Two Exciting Features Included In The McLaren Artura To Maximize Fun

In several ways, McLaren's latest supercar, the Artura, is a big step forward for the British sports car company. The fact that it's the automaker's first mainline production hybrid is just one of the interesting facets of the vehicle. A great deal of work has gone into crafting the Artura into a highly capable performance machine, but McLaren knows that cars such as these aren't just about setting fast lap times, they're meant to be fun, too.

With this in mind, McLaren has baked in a couple of special features to maximize the Artura's smile factor.

Lots of sports car manufacturers sneak in a launch mode into their vehicles these days, particularly since fewer are available with a manual transmission, so dropping the hammer down is a little more complicated. To squeeze the most performance possible out of the gate, automakers program ways for the car to build up enough launch power at the line while also allowing the right amount of wheel slip to aid in the quickest 0 to 60 mph leap possible.

The thing is, sometimes these modes are treated as "easter eggs" or hidden tricks lest these car makers tacitly encourage any raucous behavior. No so with McLaren. Red light drag races might be the first thing that comes to mind when launch control comes up, but as a track-capable ride, the Artura needs to be prepared for a quick start off the line just as much as its other performance demands. 

With this in mind, McLaren has launch control readily available as an option in its digital gauge cluster. Simply toggle through the handful of menus, and it's ready to go. What can the Artura muster up thanks to this system? McLaren states a 0 to 60 time of 3 seconds flat.

Among the many innovations featured in the Artura is the inclusion of an electronic differential, a first for McLaren vehicles. This helps manage the distribution of torque along the rear axle when needed. It responds quicker than a mechanical one, ensuring the torque split can keep up with the driver's throttle inputs. Taking in things like the McLaren's speed, corner radius and damping radius means the differential can be fine-tuned to allow the precise amount of understeer, and with that kind of control comes other benefits.

McLaren's variable drift control or VDC puts all of this to use and allows drivers to literally dial in the level of traction control assistance they desire. Using a sliding scale within the car's revamped touchscreen interface, drivers can select up to 15 levels of tail-happy freedom. The degrees of the angles allowed by the system aren't specified nor are they a one-to-one match with the menu — you can certainly rotate the car far more than just 15 degrees — but having the option gives drivers the opportunity to discover their level of powerslide comfort without worry. 

New to sliding a car? Start low and let the Artura point you in the right direction after a tiny slip. Think you're a pro drifter? Then crank the VDC up to 15 and whip the rear out with confidence. Either way, drivers are bound to have fun with this system.