McLaren Artura

McLaren recently unveiled their first series-production hybrid supercar-the £182,000 McLaren Artura, which makes it just below the all-conquering McLaren 720S.

McLaren claims that their new supercar is a glimpse into McLaren’s future road cars, and boy-o-boy it is unlike any McLaren cars since the McLaren MP4-12C. 

Gone is the twin-turbocharged V8 engine, in its place is an all-new 3.0L V6 engine producing 585PS and 585Nm of torque.

585PS in the year 2021 doesn't even come close to ticking the supercar check box, but the 585PS Internal combustion engine is not the only source of power for the McLaren Artura. 

The new McLaren Artura is a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) like a Toyota Prius but slightly more powerful. Together, the E-motor and internal combustion engine produce 680PS and 720Nm of torque, enabling the McLaren Artura to reach 0-100kph in 3.0 seconds and onto a top speed of 330kph.

Unlike the Toyota Prius, the E-motor is housed within the 8-speed gearbox itself and produces 95PS and 225Nm of torque.

The hawk-eyed people amongst you may have noted the peak torque is less than the calculated combined peak torque as McLaren has deliberately engineered it like that.

Being a PHEV, you can start and drive the McLaren Artura in electric mode alone for up to 30kms. The 7.4kWh battery can be charged using a standard charger, which may take approximately 2.5-3 hours to charge the battery.

                                                 

Don't think for a moment that McLaren has become a heavy hybrid car. Weighing just 1395kgs dry, this is one of the lightest supercars you can buy despite the hybrid powertrain.

McLaren claims that the total hybrid system including the E-motor and 7.4kWh battery pack weighs a few hundred grams more than 103kgs. A whooping 50kgs was further saved by using the 120° 3.0L V6 engine instead of V8 engine.

Like the recently launched Ferrari SF90, the McLaren doesn't have a mechanical reverse gear but uses its electric motor for reversing duties. This not only reduces the weight but also makes gearbox more compact for better packaging and weight distribution.

If this is not futuristic enough, the tyres are all-new Pirelli P Zero's with Pirelli Cyber Tyre technology, which uses an electronic 'chip' inside the tyre to constantly communicate with the McLaren Artura's stability program for optimal performance management. 

By going through the whole press kit, I cannot stop myself from comparing it to the Honda NSX. Yes, I know that the Honda NSX has been in our market for quite some time and it is almost £30,000 less.

Don't get me wrong here, the second-gen Honda NSX is a blisteringly fast car, but by the time Honda unveiled their all-new NSX in 2016, the competition had already moved 100hp ahead.

Kudos to McLaren and team for nailing the performance numbers. The new McLaren is essentially a replacement to 570S but takes the performance game to next level. This is proper development; I hope they reflect this step-up in F1 too.

 

Technical Specifications

IC Engine

Engine: 3.0L

Configuration: V6 

Power: 585PS 

Torque: 585Nm

Gearbox: 8-speed Dual clutch (E-motor acts as reverse gear)

E-motor 

Power: 95PS

Torque: 225Nm 

Battery: 7.4kWh 

Range: 30km 

 Combined Power: 680PS

Combined Torque: 720Nm

Battery Weight: 88kg

E-motor weight: 15.4kg

 Power to Weight ratio: 488ps/tonne 

Dry weight: 1395*kg

Kerb weight 1498*kg

Warranty

5-Year vehicle warranty

6-year battery warranty 

10-year body warranty

Performance Numbers

0-100km/h (0-62mph): 3.0 seconds 

0-200km/h (0-124mph): 8.3 seconds

0-300km/h (0-186mph): 21.5 seconds. 

Top speed: 330km/h (205mph).

Tyres

Front: 235/35Z/R19 91Y

Rear: 295/35/R20 105Y

 

Athul Z

Content Creator, MyTyre.