2025 McLaren Artura Spider

McLaren has a long history of racetrack success, but in a relatively short period of time, McLaren has also gone from a niche street car maker to a major player in the supercar segment. Their next step is this Artura, the brand’s next-gen high performance hybrid supercar!

This is the McLaren Artura, truly the next step for this British brand that’s all about the performance, as it is literally all they do. More specifically, it’s the 2025 Artura Spider, the retractable hardtop version of the mid-engine plug-in high-performance coupe that arrived 2 years ago. But, in addition to being the brand’s first high-performance hybrid convertible, it brings a host of performance-related updates, most of which get applied to the Artura Coupe as well.

More power is usually our favorite update, so we’ll start there. The Artura mates a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 gas engine with a 70-kW electric motor. The total output is 690-horsepower, which is up 19 from when the Artura debuted. But unlike some high-performance hybrids that use electric motors to power the front wheels, McLaren’s electric motor is tucked in the same housing as the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, sending the total 531 lb-ft of torque strictly to the rear wheels. A 7.4-kWh battery enables up to 11 miles of EV driving, same as in the coupe; and with no reverse gear in the transmission, the battery powers all backups.

That transmission is recalibrated too, providing gear changes 25% quicker than before. McLaren claims it all works together to deliver a 0-60 time of 3.0 seconds flat, also same as the coupe, as the power folding hardtop assembly only adds about 100-lbs. of weight.

Lightweight performance is one British tradition we can get behind and taking in some laps during January at Roebling Road Raceway near Savannah, Georgia is a MotorWeek tradition that lives on. Unfortunately, we were joined by some very untraditional snowy weather this year, which limited our track days.

But it didn’t take many laps for us to get comfortable in the Artura. We’re not race car drivers, but we do play them on T.V., and in a car that feels this compact and literally wrapped around you, when you reach that point in most cars where you sense an urgent need to back it down, the Artura just grips, rips, and urges you to push on harder. The throttle response is as immediate as it gets, the engine loves to rev, and with the optional Sport Exhaust, it sounds fantastic while delivering the mind-melting performance.

Driver engagement aspects of the car get upgraded too, courtesy of stiffer powertrain mounts and heightened response from the Proactive Damping Control suspension system. There are multiple levels of stability control intervention including full off, as well as Variable Drift Control, which lets you have some sideways fun without worrying about balling up your crazy-expensive supercar. Lightness doesn’t mean a lack of stability here, but it surely helps with braking performance, as it is borderline otherworldly when the forged aluminum calipers clamp down hard on the carbon ceramic discs, making you feel like a hero with your late braking shenanigans.

But ultimately, it was the snow that brought us to a full stop, which allowed us extra time to take in the Artura Spider’s gorgeous lines. Body panels are so tight, it looks like there’s one piece of Ventura Orange shrink-wrap holding it all together. McLaren does everything fast, and that includes folding the hardtop, which happens in just 11 seconds.

While unique, there are familiar elements to the interior, but the Artura’s evolution has created a more cohesive design. And much like the outside, it’s very fluid-like in the way panels and components flow into one another. Being a Plug-in Hybrid the Artura Spider has Government Fuel Economy Ratings of 45 Combined MPGe and 19 Combined strictly with the gas engine.

And after singing all of that praise, we now get to pricing and inform you that the Artura remains McLaren’s entry-level model, with the Spider starting at just $278,800, about 25-grand more than the Coupe.

With the 2025 Artura Spider, McLaren has done much more than just incorporate a removable roof into their next-gen hybrid supercar. They used it as an excuse to complete a system wide upgrade, essentially creating Artura 2.0. It’s also their best car yet, seamlessly integrating electric power into a fantastic open-air driving experience and pointing to more great things to come from McLaren.