Images & Words: Makenzie Shattler
Supercars.net recently got the invite to see McLaren’s brand new high-performance hybrid. The up-close and personal encounter was at none other than McLaren Toronto, located in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada. The British high-performance hybrid supercar was on a tour across Canada for viewing purposes only – Production models will be hitting dealers later this year but until then, this meet and greet will do just fine.
Thank You, McLaren Toronto!
McLaren Toronto belongs to the Pfaff Auto Group and the brand is one of many different brands owned by the family-run enterprise.
Pfaff Automotive Partners was founded in 1964 under H.J Pfaff Auto’s name and now operates with the original owner’s son, Christopher Pfaff, President and CEO of Pfaff Automotive Partners. The family-owned business grew from a small Volkswagen dealership to an enterprise heading multiple brands including Volkswagen, Subaru, BMW, Audi, Porsche, McLaren, Pagani, and more.
The Aesthetic Encapsulates Art and Performance
By checking out photos and looking up specs, you can easily see that the team at McLaren really put everything into the all-new Artura (batteries included).
For ages, McLaren has always designed and developed their masterpieces using wind tunnels, research and development, and a ton of technology. With that in mind, McLaren has once again proved that science is sexy.
When walking into the Artura’s display, my initial feelings were the sort found on the face of a child who’s just tried ice cream for the first time – a rush of excitement. It wasn’t like this high-performance hybrid looked unlike anything else in the world, but just by looking at it, everything the eye could see made perfect sense.
To the average person, the car would look “smooth and flowy”, taking notice of the massive intakes on the side of the car. To a car enthusiast, they’d know that every single curve on the Artura has a purpose or function. I could tell from the vented louvers on the front fenders to the sculpted air intakes on the rear haunches, the car was designed to perform. The design of the rear end looks cool but that’s not all, that design gives the car 50 kg of downforce alone.
Artura’s Design
At first glance, the Artura gives the aesthetic vibes of a 600LT mixed with another model out of the McLaren lineup. It had many attention-grabbing features but my eye immediately went to the headlight crevices that were reminiscent of Star Trek’s Starfleet insignia.
The Artura’s “shrink-wrapped” body panels have a very clean fit and finish throughout the entire car. The car had eye-catching exposed carbon accents starting at the front bumper, then to the fender vents, mirrors, and lastly, the majority of the rear clip. I’m one of “those” people – there can NEVER be enough carbon fiber.
This pre-production model was delivered with a mix of different features on the car. Namely, the black painted roof, the array of orange accents such as the calipers, piping on the seats and dash, and the MSO optioned six-point racing harness – These are all available options should you decide to contact the fine folks at McLaren Special Operations to have your bespoke needs met.
The Artura Mission
The team at McLaren has taken pride in the fact that they don’t add useless design features or needless decoration to their supercars – the Artura is no exception. Each piece of visually pleasing deco on the car has an exact function – besides looking amazing. All of the ducts, slopes, and even door mirrors have a technical part to play in the Artura’s aerodynamics.
The design principles McLaren followed were those of purity, technical sculpture, and functional jewelry. These three guidelines were nailed both on the smooth exterior and on the very simplistic but technical interior.
The Artura’s interior flaunted a rather flamboyant orange accenting (to show off option possibilities) while the rest of the interior had everything you could need and nothing you didn’t. The carbon-fiber racing seats were covered in lightweight Alcantara as was the dash. The seats weren’t built for comfort per se but McLaren did a great job of fooling me. They also come with a factory cutout to fit the optional six-point harness.
The driver’s cockpit was something that needed to be seen. The entire instrument cluster moves with the steering wheel – making it perfect no matter the setting you adjust your wheel to. This may seem like a small addition or solution but as the saying goes “it’s the little things that matter” and McLaren has addressed all of them.
The sticker price on the all-new Artura is set to start at $225,000 (roughly $275,000 CAD) and will be making its official arrival this August in dealers across the country.
Technical Specifications
As far as McLaren goes, shopping solely on looks is not what most McLaren enthusiasts pursue them for – they are hunted down for the technology and science behind the British-made supercars. This completely reengineered high-performance plug-in hybrid is one for the masses. Sure it’s no P1, but nothing ever will be.
It hits the stage with a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 that produces 577 hp and 431 lb-ft of torque along with an electric motor that adds 94 more horsepower and 166 lb-ft of torque. These figures bring the powertrain totals to a whopping 671hp and 531 lb-ft of torque. Based on price and powertrain totals, these put the Artura between the McLaren GT and the 720S.
But a high-performance hybrid powertrain isn’t the only thing that makes the Artura special, the team at McLaren began with a fresh slate to incorporate the MCLA (McLaren Carbon Fiber Lightweight Architecture) monocoque. This incredible design consists of four new kinds of carbon fiber and weighs in at only 82Kg (180lbs). This combined with the aluminum panels and other lightweight components brings the Artura’s dry weight to 1395Kg (3075lbs).
Looking for more information? Read our 2021 McLaren Artura Ultimate Guide.
Specs & Performance
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 3 Liter V6 |
| Power | 577 hp (430 kW) |
| Torque | 431 lb/ft (585 N·m) |
| Fuel type | Premium |
| Electric Motor | Axial Flux E-Motor |
| Power | 94 hp (70 kW) |
| Torque | 166 lb-ft (225 N·m) |
| Transmission | 8-speed SSG-Seamless Shift Gearbox dual-clutch + E-Reverse gear |
| Drivetrain | AWD |
| Vehicle type / Category | |
| Vehicle type | Hybrid |
| Category | Exotic |
| Assembly | Woking, Surrey, England |
| Fuel efficiency / Autonomy | |
| City | 5.65 L/100km |
| Highway | |
| Combined | |
| CO₂ emissions | 129 g/km |
| Equipment | |
| Infotainment | |
| Apple CarPlay compatible | Available |
| Android Auto compatible | Available |
| Steering / Suspension / Brakes / Tires | |
| Steering | Rack and pinion, electric |
| Front suspension | Double wishbones |
| Rear suspension | Multi-link independent, double wishbones |
| Front brakes | Disc |
| Rear brakes | Disc |
| Front tires | 235/35ZR19 |
| Rear tires | 295/35ZR20 |
| Safety | |
| Seat belts | 2 |
| Dimensions / Weight | |
| Length | 4,539 mm (178.7 in) |
| Width | 1,913 mm (75.3 in) |
| Height | 1,193 mm (47.0 in) |
| Wheelbase | 2,640 mm (103.9 in) |
| Front track | 1650 mm (64.96 in) |
| Rear track | 1613 mm (63.5 in) |
| Weight | 1,395 kg (3,075 lb) |
| Capacities | |
| Passengers | 2 |
| Trunk | 169 l (6 cu ft) |
| Fuel tank | 72 l (19 gal) |
| Towing capacity | N/A |
| Performance | |
| Power to weight ratio | 2.2 kg/Hp, 453.9 Hp/tonne |
| 0-100 km/h | 3.0 s (manufacturer) |
| 0-200 km/h | 8.3 s (estimated) |
| Top speed | 350 km/h (217 mph) (manufacturer) |
| Braking distance | 31 m (100km/h-0) |
| Warranty | |
| Base warranty | 5-year/75,000km |
| Battery warranty | 6-year/75,000km |
| Body warranty | 10-year, unlimited mileage |
McLaren Artura Photo Gallery
