During Arizona Car Week, our dear friends at McLaren Scottsdale gave us the keys to the 2023 McLaren Artura, and it did not disappoint. The Artura is the ultimate entry-level supercar and the first hybrid from McLaren since they introduced the P1. It can tackle everything from daily driving to canyon carving. Let me explain:
On Thursday I was handed the keys, given a thorough tutorial on McLaren’s updates and changes in the new Artura and then took off to check out our friends at RM Sothebys. Once you get over how many heads turn on the road to ogle its sleek, richly colored body, you are struck by how breathtakingly quick the car is. The 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 is paired to an 8-speed dual-clutch, which directs 671 horsepower to the rear wheels. The power surges in a surprisingly linear fashion for a turbo-charged car and keeps you pinned to the back of your seat until your foot lets off the accelerator. As you hold on for dear life, you’ll notice the superb steering size and grip feel that is pleasantly minimal, eschewing any buttons and knobs. The Artura feels extraordinarily light due to its newly redesigned carbon tub and the fact that it’s only 3,300 pounds. Yet it somehow manages to simultaneously give the driver an extremely planted feel while veering around sharp curves.
The daily drivability of the Artura is pretty spectacular. As you swing the door up and get in, you become immersed in the driver-centric cockpit. The driver modes can be adjusted using the two controls on the dash that can be found, directly in front of your right and left hands. The right controls can be moved up and down to adjust to Electric, Comfort, Sport, or Track modes while the left handles the suspension. The other easily accessible button that helps with daily driving is the front lift, which is no longer on a stalk; it’s a physical button to the left of the steering wheel. As we commuted between auctions and events, I was able to start up the car in Electric mode, sneak out of the parking garage, and hit the road before hitting the control up twice to switch it into Sport mode in order to enjoy the exhaust note.
As you explore the interior of the car more, you realize that the visibility is extraordinarily good: the seating position is perfect, and there is a great amount of both leg and headroom. The user interface took some getting used to––as it would with any new car––but makes sense once you get the hang of it. It’s a very straightforward system that makes adjusting the climate control and media easy when you’re on the move.
The McLaren Artura proves to be an all-around incredible supercar with scattered hints of hypercar traits. It exceeds everything you want and need from an entry-level vehicle of this type. Although you may not have enough trunk space, you could use this car on a daily basis and make your day-to-day life exponentially more enjoyable, and a whole lot faster, exactly how it did for me during Arizona Car Week.
