While the word “unique” is often used to describe sport sedans that are anything but, it’s truly the right term for the new 2012 Infiniti M Hybrid: The car is the only vehicle on the road today capable of delivering both 360 hp and 32 mpg highway, and that’s on top of its standard high level of Infiniti-grade amenities. This impressive balance of attributes is certain to change how people think about four-door performance vehicles, and hybrids as well.
The key is the Infiniti Direct Response Hybrid system, an innovative powertrain that leverages a one-motor, two-clutch parallel hybrid system to deliver the linear power delivery and superior acceleration expected from any Infiniti, along with the kind of fuel efficiency expected from a mainstream four-cylinder sedan.
Highlights of the system include:
- An electric motor rated at 50 kW (67 hp) and 199 lb.-ft. of torque
- Infiniti’s powerful 3.5-liter V6 internal combustion engine, capable of 302 hp and 258 lb.-ft. of torque
- A lightweight, laminated lithium-ion battery pack that is, size for size, twice as powerful as conventional nickel-metal hydride batteries
- Two clutches, with a dry clutch incorporated between the M Hybrid’s internal combustion engine and its electric motor, allowing the engine to be fully decoupled when the car is in electric-drive and power-regeneration modes
- An advanced seven-speed automatic transmission
As a result, according to Infiniti Vice President Ben Poore, “The Infiniti Direct Response Hybrid system offers an uninhibited immediacy that other hybrids simply don’t have—more power with greater efficiency and a stronger feeling of connection.
“Our engineering team envisioned a hybrid that holds back nothing and they completely delivered. The seamless delivery of power and transition between gasoline engine and electric motor is really quite remarkable.”
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