Artura is the first partially electric hypercar from McLaren. McLaren wants to get around the corner and is now turning onto Electric Avenue.
However, the British do not completely turn the steering wheel, and with the Artura are bringing a top athlete with a plug-in drive. For the British, technology is a small revolution, but the design is just evolution.
England seems downright electrified: First, Bentley announces the departure from the combustion engine, then Jaguar and now McLaren is pushing the charging station. Because when the British launch the Artura, which is available for prices starting at 226,000 euros, they too will take the first few meters on Electric Avenue and at least provide the petrol engine with an electric motor for short trips. This is by no means as consistent as with Bentley or Jaguar, where the reciprocating engine is wholly withdrawn.
With electrical assistance, McLaren promises the Artura a consumption of just 5.5 litres. But that’s a big step for the super sports car segment. Apart from a few exclusive and extreme exotic vehicles such as the Porsche 918 Spyder or the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, it is the first athlete of its kind that can be charged from a socket. It means that McLaren is in pole position ahead of Aston Martin, Porsche, Lamborghini or Ferrari – no wonder that company boss Mike Flewitt speaks of a milestone not only for McLaren but for the entire segment. And even if the 5.5-litre everyday consumption is pure poetry from the test bench, the Artura is undoubtedly more efficient than its conventional competitors. It is one reason why they put a “Futura” in their name alongside “Art”.
The V8 has to give way. For this purpose, not only was an electric motor integrated, but the entire drive system was also redesigned: The last four-litre V8 is history and makes room for a six-cylinder with a three-litre displacement that generates an impressive 585 hp. At his side is an electric motor with 95 hp, which is integrated into the also new eight-speed automatic. It is fed by a battery with a usable capacity of 7.4 kWh, which can be charged within 2.5 hours at any domestic socket. Alternatively, the battery uses excess engine power and fills up while driving.
The McLaren Artura can drive purely electrically up to 30 kilometres and 130 km / h.
Suppose you want to please your neighbours or relieve emissions-plagued city centres. In that case, you can start silently with the Artura at the push of a button and stroll up to 30 kilometres and thus reach the local limit at least everywhere – except in Germany because the Stromer manages 130 km / h on its own.
Unlike SUVs and sedans, the plug-in for sports cars is less about kilometres than about kilograms. Because more important than the most excellent possible range for the engineers is a low weight. And here, too, McLaren has achieved a lot. Including the 15 kilograms for the electric motor and 90 for the battery, the entire plug-in system weighs only 130 kilograms. With a dry weight of 1.5 tons, the Artura is lighter than many super sports cars with conventional drives. The driving performance is correspondingly impressive:
- When a total of 680 hp and up to 720 Newton meters tear at the rear wheels, the 100 mark falls after three seconds.
- Even 200 km / h is reached after 8.3 seconds.
- The end is only 330 km / h.
Evolutionary design : In the interior, the Artura has become much more digital than you are used to from McLaren.
The drive may be a revolution for McLaren. The appearance is more evolutionary. Because even if the carbon chassis is entirely new and this time baked in-house, the 4.54 meter long, 1.98 meters wide and 1.19-meter flat Artura looks terrifyingly similar to the conventional coupés. Only inside are there digital instruments, an infotainment screen that floats like an oversized smartwatch in front of the centre tunnel, and the pressing buttons for setting up handling and performance. Meanwhile, they are placed so that you can reach them with your hands on the steering wheel.
Even if McLaren does the first few meters on Electric Avenue with the Artura, the British do not want to say goodbye to the old world anytime soon. Company boss Flewitt intends to continue working on the combustion engine until at least 2030, which should please one or the other.