At 34 pounds, the Artura motor weighs half that of the groundbreaking McLaren P1 hybrid’s, yet is 33-percent more energy efficient on a per-pound basis. So an axial flux electric motor, integrated in the transmission bell housing, serves up 94 additional horses, for a total of 671. Why The McLaren Artura Has a 120-Degree V-6ĥ77 horses is a boggling output for a 3.0-liter V-6, but still won’t cut it in supercar country. Superheated air escapes through a black “power chimney” atop the rear deck, reducing it from 900 degrees Celsius to 240 degrees. Twin “hot vee'' turbochargers reside in the engine’s 120-degree cleavage. Compared to McLaren’s V-8’s, the “M630” V-6 is 7.5- inches shorter, 8.7 narrower, and 110 pounds lighter, adding just 352 pounds at the Artura’s midsection.
Small-scale potency continues with a 3.0-liter V-6 that brings 577 horsepower all by its downsized self, and a racy 8,000-rpm redline.
The latter’s yellow-green hue recalls the skin of a worrisomely poisonous Amazonian frog. Today, its austere, painterly landscapes are filled with blurry brushstrokes from our fast-moving Arturas, in exploding Fauves colors such as Volcano Orange and new Flux Green. Spain itself is pretty much one big auto amusement park. Column stalks manage a new high-definition driver’s cluster and new stop-and-go adaptive cruise control.Īn opening Artura run shoots us from the Mediterranean sun and sea of Marbella, to the Ascari circuit, a gated playground of 3.37 miles, 26 turns and a freshly repaved surface.
With a pair of analog rockers, the column’s integrated instrument binnacle lets drivers adjust powertrain and suspension settings without taking hands off the wheel. Refreshingly, there’s not a single redundant control on that steering wheel, flanked by metal paddle shifters. Confident drivers can engage Variable Drift Control through the Artura’s newly straightforward, tablet-style infotainment screen, to allow up to 15 degrees of yaw before ESC intervenes. Its unusually slim section width is the ideal interface for sensation-starved fingers, via hydraulic-assisted steering that weights up beautifully in corners then goes light when the Artura finally loses grip on glorious Spanish pavement. McLaren’s signature steering wheel underscores the brand’s clarity of purpose. What underdog McLaren can’t afford is to see its reputation for innovation and performance sullied by product delays or electronic glitches – and one pesky vehicle fire - such as those experienced by some journalists at the Artura launch. Especially for a company that, unlike every peer, refuses to take the easy route to customers with an SUV. For all the groundwork it has laid over an opening decade - including moments of true technical leadership - McLaren Automotive remains an underdog to a legend-pushing Ferrari and VW-backed Lamborghini, and needs to try harder. For the Artura, daily drivability, even if many owners are fine with weekend assignations and a stable of other cars. That means taking care of little things that still matter to people who spend $200,000-and-up on cars: Competitive luxury, infotainment and driver-assistance systems. This racing-obsessed Brit is growing up, growing into its role as leading foil to Ferrari or Lamborghini.
As it embarks on a second decade of street-going machines, McLaren has delivered one that feels like a complete sports car, from more-cohesive design to an interior that jettisons Garmin-grade tomfoolery or haphazard touch points.
Yet plugging away in the 671-horsepower, V-6 Artura, the brand’s first series production hybrid, reveals more than the expected rush of fluid performance.
Feelsome electro-hydraulic steering, and brakes more sensitive than a mantis shrimp's eyeball. A count-of-three to 60 mph, and 205-mph top speed. Ripping around Spain with a sun-baked British tourist, the McLaren Artura, checks off a familiar checklist for McLaren fans: A feathery carbon-fiber architecture and curb weight of just 3,303 pounds.