When you think of a hybrid, odds are you envision something like a Prius, but hybrids are becoming increasingly common for performance cars, as evidenced by McLaren’s latest model. The new Artura Spider is a low-slung, evocatively styled, 205-mph topless maniac that’s the second body style in the Artura lineup after the coupe that went on sale last year.
With 690 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque — 19 more horsepower than the existing Artura coupe — the Spider packs a powerful punch. But all you current Artura owners need not fret, as McLaren will offer existing Artura owners a free upgrade to match the new, more powerful cars. The 19 extra horsepower that 2025 Arturas enjoy were extracted from the car’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine, and McLaren says the new boost in power is focused above 4,000 rpm, which should help the engine better mimic the power delivery of a naturally aspirated motor. Being a plug-in hybrid, it has an electric-only range of 11 miles in the U.S. and gets 45 MPGe.
Purists scoff at convertibles since chopping the top usually means a weaker body structure and added weight from folding roof components and the extra chassis bracing needed to retain platform stiffness, but this new Artura Spider isn’t your average convertible. It gains only 136 pounds in its convertible conversion, and McLaren’s Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA) loses no rigidity in convertible form; all added weight is from the components required for the retractable hard top. In total the Artura Spider weighs in at a featherweight 3,439 pounds.
McLaren claims other tweaks have provided all 2025 Arturas with greater driver engagement. These changes include revised transmission calibration that provide 25-percent faster shifts, new powertrain mounts that enhance agility and precision, increased response rates in the adaptive suspension, new brake cooling ducts to provide greater power, and a redesigned exhaust that sounds even better. Other updates include the usual things like additional standard features and new paint colors. Lane-departure warning and road sign recognition are now standard, while blind-spot monitoring and cross-traffic detection are now optional.
To address the convertible bits of the Artura Spider, it features an electrically retractable hard top that operates in a short 11 seconds at speeds of up to 31 mph, folding away under the rear tonneau cover that has some new air vents and a cool overall design. It’s offered with an electrochromic roof panel that can be switched from opaque to transparent, and every Artura Spider has awesome see-through flying buttresses.
The Artura Spider will have a base price of $273,800 in the U.S., but bear in mind that price is only for the standard spec car. If you choose to add one of three interior specifications — Performance, TechLux, or Vision — it will cost you an additional $9,400. Adding other options will continue to raise the price well past the $300k mark, so the budget-conscious crowd need not apply.
