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Car Review

McLaren Artura Spider review

Prices from

£222,760

810
Published: 16 Jun 2024
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Interior

What is it like on the inside?

Although it’s a little tricky to get into – you have to drop into the Artura Spider and slide behind the wheel – this is a well-engineered, intuitive place to spend time. It’s no more challenging to master or operate than many less extreme mainstream players, and better than most in some key areas.

McLaren’s Clubsport seat is standard, and manages to mimic the comfort and movement of a bigger, heavier seat within a notably lighter weight shell. The driving position is excellent, the view ahead and over your shoulder about as good as it gets on a mid-engined supercar. The steering wheel has one job and feels fabulous; there’s no extraneous switchgear here. The main instrument binnacle is fixed to the steering column, so it moves with the wheel. The single-piece gearshift paddle set-up feels fantastic.

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Also ingenious are the rocker controls on the sides of the binnacle that control the chassis and powertrain modes. They’re blissfully easy to use and minimally distracting. Push the little button in the middle of the chassis mode rocker to trigger the ‘manual’ function for the transmission.

The centre console is also minimal, the 8.0in portrait-oriented screen designed to be as simple as possible. It’s the focal point of McLaren’s infotainment and connectivity (MIS II), which has enough processing firepower to deliver smartphone responsiveness. We like the physical home button/scroll wheel on the side, but the display itself sits a touch low for maximum utility.

Apple CarPlay is now standard, and a vertical wireless charging module has been added. The start/stop button (a feature first re-introduced on the McLaren F1, fact fans) is now in papaya orange rather than red. ADAS arrives too, as per legal requirement, but one button push turns it off.
A five-speaker audio system is standard, a 12-speaker Bowers & Wilkins system available with the Technology pack.

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