dunnojack

not bad.

but how much torque?

so this is like a v8 with i4 mpg.

but still looks like a cockroach

SLegacy99

Wow, suck it GS450...and Camry Hybrid....and it has three times the power of the CR-Z and only a few MPGs fewer.

bagwell

nice numbers for the M35h -- need to put the same drivetrain in the G.

Vladi

No clean diesel can match this and thats whats so exciting about hybrid tech, its evolving so fast. Within two generations we've already seen it match numbers of not-so-clean diesel equivalents like current Audi's 4.2 TDI.

I will take an opportunity here to hit at Lexus cause they could have had refreshed GS hybrid drivetrain to squeeze better numbers. Lets see what they can bring to the table now.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Nice for everybody to hate on the GS450h, which is several years old and pioneered the segment.

Considered that Nissan is using Toyotas hybrid tech under license in its Altima, I wouldn't be very surprised if the M hybrid tech is a rip off from Toyota.

GS69

2012 Infiniti M Hybrid/M35h Flash Drive

What is it?

This is the first application of Infiniti's new hybrid drivetrain, placed in a sportingly luxurious M37 sedan. To make an M hybrid, known on its trunk lid as the M35h, this car has a 3.5-liter V6 instead of the 3.7-liter from the M37, an electric motor/generator where the torque converter used to be and a 1.4-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack where half of the trunk used to be. Infiniti promises you'll get "V8 performance in a V6 engine with gas mileage like a 4-cylinder."

The 3.5-liter Atkinson-cycle V6 is longitudinally mounted and drives the rear wheels. Combined with a 50-kilowatt electric motor, it produces a hybrid system net power of 360 hp. Transmission is a 7-speed automatic. (It has 2 clutches but is not a dual-clutch system in the traditional sense; the 2nd clutch is at the back of the transmission and disengages to allow the motor/generator to start and stop the engine.) EPA mileage is 32 highway, 27 city and 29 combined.

What is it like to drive?

We drove it 34 miles through West Los Angeles traffic and, while we didn't really get to try out the full sports sedan part of the equation, it was at least a promising combination of luxury cachet and seemingly decent handling. A button on the center console allows you to switch driving modes: a fuel-sipping eco mode, which we absolutely couldn't stand because it felt as if there was a Coke bottle stuck under the gas pedal; a sport mode, which after our drive we felt should be the default position, and standard and snow modes.

We didn't get a chance to try out the 0-to-60-mph claim of less than 6 seconds, but we did learn that brake-torqueing a powertrain that shuts down at stoplights makes for a very awkward launch. Curb weight is 4,129 pounds, up 280 pounds from the M37 and 101 pounds more than the M56. So sub-6-second 0-to-60-mph runs seem at least plausible.

As for efficiency, the on-board computer showed that we got 23.2 mpg on our 33.7-mile morning drive through stop-and-go traffic. Gently feathering the throttle straight out of the parking lot, we only got 3 blocks before the internal-combustion engine kicked in, not the 1.2 miles Infiniti said it'll do, but that all varies depending on the battery pack's state of charge. The dashboard readout showed that we went 14.2 miles, or 42% of our 33.7-mile drive, on battery power.

Do I want it?

Do you want to pay $5,700 more and add 271 pounds to get 30 hp more and an additional 7 mpg? The V8-powered M56 has 420 hp and weighs 101 pounds less but costs $5,700 more and gives up 8 mpg. Juggle the numbers and see if you like them. No doubt for some, the "h" on the deck lid will be worth the cost of admission in eco chic.

As for driving, a more complete evaluation will be necessary before we can pass judgment on this sedan, but so far, so good.

It won't be too long before everything on the market is going to have some kind of mileage-stretching technology on it, to meet looming CAFE requirements. If this is the way carmakers are going to handle those challenges, the future might not be so bad.

2012 Infiniti M Hybrid
On Sale: Mid-March
Base Price: $52,200 (AW est based on Infiniti's hinting)
Drivetrain: 3.5-liter, 302-hp, 258-lb-ft V6; 50-kilowatt electric motor/generator; 360 hp hybrid system net power; RWD, seven-speed automatic
Curb Weight: 4,129 lb
0-60 MPH: Less than 6 sec (mfr)
Fuel Economy (EPA): 27/32/29 mpg city/hwy/combined

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

this car will not sell well. autoweek got 23.2mpg in stop and go traffic!? greeaat... not.

so now it's ugly, more expensive, and gets slightly better gas mileage.

if you want frugal, get an economy car.

speedflex

Nice figures. Good Job Nissan.

Och

iTrader: (3)

LOL, if my memory serves me right, C&D got 22mpg in the GS450h after racing it flat out.

dunnojack

That's the biggest drawback keeping me from considering a hybrid.

half the damn trunk is gone.

I want fold down seats + pass through, AND a lightweight battery.


23 mpg isn't bad for city driving. Certainly better than the 17-18 I get in the GS350.

But the reason it won't sell well is the price.
oh, and the lack of trunk space.

spwolf

new hybrids are a lot better optimized for EPA cycles it seems :-)

Och

iTrader: (3)

Thats exactly the case with the new M hybrid. Real world mileage will be a marginal increase over non hybrid model.

GS69

Last year, the same publication got 23.3mpg in a GS 450h, which is slightly higher. I have no doubts that the next generation Lexus hybrids will trounce the likes of Infiniti's & Lincoln's #. There is no way that Toyota, the top selling luxury & hybrid brand, is going to let others beat them.

SLegacy99

Yeah, those advanced Li-Ion batteries have nothing to do with it.

bagwell

hopefully yes....but I don't know....the 2010/11 Prius uses the same tech and gets pretty much the same MPG as the previous gen Prius.