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

It’s no secret that plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have grown in popularity over the past couple of years. Their flexibility offers the convenience of internal combustion as well as the ability to put in an average day’s driving without it. After all, any amount of electric-only propulsion not only cuts down on tailpipe emissions but also money spent at the pump.

And when money is little to no object, the convenience factor goes up exponentially. Take the 2025 McLaren Artura, the Woking, UK-based company’s latest entry-level supercar that’s replaced its former 570S. Starting at just over $254,000, this hybrid-electrified supercar may be one of the most versatile, daily-driver-friendly, and thrilling of its kind ever.

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

But 10 years later, trickle-down tech has made the Artura a downright bargain. At less than a quarter of the P1’s original $1.5 million sticker, it reaches as many as 19 miles of electric-only range, hits 60mph in 2.6 seconds, goes from zero to 100mph in 5.5 seconds, and will achieve a top speed of 205mph. These are all within range of the P1’s performance figures, but it does so making 690 horsepower and with a similar 3,300 or so pound curb weight to push forth via the rear wheels.

Putting this trickle-down tech to work makes for a fascinating driving experience. The Artura summons its output from a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 engine and axial flux electric motor, bolted up right behind the cockpit. The battery feeding its motor weighs 194 pounds and possesses a net capacity of 7.4kWh; charging to 80 percent takes 2.5 hours via a standard 240V outlet.

By default, the Artura springs to life in its all-electric mode, creating a unique and interesting symphony along the way. It also has no reverse gear — instead, McLaren utilizes the motor for reverse. Then, if the engine is running, a third clutch sits in the transmission to make the experience as seamless as possible. If you didn’t know, you’d never notice that it only possesses eight forward gears. 

Once underway, electric-only acceleration was nothing to write home about, but it got up to speed on the street and highway relatively quickly. It was also a relaxing experience, fit for being stuck in traffic or just calmly cruising around town. Lifting off the throttle to trigger regenerative braking felt smooth and easy to modulate. Interestingly, I never found the need to plug the Artura in since, between the engine itself acting as a generator and the normal brake inputs and regen, the battery was always topped up above 15 miles of range.

I dug the mighty McLaren’s neighborly wake-up, but most of the time, I couldn’t resist clicking the right-hand toggle atop its instrument binnacle to seamlessly fire up the mighty V6 in Sport or Track mode. Its high-pitched growl was more akin to naturally aspirated V12 supercars of yore than the bigger-displacement V8 it replaced in the 570S. The Artura’s Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay-integrated infotainment system was easy to use, and I certainly appreciated its tiny screen size. But I barely utilized it.

The Artura’s carbon fiber monocoque and aluminum front and rear subframes are joined by fully independent multilink suspension and adaptive dampers. In Comfort and Sport chassis modes, it had an excellent ride quality over LA’s topographically rich — meaning, particularly crappy — street surfaces. Doubling down on daily ability, 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 moving up and down in sync with the steering wheel and the ability to bring the latter incredibly close to my torso, the Artura’s cockpit was one of the most comfortable that I’ve ever sat in — not at the expense of visibility, either, as the view ahead was panoramic, and both direct and over-my-shoulder rear visibility was quite good. This isn’t always the case in most legitimately small supercars.

Regarding the McLaren Artura’s advanced driver-assistance systems: its radar cruise control performed admirably in stop-and-go highway traffic, particularly under full battery power. However, its lane departure warning was comically inadequate. I appreciated its unique squirrel chatter-like notification that I was about to waft into the next lane, but it often had trouble reading even the most prominently painted lane markers.

Still, the Artura’s analogue lane departure warning system — its brilliantly communicative hydraulically assisted power steering — made up for it and contributed to this McLaren being downright thrilling on Southern California’s mountain-top roads.

With ample clear tarmac ahead of me atop SoCal’s Angeles National Forest, the 2025 McLaren Artura was phenomenal. Thanks to the electric motor filling in any gaps in the turbo-fed torque curve, it launched quite aggressively, making its sub-six-second zero to 100mph time quite believable.

From there, the Artura displayed seamless, uninterrupted high-speed confidence. Two hundred thirty-five front and 295 rear 19-inch Pirelli P Zero Corsa Summer tires made the most of its finely tuned chassis, possessing immense cornering grip and stability. Its hydraulic steering was extremely communicative, responsive, and busy, relaying every crease in the tarmac at all times — to the point of requiring a firm grip and faster than average hands — just the way any driving aficionado desires. Chassis communication was equally as wonderful, helping determine the best speed through myriad corners with varying grip levels and camber changes.

Its electric-sourced torque was hard to discern from any turbo-sourced output, and while power felt generally linear across the rev band, it was brutally rapid up high. With the left bank turbocharger bolted up directly behind my ears, I felt like I could hear every PSI of boost getting shoved through the intake valves as the tach needle climbed, in addition to its gloriously high-pitched exhaust tone up top. However, here is where my main gripe lies: even in track mode, the exhaust volume was simply too quiet. It’s designed to be a versatile and everyday supercar, but I wanted to hear a lot more of this thing’s personality when conditions allowed. 

Once I got my fill of hilariously fun lateral and longitudinal G forces, it was nice to loosen up the Artura’s dampers and switch over to serene, silent EV mode. Having this kind of latitude in a high-performance supercar is the equivalent of a long, hot shower after a hard workout. Then, on one occasion, spending the entire trip back down into the Los Angeles basin with the engine off netted a total trip economy of 26.1mpg.

The 2025 McLaren Artura may be a quarter-million-dollar supercar, but it’s quite possible to tool around town like any more everyday PHEV, like the Toyota Prius Prime. The same equipment integrated into its powertrain to boost fuel economy also boosts its performance and driving experience to breathtaking levels. On top of it all, it’s a nicely equipped luxury experience featuring a suite of modern ADAS. 

For anyone after a high-performance machine with all the personality, that’s also as big on versatility and livability as it is on nonstop thrills, McLaren’s latest entry-level offering is hard to disagree with.