France It would have been easy to convert the McLaren Artura into a convertible: just remove the coupe’s roof and call it a day. The company picked a more difficult strategy: the Artura Spider has many improvements that will also help the coupe, such as a power-folding top.
It seems reasonable to make changes to the Spider. According to McLaren, 70% to 75% of a model line’s sales are usually convertibles. The Artura stands out because it is the newest car in the series. For some people, it’s their first taste of more expensive cars like the 750S.
Even though McLaren doesn’t make SUVs yet (but soon), the company can’t ignore one trend: electric vehicles. Like the coupe, the Spider has a plug-in hybrid drivetrain with a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6, an axial-flux electric motor, a 7.4-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack that is cooled by liquid, and an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
The engine makes 690 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and 531 pound-feet of torque at 2,250 rpm. To give you an idea of how big this engine is, it made 671 horsepower when the Artura first came out. One of the changes McLaren is making to the Spider for the 2025 model year is adding 19 horsepower. It also changed the power curve and made the transmission move about 25% faster.
McLaren says it takes 3 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph. It only takes 8.4 seconds to go from 0 to 124 mph if you don’t slow down. You can keep going until the speedometer shows 205 mph if there is enough pavement. On the other hand, the Artura can go up to 21 miles at a top speed of 81 mph with just its electric motor. From 62 mph to 102 feet, the Spider can slow down as fast as it speeds up.
Engineers also added new brake ducts, changed the hardware and software for the suspension, moved the engine mounts, and increased the size of the exhaust system. Inside, the biggest change is that a wireless charger for your phone is now standard and built into the center panel. McLaren says that a lot of work went into this piece. If you drive the Spider right, the phone would bounce around the cabin if it were flat, which happens in many cars. The answer is a cordless charger/cupholder that has a rubber insert to keep the phone from flying off.
Blind-spot and back cross-traffic alert systems are extra, but speed limit detection and lane departure alerts are now standard. By 2024, even cars that are designed to focus on the driver will need driving aids.
Andy Beale, who has been chief engineer at McLaren for 22 years, said, “The first car wasn’t bad, but we had ideas for how to make it even better.”
The chassis didn’t change. The Spider is made with an aluminum chassis and a carbon fiber monocoque, just like its fixed-roof mate. McLaren didn’t have to add convertible-specific reinforcements because the tub was already strong enough, so weight was kept in check. It only weighs 136 pounds more than the car, and the roadster can hold up to 3,439 pounds. A skinny passenger can make up almost the same amount of weight as the Spider when you get into the car.
The hard top is to blame for the extra weight. Eight (!) electric motors power its system. They work together to let it go up or down in 11 seconds at a top speed of 31 mph each. McLaren added a “header gurney,” which is a kink to the window frame, to block wind. Plus, you can add an electrochromic roof that lets light inside even when the top is up.
Volcano Blue is one of the more subdued colors that can be used, so the Spider stands out and is only for some people who want to fit in. When one of the dihedral doors swings open, everyone looks. It doesn’t matter if you want to be the center of attention. People are interested in doors that don’t open and close in the usual way, even in Monaco, where supercars that cost as much as a house are getting silly. It’s crowded with people who want to see a famous person come out. Could you not talk on the phone? I’m alone.
People will know who you are for 15 minutes after pressing the starting button, even if the doors don’t open. McLaren mostly focused on the sound of the exhaust. It did its job of making the drive more enjoyable by making sounds louder. I’ve been told there are plenty, and it’s true. The Spider’s back window slides back and forth like a vertical sunroof. The V6 makes more noise when the top is down, but not too much to be annoying. In a mostly sunny part of France, the V6 strikes a good mix between an open-roof and a closed-roof configuration. This means that you can enjoy the melodies of its song even when it’s raining.
It’s like making a hybrid racecar by squareing a circle. Electrification makes things heavier and changes how that weight is distributed, which makes them harder to handle. You wouldn’t tell a soccer player to eat like a sumo fighter before the World Cup, would you? McLaren is in a good situation to deal with this problem: Hybrid technologies were first tried out when the P1 came out in 2013. Formula 1 was very helpful in figuring out how to get rid of all the extra fat. It used the extra weight to its benefit and tried different ways to balance out the weight of the hybrid system. So that the car has a lower center of gravity, the battery is put in the frame close to the driver, low down. The car has a lower center of gravity because the mid-mounted V6 has a unique 120-degree bank angle and weighs 110 pounds less than the V8 in other McLaren models.
Adding up all of these numbers makes for a great time driving. After a short time with the Artura Spider, it’s clear that McLaren designs cars with drivers in mind. It’s not as weak as you might think a convertible would be; instead, it’s elegant, well-balanced, and just the right amount of fun. The best way to describe its speed is with a bunch of swear words and superlatives. Also, the carbon-ceramic brakes work very well when they need to, and the stop pedal feels normal since there is no regenerative braking system.
The Spider’s handling is one of its best features. McLaren uses an electro-hydraulic rack that is quick, well-weighted and gives great input. It’s a dream for car fans because you have complete control over the front wheels, whether you’re speeding up a mountain or driving slowly down the highway. Keeping the Artura’s rear-wheel drive helps make the front end lighter.
We are in for a big surprise if, as kids, we heard stories about crazy supercars that have to be tamed before they can be fun. There is no doubt that the Artura Spider is very easy to use in both cities and interstates. It doesn’t scare people anywhere. I have seen toolboxes bigger than the trunk, and I wouldn’t recommend taking the Clubsport seats in my test car on a long road trip. But you could use this roadster every day if you’re only going with yourself and a small bag. Still, the Spider doesn’t have a glove box, which is rare for a racecar.
It’s clear from the gearbox that it was made to be driven quickly. It shifts very quickly while driving, and there is a button on the left side of the instrument panel that makes it easy for the driver to switch between manual and automatic modes. It seems strange in stop-and-go traffic, though. It would say something like, “This isn’t what I signed up for!” if it could talk. In relation to the broadcast, the following interesting fact is that there is no backward gear. You can only turn the electric motor around the other way when you press the “reverse” button on the center panel.
It can also spin forward. With 94 hp and 166 lb-ft of torque, its main job is to increase the output of the driveline. On a secondary level, it can move the Artura, but not very quickly or with a lot of energy. If you want to drive into a place with pollution limits or get home without waking up your neighbors, these two features will help you the most. The engine and motor work together instead of against each other when the system is fully utilized. It feels surprisingly non-hybrid to drive.
Some people think the Artura is a better coupe than a spider, but one thing is for sure: the changes have made both types better overall. The Artura Spider, which is fun to drive, well-made, and easy to live with, is a great example of why McLaren is the market leader in supercars.
The 2025 McLaren Artura Spider will start to be sent out in the third quarter of 2024. The base price is $281,008, which includes a $2,208 American Accessories Pack with a travel bag, tire cradles, and a car cover, among other things. Shipping and port processing fees of $5,000 are also included.
McLaren is remembering the people who already own Arturas; soon, they’ll get a less powerful version of an existing model. This is a big mistake in the supercar business. The improved 2025 Artura coupe will go on sale later in 2024 and cost $256,308. When these customers buy from the company, they will get a free software update that lets them use the extra 19 horses. They will still have to use old-fashioned ways to charge their phones, though.
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