7/1/2023 0 Comments Mclaren marp![]() ![]() The new engine revs out to 8,500 rpm and is full of character and immediate raw power when called upon, but it, predictably, doesn't spit fire and brimstone at the top end. The Artura's throttle response is something special and will help even the most lead-footed of drivers get the most out of the chassis. The sound system comes from Bowers & Wilkins and sounds great before considering the small cabin and how much glass there is to reflect sound. The touchscreen display houses McLaren's infotainment system, which includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and its McLaren Track Telemetry system app. It's a damn near perfect solution in such a tight space. The drive controls sit in the center console with a groove down each side for phones to sit in, which is one of the most thoughtful touches we've seen inside a car for a while. The windscreen sits deep and gives an excellent forward view while the hood curves down and out of the way, so you can be super-precise about positioning the car on the tarmac. Despite this reviewer being six-foot-one, it's not cramped, and there's still enough room overhead for wearing a helmet without grinding it on the roof. ![]() You sit low, and the new Clubsport seats are snug yet comfortable for a long drive. The cool bit is looking in the rearview mirror to see the heat haze it's releasing behind you.Īs much attention has gone into the Artura's cockpit as the rest of the car. The odd but cool feature at the back of the car is the, for want of a better word, chimney poking straight up through the rear clamshell to release hot air from the engine. Topping off the McLaren Artura's form-follows-function approach are the dihedral doors that pull tight into the body and open out high and wide. There are minimal joints and shut-lines, taken to the extreme by single panel super-formed rear clamshell. McLaren describes the look of the bodywork as "shrink-wrapped," and that tracks. From the back, you see the nod from the taillights to the P1 hybrid hypercar that foreshadowed the Artura. From the side, the rear intakes are huge and deliberately sculpted and fit with the shoulder line and the car's wide hips perfectly to create a flow down the side of the car. The cab-forward look with the big windscreen is as practical as it is cool looking, while the front and rear overhangs are proportionally pleasing. The front is familiar but has sunken headlights, giving it a meaner look. We drove the Artura in pure electric mode briefly, as there aren't many people to annoy in the Nevada desert, and it was fine, which is all it needs to be.Ī lot is going on with the Artura's exterior design beyond it being an evolution of the previous cars. You can start it without annoying the neighbors, then wail through the countryside, but then drive through small towns and villages in a respectful manner. The other upside is that you can drive the Artura in stealth mode. The downside is more weight, but here it has been minimized, with big upsides of torque-fill and healthy throttle response. Part of the reason McLaren, like all supercar makers, is moving to hybridization is to survive by adapting. The final ingredient of the powertrain's main features is an electronic differential designed to be as smooth as it is responsive in handling the power going to the rear wheels. The battery can be charged from an outlet and takes around three hours the Artura will go around 11 miles on electric power alone. The 7.4 kWh battery weighs just 194 lbs, and it's a testament to McLaren's hunt for lightness that the Artura only weighs 3,303 pounds in total - not much more than a gas-powered-only Honda Civic. We took ourselves to Nevada to meet with McLaren, have a good look at the technology, and take the $233,000 Artura for a long drive through winding desert roads before heading into Las Vegas to see what it could do on the track. The Artura weighs in at just 3,303 pounds with a twin-turbo V6 matched with an electric motor delivering 671 horsepower to the rear wheels. Since its regrouping and a mission statement set in stone, McLaren has produced a string of excellent series production and low-volume supercars and now enters a second generation with a hybrid powertrain at its core. The McLaren MP4-12C (later 12C) arrived in 2012 as the brand's first fully in-house designed and built supercar, followed by the P1, which went toe-to-toe with Porsche and Ferrari's equally legendary hybrid hypercars. McLaren Automotive is just 14 years old, making it a startup compared to competitors like Lamborghini and Ferrari. After the legendary McLaren F1 and the McLaren Group's collaboration with Mercedes-Benz for the SLR McLaren, McLaren Cars lay dormant until 2008, when it was brought back as McLaren Automotive and set off on its current path. It's worth stepping back a bit before we dive in and remember McLaren Automotive is still a young company. ![]()
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