McLaren’s entry-level hybrid supercar is going open-top. Not only does the 2025 McLaren Artura Spider introduce a retractable hardtop, but it also brings a decent handful of engineering improvements that’ll also apply to the coupe going forward.
The most significant of these would probably be the 19-horsepower bump that brings total output to 690 sitting on a reworked power curve. Interestingly, this was done purely via recalibrating the software for the 3.0-liter V6, and thus, is also coming to all existing Arturas as a free update. Existing owners will be invited to bring their cars into a dealership to have the update applied, and McLaren says it should take an hour.
As for things that can’t be retrofitted to old Arturas, that new Spider version uses a retractable one-piece hardtop that opens or closes in 11 seconds in near-silence, can do so at speeds of up to 31 mph, and features a roof panel that can be optioned to be electrochromic as well as glazed rear buttresses you can see through. The Artura Spider is just 137 pounds heavier than the Coupe, making it the lightest convertible in its class, according to McLaren. Par for the convertible McLaren course, the car’s carbon tub chassis did not require any additional weight or beefing up to accommodate the droppable top, as it was made with this in mind from the get-go, hence the minimal increase in curb weight.
At higher speeds, the heftier Spider does indeed become less quick than the Coupe, but McLaren says both cars hit 62 mph in the same amount of time: 3 seconds flat.
As for other 2025 Artura changes coming to both Spider and coupe, the electric-only range is now 21 miles (up from 11 miles previously) and a new “Spinning Wheel Pull-Away” feature for the launch control system allows for “dramatic wheelspin” when launching the car from a stop (Read: peel-out mode). The eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission has been recalibrated and now features a “pre-fill” feature that pressurizes the gearbox’s hydraulic fluid to a certain threshold, delivering 25% quicker shifts. New powertrain mounts have been added while active dampers respond to driver input and changes in the road 90% quicker than before.
There are new brake cooling ducts that apparently result in better braking performance and consistency at high speeds while a redesigned exhaust system gets a new resonator and now rocks an upward conical shape for what McLaren says is a more refined noise. Meanwhile, a new optional exhaust now uses a symposer to route more exhaust sound inside.
A handful of tech features also make their way to the Artura, namely wireless charging as a newly available option, as are blindspot monitoring and cross-traffic detection. Road sign recognition and lane departure are now standard while the Bowers & Wilkins sound system has been improved.
The 2025 McLaren Artura and Artura Spider are available to order now and will begin deliveries mid-year.
Got a tip or question for the author about the Artura Spider? You can reach him here: chris.tsui@thedrive.com