Sideways on ice in a McLaren Artura: stability control tested

On a frozen lake near Saariselkä, Finland, the first slip of a rear end can feel exhilarating when expected and alarming when it is not. Modern electronic stability and traction control systems have been refining that boundary for more than 30 years, trimming engine power and applying individual brakes so the car goes where the driver intends rather than sideways or into whatever lies along a new path of motion.

McLaren operates an Arctic Experience on the frozen lake in Ivalo, welcoming customers—and for a brief period, journalists—to its minimalist lodge to work on car control. Our car for the day was a Ventura Orange McLaren Artura, a plug-in hybrid wearing Pirelli Sottozero winter tires each augmented by a few hundred metal spikes.

Finland, Saariselkä, Ivalo

mclaren artura, stability control, traction control, plug-in hybrid, pirelli sottozero, winter tires, frozen lake, saariselkä, ivalo, arctic experience