This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/cars by /u/eaglerulez on 2025-05-31 18:10:56+00:00.
Intro:
I’ve been on a bit of a hybrid kick and a McLaren kick lately. I like the idea of hybrid sports cars because in theory they offer the best of both worlds between ICE and EV vehicles. I like the idea of McLarens because used version are in the same pricing stratosphere as high trim C8’s or decently specced 911’s, but McLarens brings a much more exotic flavor to the table.
In particular, I’ve had my eye on the McLaren Artura. I like the idea of having usable EV range, I’m a fan of how it looks, and on paper the Artura has the makings for a true “do it all” super car.
I found a decent deal for an Artura on Turo that allowed me to actually drive the car more than 75 miles so figured I’d share my thoughts!
I’ve driven quite a few other vehicles and my thoughts are informed with all of these vehicles in mind. That list includes:
C5 Corvette, V6 5th Gen Camaro, C7 Grand Sport, C8 Corvette Z51, C8 Corvette Z06, C8 Corvette E-Ray, 2018 Mercedes AMG-GT, Porsche Taycan Turbo, Taycan GTS, Taycan 4S, 997.2 Porsche 911 Turbo, 718 Porsche Cayman Base, Alfa Romeo 4C, Alfa Romeo Giulia QV, Ford Focus RS, 2008 Audi R8 V8, Audi TTRS, Lotus Evora N/A, Lotus Evora 400, the Lotus Elise, McLaren 720S, and the 2017 Acura NSX.
Power:
Surprisingly mushy power delivery One of the first things that stood out to me about the Artura is the throttle response and subsequent power delivery feels a little “mushy”. Basically what happens is the car uses its EV motor to give you a gradual amount of torque fill and as your speed builds the ICE motor/turbos begin to kick in.
In some ways this is good as the car does begin to respond to throttle inputs very quickly and I’m sure this allows for a lot of torque control since power is only delivered to the rear. But because the EV motor’s assist is so gradual the car just really doesn’t feel as sharp or as fast off the line as its near 700HP figure would lead you to believe.
The other thing you notice is in auto mode you feel the car move forward but the RPM’s don’t tend to rise until several moments into a throttle movement. This isn’t bad per say, but it does feel a little disconnected from what you’d typically expect. I’d say highway pulls in particular are a little bit of a let down due to the phenomenon.
Great top end Once you get the Artura moving, the good news is it does have plenty of top end and has an ability to pull very hard well into the triple digits. You never feel like the car is running out of power, and if you’re coming from a proper EV there’s plenty of torque to put a smile on your face. I don’t want to say the Artura has the same top-end as the 720S I drove, but it certainly has enough to keep most people happy.
*Engaging gear shifts * I found the gear shifts in the Artura to be properly engaging. Downshifts provide a distinct “jolt” or “pulse” while upshifts are rewarded with a strong “shift-kick”. I find this to be so important nowadays as you are driving an ICE vehicle over an EV to feel mechanical engagement. The Artura’s satisfying gear shifts do a lot to add to the “supercar” experience and I would say they are pretty comparable to that of a 720S in terms of feel. I’m also pleased to report that there’s a fair amount of natural and progressive engine braking upon downshifting.
A present engine tone that’s sometimes great, sometimes meh. I will say that the engine sounds much better in person than it does on camera. Likewise it feels pretty impressive when it fires up after driving around in EV mode, I’d say more impressive than the fire up sequence of an E-Ray. That being said, the engine doesn’t really seem to build too much additional character as the revs rise so it can feel a little “zingy” at times You do get to hear some cool turbo noises when the windows are down, which I always find to be a positive. That being said, when canyon carving I had quite a few 911’s pass by me as well as a C8 Z06 and they all sounded better. All in all I’d say the overall presence of the engine within the cabin feels pretty cool all things considered, I’d characterize it as sonorous but not melodic.
Fast on a canyon, “slow” on the highway. On the canyons I’d say the Artura provides plenty of speed, torque, and overall power to keep you happy, especially when shifting the gears in manual mode. There’s always power on tap, and the speed and torque just keeps building and building as you go higher in the rev range. On the highway I found that the Artura built speed very quickly but for some reason never really put down what should feel like the 690HP and tons of torque that it has. I never really got the “ballistic missile” feeling like I got with a 720S, and I’d argue that an E-Ray generally pulls harder than the Artura in most situations. This isn’t to say that the Artura is slow by any means…it’s extremely easy to hit triple digits whenever you want. But its exceedingly smooth power delivery makes it feel like the car is almost a little too torque managed at times.
Handling:
Before diving into specifics I want to mention that handling is one of the true highlights of the Artura. You can definitely tell that McLaren put a lot of effort into give this car all sorts of handling “special sauce” and the car truly drives like a super flushed out Lotus product with lots of money behind it. A lot of people talk about “driver’s cars” and the Artura provides a level of precision, enjoyment, and connectedness that’s clearly several notches above what the competition is able to provide.
Rotates beautifully
The first thing you notice about the Artura is it’s one of those cars where every turn feels fun and special. The only other car I’ve really experienced this with is the Lotus Evora and I’d say the Artura does a much better job bringing cornering goodness to the forefront of the driving experience. The rear end feels incredibly planted in the Artura, thanks to the battery pack and low positioned V6 giving the rear an incredibly low center of gravity. When I say the rear feels planted, it feels damn near adhered to the pavement and you have a hard time imagining how it could ever break loose. Since the rear is so planted, it acts as this awesome platform for the front of the car to rotate around as you take a turn. It’s really quite impressive and special, and I don’t think I’ve experienced a car with such a great rear end before.
Great steering feel
When I drove a 720S I wasn’t particularly a fan of its hydraulic steering, and to an extent I’d still say hydraulic steering is a little overhyped. Around town the Artura’s steering rack is a bit heavy, slow feeling and kind of a pain to deal with. But on a canyon road you do get a level of connectedness and feedback that is pretty enjoyable and otherwise hard to match with other cars. You essentially get a lot of natural texture due to the carbon fiber chassis, the hydraulic rack ends up communicating a lot, and you have a car that is always eager to turn in or rotate for you. It makes for a very connected driving experience.
Heavy brakes for no reason
The brake pedal on the Artura kind of sucks. It’s fairly heavy, hard to modulate, and doesn’t really give you a strong initial bite by any means. I had moments where I could move the brake pedal a few millimeters and not have the brakes actually engage. I’m sure this has to do with some kind of F1 or track racing philosophy, but honestly braking just isn’t fun in the Artura. While the stopping power is ultimately there, you just don’t really have confidence in what the brake pedal is doing.
One other thing I want to mention, McLaren goes on and on about how they didn’t do regen braking in order to maintain the brake feel, but the brake feel kind of sucks in the Artura, The C8 E-Ray actually has one of the best brake feels I’ve ever had in a car and it had blended regen braking and is brake by wire.
Always light on its feet and always comfortable
The big thing you notice with the Artura is it always gives you the impression of being light on its feet and ready to go. Its seemingly always ready to corner for you, rotate for you, and honestly do whatever you need it do. Likewise the Artura has incredibly comfortable damping. I think it’s the only car I’ve been in that has damping on par with the smoothness of my Porsche Taycan’s air suspension, while being noticeably nicer than say C8’s mag ride (which I consider to be a pretty high water mark). The great thing about the Artura’s damping is you don’t ever really need to take it out of comfort mode. Sure you can put it into sport or track and feel a little more firmness and sharper bumps, but the car honestly seems to handle just as well in comfort mode as it does in track mode. I felt no major improvements in body control, cornering grip, etc. in track or sport compared to comfort. I’m sure it’s there, but on the streets it’s just not something that really stands out by any means.
Potentially down on grip, relies on brake steer
I did notice that the Artura has a tendency to rely on brake steer a little sooner than you’d think it would need to. The limiting factor seems to be front end grip as the Artura seems to have “small-ish” 235 front tires. You still have plenty of confidence in the car, and taking turns is never a problem by any means. But I did notice brake steer happening fairly often in the car, while others I’ve been…
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