McLaren Artura Drive Review [YIC2024] : Art Attack

A steroidal shot of MY25 hardware and software updates to McLaren’s plug-in hybrid petrol-electric Artura sportscar has endowed it with a belligerent rage-mode to accompany its sanguine go-green credentials.

Don’t forget, the Artura can also operate in all-electric mode, with the latest update giving it a 33km range and 140km/h top speed (up from 30km and 120km/h).

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The silence of the electric mode lets it coast quietly in and out of home, especially if you’re commuting during the unearthly hours of the day.

Alternatively, engaging the electric mode in the busy CBD also means you’re giving the pedestrians and cyclists a break from the average sportscar’s exhaust fumes.

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Now if you’re wondering, Artura is a portmanteau of Art and Future (it sits on an electrification-friendly MCLA chassis), and is part of the brand’s effort to give its cars names (think Elva, Speedtail, Saber and Solus), instead of relying solely on alphanumeric nomenclature, such as W1 and 750S for instance.

We last tried the first iteration of the Artura at the launch drive around the Ascari Circuit some years ago, but the raft of revisions has really transformed McLaren’s hot hybrid.

Like the Revuelto and 992.2 GTS T-Hybrid in our 2024 hit-list of best-cars, the hybrid powertrain in the Artura acts as a torque-filler, so the driver can enjoy a seamless surge of forward propulsion from the car.

With the 750S introduced to replace the 720S, McLaren can now bring the Artura’s output to a combined 700hp (20hp more than the pre-update). This maintains a respectful 50hp gap to the 750S – with the 720S around, the 20hp gap would simply have been too close.

Visually though, you’d be hard-pressed to differentiate updated Artura coupe from non-updated, but why mess with design perfection when you don’t need to, eh?

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Compared to its 750S and 765LT brethren, the Artura cuts a petite, almost dainty figure at the McLaren showroom carpark. True to form, the trademark dihedral doors attract instant attention from passers-by the moment they swing upwards.

We like the driver-focused ergonomics of the current crop of McLaren cars.

However, we must confess that we still forget and look for the Active Panel (from the earlier models) to control the powertrain and handling settings, even though the new cars (750S and Artura) have inherited the Elva’s binnacle-mounted rocker switches.

With the important dynamic controls now centred around the driver, there’s no reason to look/feel elsewhere to toggle between drive settings.

Some things are very apparent the moment you ease the lithe Artura out of the driveway. It feels more alert, alive somehow, as the 25% shorter gear ratios immediately transform its dynamic profile.

There’s a lively spirit that’s eagerly waiting to be channelled through the updated Artura as you punch through the gears and start demanding more of it. It is keen to please the committed driver, and it does so with a tinge of rambunctiousness.

You might have been more content to cruise around in the original Artura, but the latest updates give it an urgency that better befits its newfound corner-carving credentials.

Power is up a modest 20hp, but it is how the overall system output is delivered that gives the Artura the angst to go with its agile chassis and uprated suspension, which should please the critics who found the original iteration too soft.

The MY25 Artura is certainly more vocal too, with a soundtrack that tickles one’s ears in the same way our driving fancy is tickled. Its keener reflexes make you want to challenge its (and your) limits as you exploit its sweetly balanced chassis.

Best of all, it isn’t engineered to be too sterile, where corners are dispatched with clinical precision. Instead, the Artura demonstrates it can deliver big on frolicsome fun without the heart attack too, as it infects the driver with its blend of electrified enthusiasm.

McLaren Artura
Engine 2993cc, V6, twin-turbo, electric motor
Power at rpm 605hp at 7500rpm
Torque at rpm 585Nm at 2250-7000rpm
Electric Motor Axial Flux e-motor, 7.4kWh
System Power 700hp
System Torque 720Nm
Transmission 8spd Speed Seamless Shift SSG dual-clutch
0-100km/h 3.0secs
Top Speed 330km/h (electronically limited)
Fuel Consumption 4.8l/100km
CO2 108g/km