels meaty in the hands, offers ample road feedback and builds resistance upon entering a turn, tapering off in weight just before the advent of understeer.
The car’s road-centric character trait is underlined by a chassis that is slightly more benign than devoted McLaren track specials.
For that reason, we prefer having its suspension switched to Track mode, which elicits considerably more feel from the chassis and livens up the driving environment, transferring every bump and imperfection while doing so.
At full tilt, the Artura doesn’t feel like a heavy car, and for all McLaren’s clever marketing rhetoric, actually does drive like a vehicle with the weight slung low in its belly.
The speed is incredible, too. We nudge 265km/h down the main straight at Eastern Creek, and comfortably hold 175km/h as a minimum speed through turn one. The only other time your correspondent has matched those figures was aboard a superbike.
With that said, the sum of all these parts is a vehicle that requires closer attention with respect to corner entry – this isn’t a supercar you can grab by the scruff of the neck and toss in carelessly – and the front-end lacks the purchase and feel that some enthusiasts might desire, especially feeling your way through SMP’s turn one.
Instead, the Artura prefers to lock and load its power on exit. Slow in, fast out.
Doing so translates to fast, clinical laps. Yet it won’t always translate to chest-thumping thrills.
And it’s not guaranteed to scare you either.
What is the McLaren Artura like inside?
In a word, sensible. The 2023 McLaren Artura offers as much practicality and thoughtfulness one could hope for in a half-million-dollar supercar, and is treated to excellent materials and craftsmanship throughout.
Clambering through its dihedral doors is a slightly more civilised process thanks to lower-set door sills and a relatively open pathway for ingress and egress (read: less mobile readers will still know this is a supercar).
The electric seats on our test car offer ample adjustment, while the tilt and reach adjustability of the entire steering wheel and instrument cluster help ensure the ideal driving position – low-set and within reach of the key controls.
As ever, the driver’s footwell on our right-hand drive test example feels quite snug and the mid-mounted engine arrangement and carbon-fibre origins aren’t the best for outward vision, the rear vista impacted by simmering heat waves.
Though in supercar terms, it’s pretty darn considerate.
Otherwise, you could say the Artura stays true to the interior layouts of recent McLarens. That is, a simple and legible portrait-oriented centre touch-screen housing the car’s key controls, mated to a digital instrument cluster.
It means the Artura feels minimalist and clean inside the cabin; a neat execution of design and practicality.
Located at the top corners of the instrument binnacle are the adjustable driving modes, with the left side controlling stability control and suspension tune, while the right side toggles through the different settings of the drivetrain.
The toggles themselves are said to be inspired by aviation, the thinking being you can toggle modes without taking your hands off the steering wheel.
In practice, we found the switches fiddling and time-consuming – though we’ll reserve full judgement for a proper road drive.
It’s nice to hop into a driver’s car that is devoid of steering wheel buttons and switchgear too.
Should I buy a McLaren Artura?
It really depends what you want for your half-a-million-dollar supercar outlay. The 2023 McLaren Artura sensibly balances daily driving traits with accomplished (though not absolutely riveting) dynamics on track.
It’s the McLaren that will keep your neighbours happy and the driver entertained, with more than $100K change left over compared to Maranello’s alternative, the Ferrari 296 GTB.
However, for devoted fans of McLaren’s track-focused offerings like the 600LT and the 720S, the Artura doesn’t quite achieve the same visceral, sensory-overloading heights.
Just as well this is the beginning of the Woking-based manufacturer’s electrified journey.
As they say in the classics, watch this space.
2023 McLaren Artura at a glance:
Price: $449,500 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: 3.0-litre V6 petrol-electric
Output: 430kW/585Nm (electric motor: 70kW/225Nm)
Combined output: 500kW/720Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Battery: 7.4kWh lithium-ion
Range: 31km (WLTP)
Fuel: 4.6L/100km (WLTP)
CO2: 104g/km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested
Keyword: McLaren Artura 2023 Review