UK debut for 2022 McLaren Artura on 15 June
The inaugural Saville Row concours event will play host to the public debut of the McLaren Artura
The new McLaren Artura is the first series-production hybrid we’ve seen from the Woking-based brand and it’s set to make its first official public appearance at the first Concours on Saville Row event. The hybrid supercar is on sale now, having been delayed several times, most recently due to the ongoing semiconductor chip shortage.
The wait should be worthwhile though as McLaren refers to its new petrol-electric two-seater as its first ‘High-Performance Hybrid’ model. Utilising a brand new platform focused on the hybrid drivetrain, it’s also the first McLaren to use a six-cylinder engine.
Attendees at the first-ever Concours on Saville Row will have a chance to get to check out McLaren’s latest supercar on the 15 June, where it’ll be accompanied by the firm’s open-cockpit Elva model.
The Artura is being pitched as an electrified alternative to the outgoing 570S, sitting below the 720S and 765LT performance cars in McLaren’s Supercars series of models.At the heart of Artura is a new 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine offering 577bhp and 585Nm of torque. It’s boosted by 94bhp from the plug-in hybrid system; an electric motor powered by a 7.4kWh battery, which allows the car to be driven on electric power alone for up to 19 miles. Total combined outputs are 671bhp and 720Nm.
The electric motor is also said to provide a torque infill and improve throttle response, while dropping official CO2 figures to 129g/km with a claimed average fuel economy figure expected of more than 50mpg – remarkable figures for a car that will get from 0-62mph in 3.0 seconds, 0-124mph in 8.3 seconds and on to a top speed of over 200mph.
The new platform underpinning the Artura is dubbed MCLA – McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture – which the company says is stronger, safer and lighter than the previous carbon fibre tubs. MCLA will be built at the company’s new £50m Composites Technology Centre in Sheffield.
The MCLA technology has been optimised for electrification – hinting at further, faster electrified McLarens to come – and has the aim of making the Artura “thrilling to drive, but easy to live with,” according to McLaren.
The car is super-lightweight, considering the electrical tech on board, with a dry weight of 1,395kg – sharp throttle response was a key drive during the programme.
Also important has been improving reliability and cost of ownership – obviously following feedback from McLaren owners – and that’s backed up by a five-year warranty on the car, plus six years cover for the battery and 10 years for the body.
There’s a step up in perceived quality inside the car, while manufacturing processes have been improved – again to improve longevity – while the car features 25 per cent less cabling than previous Sports Series models.
Convenience is something McLaren has also focused on, too, proving that the Artura won’t only be about performance. The new eight-inch infotainment system even features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, while adaptive cruise control and over-the-air updates will also be available.
The new engine, sitting just behind the driver and passenger, is 50kg lighter and 150mm shorter than McLaren’s V8 and features a 120 degree V angle allowing the twin turbos to sit inside the ‘hot vee’ to keep the centre of gravity low. The red-line is at a spine-tingling 8.500rpm.
The engine drives the rear wheels through a new 8-speed twin-clutch automatic gearbox (with manual override, of course), with the e-motor housed within the transmission hub.
The car’s broad footprint features a wheelbase stretched to 2.64m with minimal front and rear overhangs, while a new multi-link rear suspension features along with a lightweight electronic differential – a first for McLaren. Tyres are bespoke Pirellis with noise-cancelling tech and an electronic chip to feed info back to the car’s computers, and they wrap 19-inch wheels at the front, 20s at the back.
Steering is assisted hydraulically for maximum feel, while the wheel features a compact instrument binnacle that sits on top of it; adjust the wheel and the instruments adjust with it. The drive mode selector also sits on the instrument binnacle, allowing you to select comfort, sport or track modes to adjust suspension and engine settings, while there’s also an electric-only mode.
Style-wise, the look of the Artura features what Design Director, Rob Melville, told us was a “maturing” of the McLaren design language. “There were three phases to the design,” he said. “Purity, technical sculpture and functional jewellery.
“The bodywork is shrink-wrapped around the car so it’s very natural.”
What Melville refers to as McLaren’s “signature hammerhead line” features at the front with deeply recessed LED headlights. DRLs sit beneath them on the ‘hammerhead’ bodywork, above carefully-sculpted air intakes.
Melville and his team have worked hard to reduce the number of shut lines around the bodywork and that’s clear along the sides, which are dominated as usual by large air intakes at the back of the dihedral doors.
At the rear, slim almond-shaped LED lights take care of tail, brake and indicator signalling and sit within a black grille either side of the high-mounted exhaust. With the exhaust up high, the large, full-width rear diffuser is able to get on with its work unfettered.
Overall, while the technology breaks new ground for McLaren with electrification at the heart of performance and efficiency, plus more of a focus on being able to use the Artura daily, the look is nothing new. But that’s unlikely to put off too many potential buyers who’ll have to find £182,500 before options to add one to their collection. First deliveries are expected in the third quarter of this year.
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