Hybrid's Six Appeal

The V6-plus-electrification configuration will seem familiar, but the agility and daily drivability of McLaren's new Artura will surprise you.

- Viju Mathew

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN the high-performance automotive sector looks like a Top Chef challenge. Leading marques, operating under the same set of emissions restrictions, are picking from a common crate of power-train ingredients - a six-cylinder engine and electric motor - while trying to present the most tantalising supercar du jour. Latest on the menu: McLaren's 671hp Artura.

During the past few years, McLaren Automotive has seemed to favour frequent model releases over substantial advancements in engineering and drive experience, impacting the perceived collectability of some of its most recent cars. Enter Artura, which signals a return to late racer Bruce McLaren's penchant for reinvention and innovation. Touted as McLaren's first series-production hybrid, Artura (from US$233,000) represents a laundry list of firsts for the automaker (some more auspicious than others), including use of a V6 engine in a road car and the introduction of the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA) platform.