Two McLarens sit in our Tampa Bay garage and they could not be more different. The 2018 McLaren 720S Performance Launch Edition is a 710 horsepower twin-turbo V8 that, six years after its release, still belongs in the conversation about the fastest production cars you can rent in Florida. The 2023 McLaren Artura is the new generation, a 3.0 liter twin-turbo V6 paired with an electric motor, the first hybrid McLaren in our standing Tampa fleet. Picking between them is not a question of which one is faster on paper. It is a question of which Tampa weekend you are renting for.
The short answer
If the weekend revolves around a single moment that needs to feel as fast as anything you have ever driven on a public road, the 720S is the answer. It is the McLaren that built the modern McLaren reputation and the one our guests describe in the longest text messages on the drive home.
If the weekend involves two people, real cargo, a dinner that runs late, and a calmer drive back to the hotel, the Artura is the McLaren that holds up across all of it. It is hybrid, more refined, and the most usable mid-engine supercar McLaren has shipped.
POWERTRAIN
Twin-turbo V8 versus twin-turbo V6 hybrid
The 720S Performance runs the M840T, McLarens 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8 in its sharpest standing-fleet tune. 710 horsepower at 7,500 rpm, 568 lb-ft of torque, a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The Performance package adds a sports exhaust, suede interior trim, and the visual carbon fiber that makes the car identifiable as the Performance and not the base car. It will hit 60 mph in 2.7 seconds and run to 212 mph. There is nothing turbocharged-feeling about it. The power comes early, smoothly, and does not stop.
The Artura is a different idea. McLaren designed a new 3.0 liter twin-turbo V6 from scratch, then bolted an axial-flux electric motor between the engine and an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission. The battery sits under the passenger floor. Combined output is 671 horsepower, the car can run a few miles on electric only, and the torque arrives at zero rpm because the motor is there to fill in the bottom of the rev range while the turbos spool. 0 to 60 lands at 2.9 seconds. Top speed is 205 mph.
The 720S is the McLaren that defines the brands modern era. The Artura is the McLaren that says the brand is not stopping there.
How each one drives in Tampa Bay
The 720S is the easier sell in person. Open the dihedral door, drop into the seat, hit the start button. The V8 wakes up loud and stays loud. The hydraulic steering is alive in a way that almost nothing modern still is. The suspension is firmer than the Artura by a small margin. Around town, in Channelside or Hyde Park, the 720S is composed. On an I-4 or I-275 onramp, it is a different category of car. Floor it from 30 mph and the back wheels squat, the front rises, and the next thing you see is the speedometer past 90.
The Artura is the McLaren that lets you actually take someone with you for a real Tampa Bay weekend without their teeth aching from suspension impacts. The hybrid system makes parking lots and stop-and-go traffic silent because the motor is doing the work. The new V6 sound is sharper, higher pitched, less symphony than the V8 but with more aggression. The cabin is wider than the 720S, the doors close more easily, and the infotainment is finally a generation McLaren can be proud of.
Spec comparison
| Spec | 720S Performance | Artura |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 4.0L twin-turbo V8 | 3.0L twin-turbo V6 + e-motor |
| Horsepower | 710 hp | 671 hp combined |
| 0 to 60 | 2.7 seconds | 2.9 seconds |
| Top speed | 212 mph | 205 mph |
| Curb weight | 3,128 lb | 3,303 lb |
| Electric range | None | 11 miles EV-only |
| Doors | Dihedral | Dihedral |
| Construction | Carbon Monocell II | Carbon MCLA architecture |
Tampa scenarios where each one wins
TPA AIRPORT ARRIVAL
Either, but the 720S is the more theatrical option. We deliver to Tampa International with the dihedral doors closed. Walking up to either McLaren at curbside is a scene. The Artura is the better choice if luggage is involved because the front trunk is more usable.
BACHELOR PARTY HEADLINER
720S. Twelve guests will recognize the McLaren shape and only the bachelor will need to know it is the Performance trim. The V8 sound on a Hyde Park side street at 11 pm tells everyone within two blocks that something is happening.
CHANNELSIDE TO ST PETERSBURG DAY TRIP
Artura. The hybrid is the car you can drive across the Howard Frankland twice in a day without the back hurting on the way home. The EV-only mode also helps in the slow stretches around downtown St Pete.
CONTENT SHOOTS
The 720S is the car most photographers and videographers know how to light. The shape is iconic, the rear deck reads as a McLaren on camera from any angle. The Artura is newer and more anonymous from the front three-quarter, which can read either as fresh or as forgettable depending on the location.
FIRST-TIME MCLAREN RENTAL
The Artura is the friendlier first McLaren. The 720S is the right second McLaren for someone who already knows what a Ferrari 488 or Lamborghini Huracan feels like and wants to understand what the next tier up does.
The McLaren signatures that show up in both
Both cars are built on a carbon fiber tub. Both use hydraulic-assist steering rather than electric, which is rare in 2024 and a meaningful part of the McLaren character. Both have dihedral doors that open up and out rather than to the side, which actually saves clearance in tight Channelside garages.
Both deliver across Tampa, St Petersburg, Clearwater, and Sarasota. Both require drivers 25 or older with a valid license and our standard insurance review. Both come from a fleet starting at $399 per day for Tampa cars, with the 720S Performance and the Artura quoted separately based on dates.
So which McLaren do you rent in Tampa
The 720S Performance is the McLaren when the weekend is built around the drive itself. Faster, louder, more dramatic, the car most likely to make a guest text the group chat that night.
The Artura is the McLaren when the weekend is built around the people and the places, and the supercar is the way you get there in style without surrendering comfort. It is the most modern McLaren in our Tampa fleet and the one that points where the brand is going next.
Send the dates with the buttons below, or call our Tampa concierge at (813) 365-7805 for same-day quotes on either McLaren.
