The McLaren Artura symbolises an exciting new dawn | GRR Cars of the Year 2023
It's been an incredibly exciting year for the motoring industry. We here at GRR have driven so many brilliant cars over the past 12 months, and everything we’ve always loved is still right here, it’s just arguably better than it’s ever been. To evidence our point, we’ve pulled together nine cars that we consider to be among the very best of 2023, and we’re going to celebrate their brilliance right here at Goodwood.
We know, it’s not exactly hot off the press, but between supply chain issues and McLaren’s own rocky developmental journey, what has turned out to be an utterly superb car hasn’t had the easiest start in life. We think it’s that good that what is finally the finished article still warrants a place among our Goodwood Road and Racing Cars of the Year in 2023.
So what makes it great? Well, that all-new twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 engine is a proper little hummer, revving up to 8,500rpm and singing all the way. The hybrid system proves to entirely complement it too, adding a genuine performance boost where it’s needed. With a 680PS (500kW) total system output, it’s seriously quick, getting from 0-62mph in 3.0 seconds on the way to a 205mph top speed.
It's the kind of performance that slots the McLaren Artura right in amongst some pretty serious competition, but more to the point, it’s enjoyable on the road, with the silky hydraulically-assisted steering and a proper LSD complementing a simply sublime chassis. It has almost all the performance of a 720S but is more civilised and easier to place on the road. It could be all the supercar you'll ever need.
When driven as a whole it’s an enriched McLaren experience for the changes that the Artura has undergone. The electric motors make the power delivery much more linear and far more predictable than its predecessors. The new chassis and suspension setup are intuitive and the electric diff feels like something honed over decades rather than a first try. In full-on hybrid mode, we have possibly my favourite car that Woking has ever produced.
Ben Miles Managing Editor, GRR
The interior is also a massive step on for McLaren. The Artura inherits a lot of what we saw for the first time on the Elva, including that horizontal infotainment screen, the new driver’s display with the new drive mode rockers, and more.
Needless to say, this is an incredibly significant car for McLaren. The brand's first series production hybrid, first car to use the new V6 engine, first to have a proper limited-slip differential.
The best bit? In the current hybrid supercar stakes, it’s a bit of a bargain, starting from around £100k less than the Ferrari 296 GTB and being about half the price (yes, even after all of the option boxes are ticked) of the new Lamborghini Revuelto. We love it for filling in as an entry-level hybrid supercar, where the Honda NSX left off.
Be sure to watch the Goodwood Road and Racing Cars of the Year video when it launches on Friday 15th December.
Photography by Joe Harding.
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