Community News for Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Northeast Phoenix, Carefree, Cave Creek and surrounding areas.
CITYSunTimes Web Exclusives October 2011 | Read the full SECTION
CITYLife CAR CORNER
2012 Infiniti M 35h Hybrid
Form, function and style – wrapped in green
By Bill Zervakos and Cathy Droz tworfortheroadusa.com
The M Hybrid is Infiniti’s new hybrid sport sedan, based on the M mid-luxury performance sedan that was redesigned for 2011 with more aggressive styling. The original M45 debuted as a 2003 model and sold for just two model years. The second-generation M debuted in early 2005 as a 2006 model, built on the same FM (front mid-engine) rear-wheel-drive platform used for the G35 and the FX.
I have to say I was looking forward to sampling Infiniti’s foray into the luxury hybrid fray and I like the M series, so I was looking forward to driving the hybrid version to see how it stacks up to the 330 horsepower M37 Sedan. Infiniti rates the M hybrid at a net 360 horsepower and a pretty impressive net 457 lb-ft of torque with 258 lb-ft coming from the 3.5 Liter V6 and an additional 199 Lb-ft of torque from the electric motor. Very interesting numbers for sure. How did it feel? I’ll talk more about that later.
The M is loaded with luxury appointments and my test car added the $3,800 Deluxe Package that includes Japanese White Ash wood trim, genuine silver powder accents, semi-aniline leather appointed seating and some other goodies. It also added the Premium Package for $3,350.00, which includes the NavSystem, climate controlled seating and an upgraded Bose sound system along with some other accoutrements, which brought the rather hefty base price of $53,700 up to $62,955. By the way, that does include $895 destination charges.
The question I often got was about the $6,000 premium for the hybrid’s EPA rating of 27/32 over the M37’s 18/26 and as always my answer was, you don’t buy hybrids just for just for fuel economy, which inevitably leads into a much longer discussion. That aside, for purposes of this review I’ll assume that you’re familiar with and understand that the M is a luxury car and therefore I don’t need to spend a lot of time talking about the interior, which suffice it to say is very nice indeed.
So let me talk about driving the M35h and how I see it. The M series solid handling has been pretty much preserved in the braking and steering departments although acceleration was a bit quirky at times. It was as though the M was trying to decide just how much “engine” to apply when taking off so it took a bit of getting used to. As far as performance goes, the M35h is no slouch even though it carries some 265 more pounds than does the M37. While engineers say you can go from 0 to 62 miles per hour on battery only, trust me when I say you probably won’t. You have to use no more than 20 percent throttle and that makes for a long slow climb to 60 plus miles an hour. Once acclimated though, I was very impressed with the M35h but like it’s Lexus competition, the GS450h, it’ll be interesting to see how much demand there will be for a $60,000 mid-size luxury hybrid.
Bottom line, if you’re looking for a luxury hybrid to be greener, it’ll cost you some green, but the M35h is in fact a very nice ride and does a pretty good job of mixing green along with form and function in high style.
Listen for Two for the Road Vignettes with Bill Z. and Cathy D. Monday thru Friday on KXXT1010AM. To read more in-depth reviews, go to www.twofortheroadusa.com.