McLaren Artura lands Down Under

McLaren’s newest supercar, the hybrid Artura, has landed in Australia ahead of its first deliveries starting in October this year.

The low-key unveiling at McLaren Sydney was an opportunity to touch, prod, feel and see the new McLaren before it takes to the road later this year.

In the carbon, the Artura is a gentle evolution of the McLaren Sports Series 570S and Super Series 720S design themes. While it keeps the 570’s scalloped aero in the doors, the nose is a refinement of the 720’s big change in direction with the socket headlights.

In profile the car is more cab-forward, at least visually. The Artura is built around McLaren’s new carbon tub architecture which now features suspension hard-points, impressive crash structures and a new electrical platform to manage the electrification.

UPDATE, June 2022: Artura driven!

We've finally driven the new McLaren Artura, and it's quite a thing. Catch our review at the link below.

The Artura I’ve just driven is still a work in progress. A car that’s not yet finished. Let me explain.

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The story to here

A common complaint of McLarens of old was the awkward entry to the cabin. The side sills are now low enough for you to step in to the car rather than have to stick your backside in first and then swing your legs in. It’s a small but important change.

Once you’re inside the cabin, the seating position feels further forward in the chassis than the 570S it effectively, if not actually, replaces. The new seats are very comfortable and an improvement on those currently available in McLaren’s range.

A new dash architecture is far more cohesive and the new screen looks terrific – even if it was not in operation as this was a pre-production car. The biggest change is the overall feel of the materials, and the fit and finish is much improved. The best things about the cabin, such as the excellent visibility and overall roominess, remain. McLarens are pretty easy to live with.

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Behind you is a new, V6 hybrid powertrain codenamed M630. The McLaren twin-turbo V8 is an impressive engine, but unlike the twin-turbo Ferrari engine, has a lot of low-down lag. McLaren says the hybridisation acts early as the engine spools up to give you instant torque before assisting at the 8500rpm top-end, a figure you don’t often see on a turbo engine.

The V angle in the six-cylinder engine is very wide at 120 degrees. RenaultSport F1 tried a 110-degree V angle in 2002 and it didn’t go well. McLaren, however, is confident in its new engine – citing superior packaging which lowers the centre of gravity, creating room for the turbos and ancillaries to be closer to where they need to be.

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The hybrid V6 delivers 500kW and 720Nm to the rear wheels via an eight-speed seamless shift gearbox. The electric motor - the charmingly titled Axial Flux E Motor can also move the car on its own for up to 30km. The 7.4kWh battery will charge to 80 per cent in two-and-a-half hours from a 240-volt domestic plug and is how the car reverses without an actual reverse gear.

The McLaren Artura starts at $449,500, with first deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2021.