2023 McLaren Artura Driven Again: Redemption Time?

As "all-new" cars go, the 2023 McLaren Artura is newer than most—from its carbon-fiber tub to its splayed 120-degree twin-turbo V-6 to its eight-speed three-clutch transaxle and plug-in hybridization. It's even breaking new ground with a novel twisted-pair ethernet electrical architecture. This all would be a lot for Toyota to get completely correct from the start, let alone for a tiny independent marque that's only been series-producing cars for about a dozen years. And sure enough, in our first drive last summer, the Artura was bedeviled with electronic gremlins. Well, after several reflashes, McLaren invited us to shake down a fully baked Artura on a mixed 150-mile road driving loop, capped off with a dozen or so hot laps of Las Vegas Motor Speedway's infield road course. Did it redeem itself?

Happily, all bugs were thoroughly exterminated from the cars we drove, and we found the user interface approachable and intuitive. The instrument cluster and binnacle moves with the steering wheel, keeping the handling- and powertrain-mode control toggles within finger's reach of the steering wheel at 10 and 2 o'clock. This makes it vastly easier/safer to, for example, temporarily engage Comfort handling over a bumpy stretch then revert to Sport or Track.

The 12.0-inch cluster provides crisp graphics and useful information, with the left side showing info like real-time tire pressures and temperatures (beamed from the carcass of each Pirelli Cyber Tyre) and a tachometer that swaps from round to a linear, F1-style rev-counter ribbon in Track mode.

A refreshingly minimalist 8.0-inch vertical touchscreen controls all infotainment and many secondary controls, such as the McLaren Track Telemetry and Variable Drift Control systems. Twirl the rotary push knob on the side of the screen for volume; touch its center to toggle back to the home screens. Wired Apple CarPlay interface provided flawless navigation.

Additional buttons and switches are few—less frequently used buttons like the nose lift, lane departure system, and frunk release are by the driver's left knee. Unlike in many of its competitors, the steering wheel remains a button-free zone. When everything's working properly, this system represents a vast improvement over all previous McLarens.

That's a matter of context. Last summer, Angus MacKenzie channeled memories of the Artura's 570S forebear (our 2016 MotorTrend Best Driver's Car), its 720S big brother, and Ferrari's pricier V-6 PHEV offering. He came away describing the buggy Artura as "oddly aloof" and "heavier, more deliberate on its feet than the Ferrari 296 GTB." Our recent drive fell within weeks of having spent time driving closer price competitors such as the Audi R8 GT and the Maserati MC20, as well as the somewhat less costly Chevy Corvette Z06/Z07 and the Porsche 718 GT4 RS (plus the Artura's 765LT Spider sibling).

In that context, the Artura—at a claimed 4.9 pounds/horsepower—felt considerably lighter, nimbler, and more immediate in its responses than the R8 (roughly 5.9 pounds/hp) and even perhaps a touch sprightlier than the MC20 Cielo (5.6). Its performance and handling limits feel just as accessible as the Maserati's, with the electric-assist torque helping deliver more uniform thrust in corner exits. The Artura's performance is vastly less extreme than that of the Corvette Z06 and 765LT, and although choosing a favorite between the Cayman and Artura requires substantial direct back-to-back comparison, it's an unequivocal fact the 2023 McLaren Artura is the more civilized, daily-drivable car in that pairing. Oh, and the Artura's V-6 somehow sounds vastly better than that of McLaren's twin-turbo V-8s, singing in a higher, less guttural register. The Corvette and Porsche both sound better still, though the Cayman is way too loud for some people.

The 2023 McLaren Artura's Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires provide astonishing grip, their Cyber Tyre embedded chips constantly apprising the vehicle dynamics systems of their pressures and temperatures. A new electronically locking rear differential makes the most of this traction by helping the Artura exit corners even more sure-footedly than the 570S, which we described as mimicking AWD. Engaging Track mode cranks up the damping rate 15 percent, and in quick transitions the added stiffness can help provoke a modicum of slip. But those looking to drift need only engage ESC Dynamic mode and use the center screen to dial up one of 15 levels of permissive slip angle. (We didn't have a safe space to sample this feature, but we expect it to work like the R8 GT's similar system.)

The 2023 McLaren Artura's primary controls share their zero-hysteresis feel with other McLarens. The electrohydraulic steering transmits great road feel, from variations in pavement coarseness to the rumble of track curbing, regardless of drive modes. That's because McLaren refuses to alter steering and brake feel (the brakes aren't a by-wire setup, so feel couldn't be altered easily anyway). The brake pedal travels more than that of a 765, but you can modulate it just as easily.

There's insufficient luggage room for two people to travel comfortably in a 2023 McLaren Artura—the McLaren GT offers a bit more in that regard, but the Corvette remains the trunk-space king. Otherwise, the Artura's interior noise level allows conversation and appreciation of a Bowers & Wilkins sound system boasting vastly improved fidelity, thanks to the car's new carbon tub accommodating a subwoofer. The "comfort" seats live up to their name by affording an ideal seating position, with electric adjusters now mounted on their outboard front corners for easier accessibility (a godsend compared to where McLaren used to bury them on the seats' inside edge along the center tunnel). Cabin stowage space includes a 2.5-inch-wide bin between the seats, pockets on the fronts of each seat cushion, and an 11.0-inch-deep shelf behind the seats with a half-inch lip. And although the interior isn't nearly as posh as the Maserati MC20's, it's positively sybaritic by comparison with that of the 765LT.

If you never plug the Artura in, it will deliver better city economy and worse highway economy than the McLaren GT and 720S V-8s—17/21 versus 15/22—and an equivalent combined 18 mpg. Plugging in improves those numbers to 37/41/39 mpg-e in commuter duty. And the computer reported 22.1 mpg over our spirited 150-mile road drive—impressive for a supercar on a shake-down press drive. It also pays off in Track mode, where it was developed to sustain identical lap times over 10 laps of the nearly 4-mile infield road course at the Nardò automotive testing facility in Italy. Whenever you're not calling for full power, the engine uses any surplus potential to charge the battery, ensuring the extra 94 hp and 166 lb-ft are fully available at every corner exit.

In our 2023 McLaren Artura First Look story, we noted McLaren's goal for the model was "expanding the supercar envelope by simultaneously improving attributes that are traditionally at odds: performance and efficiency, stability and agility, engagement and refinement." Efficiency is indeed way up, and outright performance promises to be fairly close to that of the 570S. Refinement is vastly improved, and we'll need longer with the car to weigh in on how engaging it remains. (At least the UX is no longer repellant.) Advancing tire and e-diff technology improves stability relative to the 570S, and even if agility suffers relative to that predecessor, it compares favorably against the present competitive set.

The Artura's performance is accessible, allowing normal drivers to come up to speed quickly. That's the job of the entry offering in McLaren's Super series—which arrives just as a population bubble of 570 leases are due to expire. The same can be said of the Maserati MC20 and to an extent the Corvette Z06—all three of which deserve strong consideration from anyone looking for a supercar they can drive every day or take a trip in.