NEW McLaren Artura review: the SENSIBLE supercar?

Steve Sutcliffe drives the searingly fast McLaren Artura, and finds out that it could use just a little bit more bite...
Read more at Auto Express:
New 2022 McLaren Artura specs and details: aex.ae/33XkMry
The Artura matters for McLaren. A lot. Its new carbon fibre platform and twin-turbo V6 hybrid powertrain will form the basis for pretty much all McLarens for the next decade, so it can’t really afford to put a foot wrong. Hence the reason its original launch was postponed from late last year until now, some eight months later, thereby allowing Ferrari to launch its own V6 hybrid - the 296 GTB - to such acclaim in the meantime.
But that’s how vital the Artura is to McLaren’s future, so the fact that we’ve now driven it in near-production form on its international launch and experienced numerous technical issues with it - some minor, some not - does seem hard to excuse. To be blunt, for all its speed, drama and dynamic capability, we’re not sure it should be on sale just yet, not until there’s clear evidence that the technical issues it continues to suffer from have been resolved. This is not a nice thing to say about any new car, let alone one on which the future of a British car company is so obviously hinged. Nevertheless, we sent Steve Sutcliffe to find out what the new Artura is like on both road and track in this full review.
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[@5thgearouttahere]

Finally! Sutcliffe is the man for the job 👏🏼

[@mikeybee6061]

Totally agree. Best of them all.

[@p.b.678]

I agree.

[@salvi1398]

Steve, Chris and Jethro are I’d say the pick of the bunch out of all the current motoring journalists. We’re privelidged to have them in our lifetime

[@zakelwe]

He's good but in this case I preferred Jetho's take over on Evo. Both can drive and write fantastically though. Harris is a bit too over the top nowadays for me compared to his earlier days...

[@salvi1398]

@@zakelwe I agree, I also preferred Chris on his Drive days, when he went solo. He’s too comercialised now, because he has to appeal to a wider range of audience, some who don’t know much about cars. Back in the day he could just focus on being a car journo without having to be a tv presenter as well

[@AyaxRo]

The man, the myth, the legend. Sutcliffe. Always a treat to see Steve wring out these cars.

[@eliotsalandybrown]

Steve's evaluations carry so much weight. Thanks for bringing all your experience to bear Sutcliffe!

[@sambitparida4370]

Sutcliffe can be drifting at 100 miles an hr and will still talk like he's chatting in a coffee shop early morning. Man's a legend!

[@stevencahill3628]

sutcliffe and harry metcalf always get my first view, they will tell me all i want to know about a car

[@ARTHURCBR]

Which is more orange? The car? or the legend Steve, looking fit and healthy 👍

[@GeordieAmanda]

Lots of reviews suddenly appeared for this car, but this is where I come to first. Yay! It's Steve :)

[@MalcomMcLeod]

Do you think they are saving the "personality" for the LT version?

[@dany1441]

Great video as always Steve. One small criticism: I often could not hear your voice because the volume of the engine- and road noise was too high.

[@Eduardolo1964]

Steve's driving skills are simply impressive. Almost more is how he sums things up. Thanks for that because it's an asset👌

[@martinds4895]

There were like 50 reviews of this car on the same day, this was the best of them.

[@hendrix2478]

I would call this the MP4 12C. Its a new platform The nutty versions will come. I'd be sooo happy with this though.

[@michaelteret4763]

More Steve, please.

[@jonathancollard3710]

Steve is still one of the best if not the best car reviewer. He has transitioned from old school hard copy to YT video competently and without the need for silly “yoouf” vocabulary. His review of the McLaren 570 Spider persuaded me to buy one of them and 4 years into ownership I am still very happy with it. Not sure I will be swapping out to get an Artura yet or even ever since -if I’m honest- I struggle to cope with 570 ps and so another 100 or so will be wasted on me. Also, I’m seeing little difference in aesthetic between the two that would warrant me throwing in another £120k on a part exchange. 🤨

[@samjanko8946]

Yeah, there are other 5-6 reviews of the same car hitting the tube simultaneously but you can fast forward all of them. Sutcliffe is the man for the job, as the guy underneath writes- and it's true.

[@scottmuir2385]

So, I love it when an embargo is lifted, we’ll sort of! Sometimes we have 10 videos that drop at the same time…. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I just look for Steve as my base…. Then work backwards!

[@sevesellors2831]

Great video, great car Steve is the master. So many great cars out there ,Emira, Alpine, Lamborghini,Ferrari, I think we need Steve to do a group test to make his final choice.

[@Delnevo420]

Seems that it's a similar situation to the MP4-12C then. Technically brilliant, whilst being a bit cold

[@mixmaster09777]

Mr Sutcliffe my favourite car journo. Great work 👏🏽

[@gweflj]

Good review. Jethro’s review on Evo is worth a watch too.

[@powersliding]

ss again so natural in giving a top class review

[@shyuc]

Looks good, but what's the cup holder situation in the Artura?

[@Colourbeast1]

2 cup holders plus a bottle holder on each door, bottle stays in place whether the door is open or closed.

[@conner.9262]

Great video BUT what a pity on the sound, so much of the information you cannot hear fully, but I get the drift, as for drifting I bet that’s spot on !

[@equityline6965]

What do you think 992 gt3 or artura

[@snail415]

Gotta say…Steve crushes reviews, but let’s give it up for the camerawork. You feel like you’re there in the review as well. What a car though.

[@ShadowMKII]

Audio mix is pretty poor at times; making it almost impossible to hear what the presenter is saying. Nice to see Sutcliffe, otherwise.

[@cpnoshow8264]

The only guy keeping this channel alive!

[@radost0514]

man i forgot where Steve was ...so i was clicking all channels until i see him ... because the skinny Wolf is a nice boy but Steve is a race guy that push cars hard! i love him!

[@NaifAlshahrani]

great video, weird aspect ratio

[@lassebauer]

A supercar that doesn't make you smile and giggle uncontrollably or make you scream "hell yes!", but is more of a cerebral experience, seems like a pretty bad deal IMHO. Rather stark contrast to his review of e.g. the Cayman GT4 RS.

[@MrCaterhamr500]

This outfit are dull and lifeless. Their design and ethos shines through. Blindingly fast? yes Fun? others do it better……

[@dhmallet]

You sound like an evo magazine writer, which is high praise. Well considered.

[@ARlELATOM]

Love that colour

[@neilclements3929]

Not one word about how the hybrid system works

[@partyonsam]

Gt4Rs or Artura ?

[@stuartmacgregor3084]

Steve is a legend. End of.

[@dennison1500]

As a 570 owner, the v6 put me off a bit but ill reserve judgement for when i actually find the time to go to my local dealer to drive it and see it in person. Stunning looking car though

[@nattcharles]

You won’t be disappointed when you see one. Saw one in person at Mclaren Hatfield last year when I went to look at a 570 and it blew me away. IMO waaaaay nicer than the 570. Only thing I wasn’t keen on was the infotainment screen. Needless to say I did not go for the 570 after seeing it and plan to get a Artura in a couple of years time once they’ve worked out all the initial production niggles. Bought a NSX in the meantime. 😎

[@hby7768]

this looks better than the 296 but the 296 is probably a better car

[@chadderton]

Best car reviewer in existence.

[@sertacersin]

He is the best👏👏

[@aspiratedaloha2946]

Super cool

[@FOXHOUND4143]

I went to Steve’s review straight away. Leave the rest- if Steve says it good I’ll believe it

[@LeeAxonisDigifin]

EDITOR - Great job as always. Questions. Did you use two different LUT's? The intro has the car a different colour to the rest of the video. Also, who is driving the car at 7:48? Seems to be a different driver. Does the car companies give you all 'stock' footage to use? Great as ever.

[@DjDeity215]

"or the fact that The Artura is McLaren's First *engine noises* hybrid ."

[@MV-yp8il]

Awesome McLaren 🧡🧡🧡

[@gaddyify]

All McLarens look alike.

[@Jewelworld360]

Jeez car is already having reported issues and it didn’t even launch yet lolz

[@Matts44444]

Everyone has been comparing this to the Ferrari, but what about to the mc20? I understand it isn’t a hybrid but it’s priced very similarly and ticks a lot of the same boxes… on paper. Bet it’d be a fun test in the very least 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@salvi1398]

Not everyone, if you look at Jethros review on Evo he acknowledges that the sf90 is not a fair rival to the McLaren

[@hannutaskinen2032]

Try to mind the sound levels please. Could not hear Steve. I mean its nice to hear the car too but not at the expence of commenting. Otherwise good piece.

[@DavidSilvestre]

Is it just me or It sounds like a similar review of the 12C ?

[@DANNY-bv7od]

When mclaren brings out it's big brothers. I'm sure they will be silly fast

[@nattcharles]

Best thing to do is wait a couple more years before buying one. By then McLaren will have sorted out all the niggles that arise same as they did with the 570s.

[@Kelveron]

Great review as always by Steve Sutcliffe. The tan looks impressive too! 😊 Artura's driving dynamics and feel sound a bit underwhelming on his initial assessment!

[@radicalrodriguez5912]

dynamics?

[@BLITZKRIEG1]

everytime a new car launches all the vids come up in order on my subscriptions. I always choose ole muggins first...

[@scottnixon2462]

Sorry but hes the only man to drive fast cars we need 👌

[@m.j4037]

Is it faster than the 720s?

[@bobdonnelly3916]

No, but it is faster than the 600LT, and a bit more refined. When they get around to replacing the 720 with this tech, watch out...

[@radostinangelov9193]

McLaren is going for the 911 turbo with this Artura.

[@BLACKOMAMBO]

Cleanest looking Mclaren since the Company reintroduce itself with the mp4-12c(P1/Gtr is the exception), all their car look weird (12c/650s/675lt/570s,gt,lt/720s/765lt/Senna/speedtail/GT) they all kinda fugly, not bad but not great, this Artura tho, took everything that was nice looking from the other car, but would be nicer if it had the p1 gtr engine with its growl or the melody of the new Ferrari Turbo v6

[@pistonburner6448]

What is it with Brits an reliability?

[@darrenfletcher1876]

sounds like a 6,5/10

[@kevinhng3499]

Sounds like a NSX

[@richieduck67]

Engine sounds to anodyne think would rather have the 296GTB

[@shafa7668]

Mclaren make it reliable. That is all you need..

[@philipc239]

Fully igniting your emotion? You'll need a Lamborghini (Stephan Winkelmann) or simply any Hyundai N (Albert Biermann)

[@guillaumekalfon9117]

Shouldn't Lotus and McLaren merge? Full range of sport cars. As long as that doesn't mean any "all electric" nonsense

[@marioantoniazzi2265]

Very diplomatic Steve! When is McLaren going to get it right? They are all versions of the same “Russian doll.” Getting very boring!

[@rootsmanuva82]

It’s not fully igniting your emotions because of asinine EU regulations. For example McLaren would develop a great sounding exhaust except they’re not allowed to because of idiots in Brussels. It’s no secret I don’t like regulators because they’re never satisfied and never stop. It’s another reason why cars are so expensive because it costs big $$$ to meet these ever stricter regulations.

[@edwardnorton3449]

The audio mix in this video is terrible

[@swanblake]

Great review Steve. A spec sheet king. Id much rather have a Huracan RWD. The Artura seems forgettable. Sounds horrible, looks great.

[@mikuelable]

Reliability issues 😟

[@keithjackson4985]

Please don't walk in at the beginning of the videos with that much attitude. I was intimidated. Good job.

[@Oleshikov]

Z 💪🏻😃

[@aviator-kn8zq]

Steve is an icon ! Great car ,but more to come ? So what is this then , the best loser next to the 911 Turbo, MC20 , R8 ? And the tech issues for a launch car , lol cmon .. I really like the sporty elegant look inside and out but McLaren are clearly not a big production factory. Ferrari knocked it out of the park , more vicious and sounding great without reliability bs on journo day ..

[@oppos727]

Am I the only one who had no idea this thing was announced? And I’m checking multiple car news sites and communities daily.

[@AyaxRo]

it was announced heavily last year... then reliability issues caused a cancellation of the launch in 2021. This a relaunch.

[@mariobotti1952]

296gtb is a lot better

[@dreamypilot7092]

The “perfect car” but V6 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

[@Metal05]

This or a 911?

[@crimsonpirate1710]

How is this new, looks like the one from 10 years ago!!! People aint buying it Mac, get with it.

[@rootsmanuva82]

It’s not fully igniting your emotions because of asinine EU regulations. For example McLaren would develop a great sounding exhaust except they’re not allowed to.

[@Patrick-bu5vy]

That’s it….with this and the 296 GTB, Porsche has to give us a 911 Turbo S Hybrid. Not to replace the Turbo S….in addition to.

[@carvertcal]

looks like an audi tt

[@DonLee1980]

i dunno. Mclaren's have never been reliable. A complicated hybrid powertrain is going to make it worst. If it's a very special P1 or speedtail, sure. But a meat and potatoes supercar, I'm going Audi V10 or Ferrari, or Huracan too.

[@MrCaterhamr500]

Are you sure this isn’t like ‘the new 911’ looks completely the same as other models. No change in styling. As expected from this outfit there is no passion in the design or flair. Same old, same old. But it’s got a hybrid power train!? …..Woooopdedoooo From an outfit that thought they were ‘above’ quoting their P1 Nurburgring lap time. Such arrogance.