ART CLASS(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 54

The Artura takes McLaren into a new Hybrid era. Despite the familiar looks, everything is new from the ground up and there's full EV capability in town. Yet it's as sharp a track tool as any other McLaren supercar. Worried that the EV era would dull down driver's cars of this kind? Here's reassurance.

Background word count: 152

McLaren has at last moved into a new era. The Woking maker has brought us quite a few different models since it burst onto the supercar scene back in 2010 but all have been variants of the same basic recipe. The Artura is different. The shape might be familiar but everything beneath it is different, this being the first series production Hybrid produced by the marque. And the first car since the original MP4-12C to share nothing with any previous model. Modern McLaren now slot into three categories - GT, Supercar and Ultimate. The Artura sits with the 750S and the 765LT in the Supercar section, but is different from those two V8 showroom stablemates in every conceivable way. It has a Hybrid V6, you can plug it in, the chassis, suspension and electrical system are all redesigned from scratch and it sets a design template for all future McLarens. Sounds promising.

Driving Experience word count: 294

There's no familiar twin turbo V8 nestling in the rear aluminium subframe here. Instead, we're treated to McLaren's first 3.0-litre twin turbo V6, its first direct injection engine and a combustion unit that's been worked on for the model year 2025 car, now producing 596bhp (19bhp more than the original) while reving (across a wider band) as high as 8,500rpm. The transmission (from the Artura's launch completely new to McLaren) has been revised too, an 8-speed dual clutch gearbox that incorporates a clever e- differential and now shifts 25% faster. As before, there's a 94bhp axial flux e-motor that acts as a reverse gear and creates a total powertrain output that's now rated at 690bhp, with 720Nm of torque. 62mph from rest flashes by in just 3.0s, 124mph takes 8.3s and the top speed is 205mph. There's also a new function for the 2025 year car that allows you to spin the rear tyres up when planting the throttle from a standstill. As usual with McLaren, there are selectable handling and powertrain modes. In either case, you choose between 'Comfort', 'Sport' and 'Track', with an extra 'e-mode' available in the 'Powertrain' menu, allowing battery-only driving for short distances in urban travel. One feature that isn't new on this car is McLaren's trademark hydraulically-assisted steering. The brand thinks that no electric steering system can provide this set-up's level of driver feedback - and they could be right. It's combined with a bespoke version of McLaren's 'Proactive Damping System', which works so well that from launch, this Artura was credited with class-leading standards of ride. Braking performance should also be exceptional, thanks to carbon ceramic brakes with lightweight aluminium calipers. Get on a circuit and there's a 15-stage Variable Drift Control system to play with too.