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SUPERCAR manufacturer McLaren has just surprised supercar buyers around the globe, including some Malaysian buyers with this latest supercar.
Following in the footsteps of every other supercar manufacturer, McLaren has unveiled a hybrid supercar that accelerates from standstill to 100km/h in just 3.0 seconds and is able to reach a top speed (where there are no speed cameras and police enforcement) of 330km/h.
Named ‘Artura’ which means ‘noble’, this very Celtic sounding supercar carries a price tag of US$225,000 which is about RM910,000 before options, local taxes and delivery costs are added.
The first hybrid
This is not McLaren’s first hybrid supercar. McLaren launched their first-ever hybrid supercar back in 2012 and it was called the P1. Only 375 units were made for the globe and it was priced from US$1.15 million (RM4.5 million before local taxes) and the P1 sold out in just weeks. The P1 accelerates from standstill to 100km/h in 2.8 seconds. Its top speed is electronically limited to 350km/h. Today a P1 changes hands for more than three times its launch price.
The second hybrid
Six years later, in 2018, McLaren released its Speedtail hybrid supercar. Equipped with a petrol-electric hybrid powerplant, this McLaren had a top speed of 403km/h and a standstill to 100km/h acceleration time of just 3.0 seconds. With an insane new selling price of £1.75 million (RM9,780,000 before local taxes) only 106 units of this car were made. The Speedtail was sold out even before it was officially launched.
The third hybrid
So, when you look at the asking price and the performance of this 2021 McLaren Artura, it does come across as being rather reasonable. At the heart of the Artura’s powertrain is McLaren’s all-new, 2,993cc twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine. With a power output of 585PS which is nearly 200 PS per litre and with 585Nm of torque, the dry-sump aluminium engine is compact and lightweight. This engine weighs in at just 160kg which is some 50kg less than a McLaren V8 engine and is significantly shorter.
Working in harmony with the new V6 is the Artura’s compact axial flux E-motor, located within the transmission bell housing. Smaller and more power-dense than a conventional radial flux E-motor, it is capable of generating 95PS and 225Nm and boasts a power density per kilo 33% greater than the system used in the McLaren P1 mentioned above.
The E-motor is powered by a battery pack comprising five lithium-ion modules, offering a usable energy capacity of 7.4kWh and a pure EV range of 30km (at best). The battery is refrigerant cooled using cooling rails and the assembly, including a power distribution unit which transfers battery power from the rear of the vehicle to the ancillaries in the front which is mounted on a structural carbon fibre floor. This assembly is then bolted onto the rear base of the monocoque, optimising stiffness, weight distribution and crash protection.
The Artura is designed with full Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) capability and can be charged to an 80% charge level in just 2.5 hours with a standard EVSE cable. The batteries can also harvest power from the combustion engine during driving, tailored to the driving mode selected.
The driver can choose from four Powertrain modes, including an E-mode for 30km of emissions-free, electric-only driving. Designed for mixed driving conditions, Comfort mode maximises range and efficiency, with the combustion engine shut off under 40km/h with the use of an extended stop and start mode but phased in for greater speed and power requirements. In Sport and Track modes, electric power is deployed in an increasingly aggressive manner for low-end response and acceleration.
Braking performance is also exceptional, thanks to the Artura being fitted with carbon-ceramic brakes and lightweight aluminium callipers from the same family as the systems that feature in McLaren’s latest LT models.
Every McLaren Artura comes as standard with a five-year vehicle warranty, a six-year battery warranty and 10-year body warranty.
Conclusion
If you are looking for an all-out supercar with quiet fuel-saving electric power, the Artura offers it all at a fraction of the Speedtail and P1 current asking price. Albeit with just a 0.2 seconds slower acceleration time (which in reality you can never feel) and a 73km/ lower top speed which you will not get to feel due to the lack of highway space or available tarmac to test it on. – The Vibes, February 19, 2021
