Welcome to McLaren House! An exclusive invite-only location where McLaren’s first-ever high-performance hybrid convertible, the Artura Spider, was revealed. On a beautiful Sydney spring day, by the water, with decadent food and bespoke papaya mocktails, Driven Women Magazine was amongst the first drivers in Australia to experience the thrilling MY25 Artura Spider and Coupe.
The new Spider is introduced with significant upgrades to power, performance and driver engagement, which combine with the sensory pleasures of open-top driving to add a remarkable new dimension to the Artura. Further elevating the Artura’s next-generation supercar performance, the enhancements engineered for the Spider have also been incorporated into the Artura Coupe, with a new model introduced simultaneously. Both Arturas, codenamed Lando and Oscar, were on offer for us to experience through the scenic roads in the nearby Royal National Park.
Both the new Spider and new Coupe deliver the highest levels of dynamic performance and the MY25 Artura delivers more power with its advanced 3.0-litre V6 and E-motor powertrain now producing a combined 700PS (515kW or 690bhp) and up to 720Nm (531lb ft) with the E-motor delivering transient torque of up to 225Nm, ensuring instant throttle response. The battery power enables both MY25 Artura models to achieve an increased EV range of 33km/21miles and a silent start, with the ability to move with stealth when desired. For MY24 Artura Coupe owners, McLaren will make a 20PS power upgrade to a combined 700PS available, free of charge in Australia. McLaren is currently working with its retail network on the retrofit timeline for this initiative.
Artura Spider’s ferocious acceleration almost indistinguishable from coupe: 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in 3.0 seconds; 0-200km/h (124mph) in 8.4 seconds; 0-300km/h in 21.6 seconds; maximum speed of 330km/h (205mph). Although we didn’t hit these numbers on our drive, the twisty roads certainly gave us the feel of the potential on offer from the Artura.
The soundtrack of the engine has also been enhanced, with a revised valved exhaust system incorporating a tuned resonator and upward conical shape to the tailpipes to further refine the engine note at the middle and higher points of the rev range. This provides a ‘cleaner’ sound that envelops the occupants, but my co-driver for the day Kate Peck and I could easily maintain a conversation in the convertible. An optional sports exhaust system is available, offering an enhanced, clearer tone overall and even greater driver engagement through an exhaust symposer that channels authentic sound waves from the tailpipe into the cabin.
The Artura has four powertrain drive modes: Comfort, Sport and Track, plus the electric only, emissions-free E-mode, and moving through each driving mode, the crescendo of sound from Artura Spider’s redesigned exhaust system envelops the driver especially with roof or rear window lowered. With its roof open, the Artura Spider ignites your senses to the open-air environs, which focuses the driver on the experience ahead.
There are three dynamic handling modes, each activating increased levels of body control through damper adjustment. ‘Comfort’ is the default mode, with Sport and Track offering more supportive settings. The required mode is selected using the left-hand rocker control on the top of the instrument binnacle, the right-hand rocker controls the drive mode selection.
Artura Spider is the lightest convertible supercar in its class and thanks to the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture at the heart of the Artura, there is no loss of rigidity when the fixed roof is removed and the majority of the 62kg difference between Spider and coupe is accounted for by the electrically-operated Retractable Hard Top mechanism.
Artura Spider’s retractable one-piece hard-top operates electrically in just 11 seconds, at speeds of up to 50km/h (31mph). The Retractable Hard Top itself is a carbon fibre and composite panel but can also be configured with an Electrochromic glass panel, which can either brighten the cabin or block more than 99% of sunlight at the touch of a button. McLaren has adopted advanced Suspended Particle technology for this feature on the Artura Spider, to further reduce heat transfer into the cabin when in the darkest mode more than 96% of solar energy is blocked, helping to keep air temperature as cool as possible.
As a convertible, the new Spider is unquestionably a supercar with a visual identity all of its own, including the conversation starting dihedral doors. All-new buttresses, which incorporate the rollover structure, include a glazed section to aid rear visibility that also doubles as a channel for airflow into the engine bay area. A heated rear screen, which raises or lowers at the touch of a button either to optimise comfort with the roof lowered or to allow exhaust sound into the cabin for additional driver engagement when it is raised, is located between the buttresses.
The cabin of the new Artura Spider is trimmed in performance or luxury materials according to the driver’s preference and retains the purposeful, driver-focused design of the coupe. The ‘clean’ steering wheel is free of buttons and controls, aside from the sculpted gearshift paddles which move with the wheel for optimal driver ergonomics. In addition to the standard interior, there are three further interior specifications: Performance, which has a more sporting aesthetic; TechLux, where the focus is on the technical luxury that the name suggests; and Vision, which displays a more avant-garde and adventurous look and feel.
The innovative McLaren Clubsport seat is fitted as standard in most markets. Adjusting through an elliptical arc to combine the range of motion expected of a moveable backrest with the light weight and close support of a bucket seat, the Clubsport seat is equally at home on road or track. Adjustable lumbar support can be specified as an additional feature. Drivers wanting a more traditional but still appropriately sporting seat can option the electrically adjustable, heated comfort seats with memory.
A five-speaker McLaren Audio System is standard fit or customers can choose to specify the Artura’s acclaimed Bowers & Wilkins 12-speaker surround sound audio system, which is exclusively available with the Technology Pack. This system features Bowers & Wilkins’ Continuum™ midrange speakers to ensure precise reproduction of voices and instruments throughout the cabin, complemented by Nautilus™ Aluminium Double Dome tweeters to provide greater clarity at high frequencies. The Artura Spider additionally features an additional rear centre speaker to optimise the cabin’s convertible-specific acoustic requirements.
The HD touchscreen infotainment system facilitates configuration of advanced driver assistance systems; smartphone mirroring to support Apple CarPlay is standard and wireless charging for enabled mobile devices available as an option. Road Sign Recognition and Lane Departure Warning now fitted as standard and Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control with Switchable Follow Mode, Auto High-Beam Assist, Blindspot Monitoring and Rear Cross-Traffic Detection are available options.
A revised range of options and options packs are introduced with the MY25 Artura, including exterior and interior carbon fibre components and a new, faster vehicle lift. Silver badging is now a no-cost option, with new Stealth badging that incorporates black badges front and rear as well as a black McLaren Speedmark on the wheel centre caps are a standard fit.
An extended palette of exterior paints, some of which are available on the Artura for the first time, is introduced for the new Spider; twenty Elite colours are offered in addition to the standard five colours, with a further eighteen MSO colours also available.
Every new Artura comes as standard with a five-year, unlimited mileage vehicle warranty; a six-year, 75,000km/45,000mile battery warranty and a ten-year anti-perforation body warranty. These warranties can be extended. A three-year service plan is also included, as is a five-year roadside assistance package.
Both new Arturas designated 2025 model year, the Spider and Coupe, are available to order now, for delivery from Q3 2024 in Australia. The MY25 Artura Coupe starts at $477,310 excluding delivery and on-road costs and the MY25 Artura Spider starts at $525,010 excluding delivery and on-road costs. An online configurator allows customers to explore colour and equipment choices on the McLaren website or you can visit your preferred McLaren retailer for more information.
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.