Test Drive: 2012 Infiniti M35h
“Damn it! The car’s still on.” I uttered the words while nearly walking away from a running M35h, a hybrid sedan (Infiniti’s first) that has a gas engine which shuts off during some city driving and when at a standstill, becoming nearly silent in the process. This makes it easy to forget when the car is actually on, and it’s how I found myself nearly abandoning it at an I-95 rest stop during a recent test drive. But quietness is not what this car’s all about: Unlike the slew of stultifying, dull hybrids on the market, Infiniti uses this car’s electric motor and lithium-ion battery to work in tandem with its V6 engine to boost power to a combined 360hp—and make a claimed 32 miles per gallon highway mileage in the process (I averaged 31mpg on a 400 mile drive.) The idea is V6 efficiency with V8 power; a hybrid that’s less about hypermiling and more about hauling ass — without wasting too much gas. It’s a smooth ride — the powertrain uses a two clutch-system that’s nearly shudder-free even when switching between the electric motor and gas engine, or combining the two. In “Sport” mode the throttle response is punchy and immediate. The M35h may have an on off button instead of keyed inition, and it may hum quieter than a Dyson. But it’s not appliance. The thing’s alive.
LOVE IT: Torch-bearing tech makes this the most fun four-seat hybrid in the world.
LEAVE IT: Hard to argue the value proposition of the M Hybrid’s $6,000 upcharge vs. its comparable gas-powered sibling, the M37.
The Specs
2012 Infiniti M35h
Price: from $53,700
Engine: 3.5-liter V6; 50kW electric motor
Horsepower: 360
0-60mph: 5.2 sec
Top speed: 155mph (electronically limited)
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