McLaren Artura review: A plug-in hybrid for the 1 percent

It's no secret that plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) have gained popularity in recent years. Its flexibility offers the convenience of internal combustion, as well as the ability to drive a normal day without it. After all, any amount of purely electric propulsion not only reduces tailpipe emissions but also money spent at the pump.

And when money is little or nothing, the convenience factor increases exponentially. Take the McLaren Artura 2025, the Woking, UK-based company's latest entry-level supercar, which replaced its aging 570S. With a starting price of just over $254,000, this hybrid electric supercar may be one of the most versatile, daily-driver-friendly, and exciting supercars of its kind.

It's hard not to compare the 2025 McLaren Artura with its direct ancestor: the legendary P1 hypercar.

But 10 years later, drip technology has made the Artura a real bargain. For less than a quarter of the P1's original $1.5 million price, it achieves up to 19 miles of electric-only range, hits 60 mph in 2.6 seconds, goes from zero to 100 mph in 5.5 seconds, and will achieve a Top speed of 205 mph. These are all within the range of the P1's performance figures, but it does so with 690 horsepower and with a similar curb weight of about 3,300 pounds to push forward through the rear wheels.

Putting this trickle technology to work creates a fascinating driving experience. The Artura gets its power from a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine and an axial-flow electric motor, bolted right behind the cabin. The battery that powers its motor weighs 194 pounds and has a net capacity of 7.4 kWh; Charging to 80 percent takes 2.5 hours via a standard 240V outlet.

By default, the Artura comes to life in its all-electric mode, creating a unique and interesting symphony along the way. It also doesn't have reverse gear; Instead, McLaren uses the engine to reverse. Then, if the engine is running, a third clutch is placed in the transmission to make the experience as smooth as possible. If you didn't know better, you would never realize that it only has eight forward gears.

Once underway, the electric acceleration wasn't anything to write home about, but it picked up speed on the street and highway relatively quickly. It was also a relaxing experience, suitable for being stuck in traffic or just taking a leisurely stroll around the city. Releasing the throttle to activate the regenerative braking felt smooth and easy to modulate. Interestingly, I never found the need to plug in the Artura as, between the motor itself acting as a generator and the normal brake and regen inputs, the battery was always charged above the 15 mile range.

I loved the friendly awakening of the mighty McLaren, but most of the time, I couldn't resist clicking the right switch above its instrument binnacle to seamlessly fire up the mighty V6 in Sport or Track mode. Its high-pitched growl was more like that of the naturally aspirated V12 supercars of yesteryear than the larger-displacement V8 it replaced in the 570S. The Artura's integrated infotainment system with Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay was easy to use and I certainly appreciated its small screen size. But I barely used it.

The Artura's carbon fiber monocoque and aluminum front and rear subframes are linked by a fully independent multi-link suspension and adaptive dampers. In Comfort and Sport chassis modes, it had excellent ride quality over the topographically rich (read: particularly unpleasant) surfaces of Los Angeles. Doubling daily capacity, its comfortable, fixed-back driver's seat was mounted on a manual slider and complemented its spacious Alcantara-rich interior.

Then, thanks to the instrument cluster that moved up and down in sync with the steering wheel and the ability to move the latter incredibly close to my torso, the Artura's cabin was one of the most comfortable I've ever sat in, not in the At the expense of visibility neither, since the forward view was panoramic and the rear visibility, both direct and over the shoulder, was quite good. This is not always the case in most legitimately small supercars.

As for the McLaren Artura's advanced driver-assist systems: its radar cruise control performed admirably in stop-and-go highway traffic, particularly with a full battery. However, its lane departure warning was comically inadequate. I appreciated its unique, squirrel-like notification that I was about to move into the next lane, but I often had trouble reading even the most prominent painted lane markers.

Still, the Artura's analog lane-departure warning system (its brilliantly communicative hydraulically assisted steering) made up for it and helped make this McLaren downright exciting on the mountaintop roads of Southern California.

With wide open asphalt ahead of me at the top of Southern California's Angeles National Forest, the 2025 McLaren Artura was phenomenal. Thanks to the electric motor filling in the gaps in the turbocharged torque curve, it launched quite aggressively, making its sub-six-second zero-to-100mph time quite believable.

From there, the Artura showed perfect, uninterrupted confidence at high speed. Two hundred and thirty-five front and 295 rear 19-inch Pirelli P Zero Corsa Summer tires made the most of its finely tuned chassis, which possesses immense grip and cornering stability. Its hydraulic steering was extremely communicative, responsive and active, transmitting every fold of the asphalt at all times, to the point of requiring a firm grip and faster than average hands, just as any driving enthusiast desires. Communication with the chassis was equally wonderful, helping to determine the best speed through countless corners with different levels of grip and camber changes.

Its electric-sourced torque was difficult to distinguish from any turbo-sourced power, and while power felt generally linear throughout the rev band, it was brutally quick at high speeds. With the left bank turbocharger bolted directly behind my ears, I felt like I could hear every PSI of boost pushed through the intake valves as the tachometer needle climbed, plus its gloriously high-pitched exhaust note on top. . However, this is where my main complaint lies: even in track mode, the exhaust volume was simply too low. It's designed to be a versatile, everyday supercar, but I wanted to hear a lot more about this vehicle's personality when conditions permitted.

Once I had my fill of fun lateral and longitudinal G-forces, it was nice to loosen the Artura's dampers and shift into serene and quiet EV mode. Having this kind of freedom in a high-performance supercar is equivalent to a long hot shower after a hard workout. Then, on one occasion, spending the entire trip back to the Los Angeles basin with the engine off produced a total trip economy of 26.1mpg.

The 2025 McLaren Artura may be a quarter-million-dollar supercar, but it's just as doable around town as any everyday PHEV, like the Toyota Prius Prime. The same equipment built into your powertrain to increase fuel economy also increases your performance and driving experience to impressive levels. On top of everything, it is a very well-equipped luxury experience with a suite of modern ADAS.

For anyone looking for a high performance machine with all the personality, this is it. also As big on versatility and livability as it is on non-stop thrills, it's hard to disagree with McLaren's latest entry-level offering.