McLaren Artura is not McLaren's first hybrid because it was McLaren P1. Artura came already in 2022 but I have not had the opportunity to test drive either it or P1. So when my friend Aleksander who I visited in Florida asked if I wanted to borrow his Artura, I of course did not say no. 

The main competitor to the McLaren Artura is the Ferrari 296 GTB. However, the 296 GTB is much more expensive than the Artura and has a full 819 Italian thoroughbred horses while the Artura only has 680 British horses. If you choose to run the Artura entirely on electricity you will only get just over 3.1 miles and if you choose to run entirely on electricity you will only have 95 horsepower available. So unfortunately not much to cheer about. My Jeep Wrangler 4xe for example gets 5 miles on electricity. But now this article is not about my Jeep but the McLaren Artura and it really is a great car and of course cannot and should not be compared to my Jeep!

The day in honour of which I get to borrow Aleksander's Artura was the day Lando Norris won the F1 race in Florida. One thing I'm actually ashamed of is that I didn't realise there was an F1 race in Florida while I was there. I have been to several other F1 races and would definitely have received a photo accreditation if I had applied for one. But with everything I've been through from the motorbike accident, heart muscle inflammation and more, I had unfortunately completely missed checking out the F1 calendar. A lesson learned for sure!

But Lando Norris took the victory and he actually drives for McLaren, which has a long and successful history in Formula 1. Our own F1 star Stefan Johansson drove for McLaren in 1987. Right now, in addition to Lando Norris, we also find Oscar Piastri behind the wheel of McLaren's F1 cars. At the last race at the Hungaroring in Hungary, the McLaren cars came 1st and 2nd. Oscar Piastri won his first F1 race. Speaking of the Hungaroring, I have actually been able to test drive F1 cars there. Even twice under the auspices of Johan Rajamäki. You can read one of the articles here. Now it was not a McLaren F1 car I tested. But after having tested an F1 car, I can actually understand how you managed to get such incredibly fine steering and braking feeling that you actually experience in Artura. Magical, to put it bluntly. You really experience the car in your nerves. Like it's an extension of a nerve. I wrote in my article about the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS, which you can read here, that the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS was like discovering an extra body part you didn't know you had. The McLaren Artura is a cut above and, as I just wrote, like an extension of your nerves. You really feel and experience everything and that you are in full control. 

Aleksander and his family live in a house in Palm Beach Gardens and that's where I stayed during my trip to Florida. The day I borrowed Aleksander's McLaren Artura, I took a trip down to the famous Hard Rock hotel shaped like an electric guitar. On the way there, I passed the F1 track where it was still in full swing. The road to the hotel may not offer such exotic driving to really experience a McLaren Artura. So even though I write that you really experience everything behind the wheel of a McLaren Artura, it would have needed a slightly more challenging road to really get the maximum out of the car. However, I feel that my experience behind the wheel of extra sports cars is enough to still be able to experience and judge such a performance car even if the road does not invite any more advanced driving. 

So my assessment of the McLaren Artura is that it really is a tool for those who want to get the maximum feeling and joy behind the wheel. And now a convertible version of the Artura has just been released. Buying it because you want to be an environmentalist and drive on electricity is not reason enough. My Jeep actually does a better job. 

McLaren Artura

Price: SEK 2 695 000

Engine: 3.0 L twin turbo V6 + electric motor

Power: 671hp, 720 Nm

Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic, rear-wheel drive

Acceleration: 0-100 km/h in 3 seconds

Top speed: 330 km/h

Electricity range 31 kilometres

Weight: 1395 kg

Dimensions (length/width/height): 4539 x 1976 x 1193 mm 

Webb: https://cars.mclaren.com