We found out McLaren he planned to reveal the new plug-in hybrid supercar, the Artura, for a while now, and last night proved the company eranot just having everyone on. The Artura is already here, it’s very lime-colored and full of new technology, even if from the outside it still looks very McLaren. I technically there is no going back, but I will get there soon.
The Artura is brand new, right down to the chassis. While all McLarens since 2009 have used the same basic carbon fiber tub and a V8 engine, the Artura uses a new platform, the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA), along with a twin-turbo V6 engine and an interesting permanent magnet electric motor.
The V6 engine is what is known as the “hot vee” design, which means that, unlike a conventional V-type engine that has the intake manifold in the V Valley, remember that you have to save it for the title of a series of YA novels), a hot vein has the exhaust manifold inside, with the turbos also in there, which can give a more compact design.
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The 120-degree 3-liter V6 makes 577 horsepower and 431 pound-feet of torque and weighs 353 pounds surprisingly light, far less than McLaren’s previous V8s. It is also a sub-square design, where the stroke (90 mm) is larger than the probe (84 mm) and rotates up to 8,500 rpm.
The electric motor that Artura uses is also interesting: it is what is sometimes called an “inside out” electric motor. Technically, it is an axial flow motor, which puts the moving component of an electric motor, the rotor, really inside the stator, and is applied in the form of a disk rather than a cylinder shape, creating an extremely dense unit. of power and compact.
This engine makes 94 hp and 166 lb-ft of torque, and thatThe trick to the other party is what I alluded to the headline: It moves the car in reverse, turning the engine backwards instead of having a setback gears in the transmission. So when an Artura is upside down, your Honda Fit gets more power.
Speaking of power, electricity for the engine comes a 7.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, cooled by liquid and divided into five modules and mounted in the center, under the rear of the cabin.
Even adding heavy batteries, Artura’s lighter MCLA platform keeps the car’s total weight at around 3,300 pounds, light for a hybrid.
Only with a battery, the Artura can travel no more than 20 kilometers, although only at speeds of up to 25 mph, above which the V6 starts. So if you want to be stealthy, you will do so slowly. Of course, the electric motor also helps with speed while driving, allowing the Artura to reach 60 in about three seconds, 124 mph in 8.3 seconds, and a very reasonable top speed of 205 mph.
Even without reversing, the Artura transmission is a three-speed three-clutch configuration, with two of the clutches acting as they would in any dual-clutch transmission. and one to start or disengage the electric motor.
The tires are also quite advanced as they are used Pirelli P Zero Corsa “cyber tires” they use internal sensors and a 5G connection to transmit data to the car, so if you have a friend panicking at the 5g conspiracy, you might not tell them that.
The Artura design adapts to McLaren’s aesthetic and basic design language, though refined in several ways. The car is very compact, with minimal blasting and a very light overall appearance. The edges are curved and there are virtually no corners. There are items like the laser-cut rear heat sink for curved body panels, and I think the result works very well.
There are also many nice details, such as these functional heat removal respirators …
… and this beautiful flying buttress design for the C pillar:
McLaren also showed off a red and black Arthur, and I think the roof also works well in the contrasting color:
The interior looks comfortable but quite driver-centered, with a large LCD screen and a power plant vertically Oriented LCD that seems to house HVAC, infotainment and the rest of the controls. These white seats: I guess you’ll want to ask your passenger to end this dog with chili before entering if you are a lover of this sort of thing.
Instead of a conventional shifter there are these fun little keys:
The screens of the instruments are nice no skeuomorph, with a very clear and legible design, almost minimal:
If you want to pick up some of these, they tell me they’ll earn about $ 225,000, but I can’t say what you could get in your 2005 Chevy Malibu shift, so keep that in mind.