2012 Infiniti M35h Test Drive - Popular Mechanics
Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 27/32. What's New: The first application of Nissan's Direct Response Hybrid system lands underneath the slippery sheet metal of Infiniti's M sedan. The M Hybrid slots in between the V6 M37 and V8-powered M56 in both power and price. Under the hood is an Atkinson-cycle version of Infiniti's venerable 3. 5-liter V6. The hybrid system itself is a high-tech and relatively compact sandwich of two clutches, a 50-kilowatt electric motor and Infiniti's seven-speed automatic. A 96-cell, 1. 4-kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery pack is nestled in the trunk area, which reduces trunk capacity from 14. 9 cubic feet to 11. 3. The hybrid system's clutches open and close as needed depending on driving demands and can enable... And engineers report that, thanks to fairly aggressive regenerative braking in Eco mode, under certain mixed driving conditions the M Hybrid will use electric-only power for up to 50 percent of the time. Also, like the Nissan Leaf, the M Hybrid uses a new Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians (VSP) to produce sound at low speeds to warn pedestrians that the car is approaching. Driving Character: Hybrids rarely offer much fun behind the wheel—unless your kind of fun means hypermiling well under the speed limit. Source: www.popularmechanics.com
