First Drive: McLaren Artura 2022 Review

In 2011 the newly formed McLaren Automotive launched an all new car called the MP4-12C. Since then every other McLaren – and there have been so many in its ‘Sports’, ‘Super’ and ‘Ultimate’ series – has been derived from that car. Which is why McLaren regards the new Artura as its most important car since the 12C because it, like its forebear, is also entirely new.

Indeed, ask its engineers how many parts have been carried over from any previous McLaren and they’ll talk about the odd switch and clip. That’s it. So this, then, is the car from which the next generation of McLaren super and hypercars will be derived. It has a new tub, new engine, gearbox, interior and so on and on and on.

It’s critically important in another way too. It’s no secret that McLaren has been having a tough time of late, partly through reasons beyond its control like Covid and the resulting economic slowdown, but also because of self-inflicted injuries such as over-supplying the market and at least the perception that at times its quality control has not been the best. The Artura has already been delayed many months to ensure it comes to market entirely fit for purpose, so now it really has to be right, and be right from the off.

It terms of positioning, it’s important to understand that it’s not a direct replacement for the 570S despite it arriving in the market soon after the 570’s departure. It is 110PS (81kW) more powerful and considerably more expensive. Nor is it a true rival for the Ferrari 296 GTB despite both being similarly new and powered by all new 120-degree V6 plug in hybrid petrol engines. The Ferrari is yet more powerful and pricey, and in both power to weight ratio and cost is far closer to the McLaren 720S which will itself shortly be revised and given even more power to face the Ferrari challenge.

The Artura has been designed by a team led by Rob Melville who recently departed the company after many years in charge of its styling. And the car is good looking and has undoubted presence on the road. But so too has its shape left itself open to the suggestion that while the car may indeed be new, it really doesn’t look that way. In fact the Artura, attractive as it is, looks very much like a car from the extant school of McLaren design and those who know no better will certainly be forgiven for thinking it is yet another version of the previous generation. A fresh design language to really underline that this car represents a new dawn for McLaren would have been far better at ramming home that message.

The car is similarly proportioned to previous McLarens, with no great deviation in overall length or wheelbase despite the dramatically different packaging requirements of its hybrid drive engine with its electric motor, battery pack and associated systems. What is astonishing about this is that despite all that additional mass, the Artura is still an incredibly light car by modern standards. It tips the scales at 1,495kg and, no, before you ask that’s not a smoke and mirrors ‘dry weight’ with all lightest options fitted, for were that the case the number would be at least 100kg lighter even than that. Full of fluids and with a 90 per cent full fuel tank it still weighs less than a tonne and a half. Look at equivalent figures for its nearest rivals – the Lamborghini Huracan Evo, Ferrari F8 Tributo and Maserati MC20 – and you’ll see the McLaren is lighter than the lot of them, despite none of them possessing a battery other than the one that drives the starter motor.

So the big question is whether a hybrid 3.0-litre V6 is any kind of replacement for a larger capacity V8. And the answer is yes, a thousand times yes. Given that the car remains light by any modern standard, it is difficult indeed to find a downside. There are of course all the benefits of a car that, even for a short distance, can run on electrical power alone, but that’s only the start of what this powertrain brings to the Artura. Consider also its ability to allow the car to develop maximum torque at 2,250rpm, which is fewer than half the revolutions required by the V8, so with this car at least you can forget all those old complaints about McLarens being peaky: it’s going like a lunatic at engine speeds where the V8 would barely be out of bed. And you can forget turbo lag, of which the V8 has been criticised too; because when your right foot requests more power, the hybrid simply fills in those few microseconds until the turbos have spooled up to speed. The car is ferociously, relentlessly fast and if its ultimate performance is not quite that of a 296 GTB or, indeed, a 720S, remember it was never intended to be. This is just the starting point for the new powertrain, and far more powerful variants will follow in due course.

The noise is interesting. There are some V6s that sound genuinely good – the original Honda NSX and the Ferrari Dino 246GT spring readily to mind – but few that are turbocharged. The Artura’s voice is as urgent as the V8’s, but it lacks an engaging timbre. It’s not just blood and thunder, there’s some music there too. No one’s ever going to call it symphonic or even close but if you can avoid the temptation of the sports exhaust and the 1,800rpm boom period that comes with it, I don’t think many will be disappointed with the sound of their Artura.

Or the way it changes gear. The new transmission is so seamless the biggest criticism is that at times it can actually feel too smooth: in the racier powertrain modes, just a small bang in the back as the next ratio engages would add a little sense of occasion.

As for the way the Artura gets down a difficult road, it is so capable that at times you find yourself genuinely gasping at its ability. The standard tyre is a Pirelli P Zero with a Corsa option that is absolutely not needed unless you’re going on track with it. The grip is simply phenomenal. As is traction now that, for the first time, McLaren has fitted one of their cars with an electronically controlled limited slip differential. Effectively open on turn in to avoid understeer, it then starts to lock as you apply the power, providing cork from bottle journeys from apex to exit.

But really it’s the damping and steering that set this car apart. Lacking the clever interconnected suspension of the 720S, it still finds a way of providing an ideal primary ride where the body is allowed to move in all three dimensions to allow decent ride quality, yet never letting it feel under anything other than iron-fisted control. And the steering, which is still hydraulically assisted, provides a level of feel and driver involvement the electric systems of rival cars could barely imagine.

Inside, the Artura doesn’t look as new as it clearly is, and this is both a good and bad thing. Falling in via the dihedral door aperture is actually easier than with a conventional door, but McLaren has again designed a tub with no easy place from which to push yourself back to a standing position. Given that the overwhelming majority of its customers will have had to wait until they are of a certain age before they can afford one, it is a curious oversight which could be remedied just by providing somewhere to push off with your right hand.

Once in, the car soon wins you over. The standard seats are excellent despite being one piece without a separately adjustable backrest (there are comfort seats for those who want this feature) and the view ahead, behind and over the shoulder confirms that McLaren remains the master of the dark art of providing proper visibility in a mid-engined package. And it’s very important: you can’t be confident in a car you cannot see out of properly and in a car this fast, confidence is king.

Information is provided in what can now be considered the normal way, with two screens, one in front of the driver providing driving data on ‘dials’ with small and spidery numerals, and a touchscreen between the seats covering infotainment functions. It’s bigger and better than McLaren has managed until now, but remains some distance from what, for example, Ferrari is providing on its very latest models. Boot space under the nose is admirable for such a car, and while there is no glovebox, on board storage with deep and side door bins is excellent.

It’s difficult to know where to start, there’s so much stuff packed into the Artura. But we’ll begin with the tub which, like all those used by McLaren to date – and unlike any used by the rivals listed above – remains made from carbon fibre. But it’s completely new and no longer bought in from a supplier, but built at a new McLaren-owned facility in Sheffield. Like for like it is both lighter and stiffer than the one it replaces.

But most attention will fall on the powertrain, and rightly so. Where previous McLarens have used 3.8 and 4.0-litre V8s, this one has a 3.0-litre V6 with an unconventional 120-degree vee-angle. It’s been chosen because it lowers the centre of gravity and allows the turbos to be mounted within the vee where they heat up more rapidly. Indeed it’s really the optimal layout for a V6 motor and is rare only because until now almost all V6s have been front mounted where the sheer width of the engine would make packaging with a steering system difficult.

The internal combustion engine produces 585PS (430kW) all by itself, more on three litres and six cylinders than the 570S managed on 3.8 litres and eight cylinders. To that, an electric motor weighing just 15kg is mounted between the engine and gearbox adds a further 95PS (70kW) for a total of 680PS (500kW). It’s fed by a small 7.4kWh battery weighing 88kg. The entire hybrid system weighs 130kg and, despite that, provides not only an all-electric range of 19 miles, the ability to travel at over 80mph with the ICE switched off and a reverse gear, but also a positive contribution to the power to weight ratio. McLaren’s first hybrid, the P1 was actually net zero, insofar as the car with the hybrid had a power to weight ratio no better than had it not been there at all. You can of course plug the car in, but unlike most hybrids, you can also use the ICE to charge the battery which only sounds like a good idea until you see what it does to your fuel consumption.

It provides four driving modes, the usual three of comfort, sport and track, with an additional electric mode. That said, it always starts in electric, allowing you escape the environs without incurring the wrath of the neighbours. In this mode the clutch is disengaged so you drive without gears. Selecting either of the two racier modes will instantly turn on the main engine.

The chassis also comes with comfort, sport and track modes, so combined with the powertrain choices, you have a considerable choice of damper, stability control, engine, throttle and gearbox maps from which to choose.

There are aspects of the Artura that disappoint: more adventurous styling, easier egress and better screens in the cabin would all be seriously welcome. But seen in its entirety it’s a fairly astonishing achievement for a small car company unsupported by a massive automotive parent.

For this is a car that stays absolutely true to McLaren values of lightness, massive performance, driver focus and every day usability, while adding an entire new dimension of ability courtesy of that hybrid powertrain. For the money, there really isn’t anything quite like it out there at the moment. Despite all McLaren’s recent troubles and the Artura’s clear flaws, this is a car that deserves to succeed. In short, the wait has been worth it.