If you’ve been fancying a hybrid supercar, you’ve probably been intrigued by the McLaren Artura, which is something of a bargain in the segment, even if it had some teething troubles. Sure, it’s slower than a Ferrari 296 GTB, but it’s also much less expensive than the Ferrari, and it’s still bonkers fast. So what else could McLaren do to sweeten the deal? Well, say hello to the McLaren Artura Spider, an entry-level hybrid supercar that dares to let the fresh air in, making a special thing just a little bit more so.
Headlining the Artura Spider is a fancy folding roof can stow in just 11 seconds at the push of a button, and you can even option it with an electrochromic sunroof that can go opaque at the touch of the button, giving you a choice of little light, some light, or wind-in-your-hair thrills. Of course, like most McLaren Spiders, you can also separately lower the rear window to let more sound in without getting cooked by the mid-day sun. Nice.
One common tradeoff with a convertible is weight, and the Artura Spider weighs 136.7 pounds more than the coupe. That’s like carrying an extra passenger at all times, so to help combat this, McLaren’s pulled an extra 19 horsepower out of the three-liter V6 by software tweaks alone. Aided by a 70 kilowatt electric motor and a 7.4 kWh battery pack, you’re looking at a combined 690 horsepower and the ability to drive a handful of miles on electric power alone. McLaren claims 11 miles of electric range, so nothing massive, but not nothing either.
So, how does 39 more horsepower than an Enzo manifest on a spec sheet? Well, McLaren claims the Artura Spider can go from zero-to-60 mph in three seconds, zero-to-124 mph in 8.4 seconds, and has a top speed electronically limited to 205 mph. Yeah, that’s fast. It’s also fast to stop, dropping from 62 mph to naught in a claimed 102 feet. That’s not bad.
Other dynamic tweaks include a 25 percent improvement in shift times thanks to raised hydraulic pressure, faster adaptive damping for the suspension, stiffer engine mounts that should keep the engine situated better and transmit more vibrations to the driver, and a smoky burnout mode McLaren eloquently calls “Spinning Wheel Pull-Away.” Exceedingly literal, that one. Altogether, it’s a subtle package, but it sounds promising. Oh, and there’s also a new rear center speaker in the optional Bowers & Wilkins stereo to meet the sound environment requirements of going roofless.
With a little extra power and sun, the McLaren Artura Spider seems to be blossoming just in time for Spring. However, if you own an Artura coupe, don’t trade it in for the Spider just yet. Instead, make a service appointment with your local McLaren dealer because they’ll soon be able to give you an extra 19 horsepower for free. Not a bad perk, right?
(Photo credits: McLaren)
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Complete side note….
Is there a term for the new design language in a lot of cars that uses the termination of surfaces as a design cue? Like at the rear quarter panel on the Artura. Instead of blending it into another panel, or ending in a trim piece or light, it just folds back in on itself and ends, creating a sharp definition and surround for the rear honeycomb.
Seems like a number of brands are using similar now and I kind of love it. Where’s Adrian when I need him?
11 seconds to close the roof is too long for me. I’m sure I do it faster with the manual roof of my 2000€ convertible. I just have to run around the car…
Not just any one either, that’s CT5V BW and Z06 money with enough leftover for a more sensible daily. I’d rather have those two and a CRV Hybrid (don’t laugh too hard) for the commute over a McLaren every single time.
Sounds like a better concept than GM did with the Corvette E-Ray. They added only a 1.9kwh pack and no plugin. Nice for a performance-centric setup but it would have been nice to have something a bit more useful for the day to day.
The real question is do any of the tweaks result in actual reliability. Every review I saw of the hard tops said it was an absolutely incredible car, and one that was also incredibly broken during every single review I watched. People say McLarens are too boring, but I’d argue you get the excitement only the uncertainty of British Electronics can provide.
Out of all the ways of looking at it that’s definitely one of them!
I never claim to have good takes, just many takes.
You’ve come to the right place! My takes are inconsistent and best but they are certainly plentiful!
It’s cool that these can return MPGs in the 20s and enough EV range for short commutes with that level of performance on tap, but that’s about all I’ve got. All of these modern super and hyper cars are so same-ey to me. If you put me in a lot full of different McLarens I’m not even sure if I could tell you which model is which…