Already certified by the team at Guiness World Records as the fastest-accelerating hybrid on the planet, the Infiniti M35h set another important benchmark recently, this time showcasing the greener side of its nature: The high-powered, high-efficiency M35h won the hybrid class in the 2011 ALD Automotive/Shell FuelSave MPG Marathon, becoming the only hybrid vehicle to better its official combined mileage ratings in the event.
The annual MPG Marathon is one of the United Kingdom’s top fuel-economy competitions, and focuses on achieving high mileage numbers in real-world driving scenarios. This year’s course covered more than 350 miles, during which the M35h exceeded its combined fuel-efficiency rating by more than 7 percent.
“Infiniti’s Direct Response Hybrid system was developed to offer a no-compromise way of providing both performance and fuel economy, and this result demonstrates how successful that approach has been,” said Wayne Bruce, Infiniti’s communications director. “Achieving low fuel consumption in the official cycle tests might look impressive but helps no one if it is not readily achievable in real life.”
On the other hand, the MPG Marathon is proof-positive that the Infiniti’s EPA ratings of 27 mpg city/32 mpg highway/29 mpg combined help plenty of drivers. Not only does the V6-packing M35h have a higher combined EPA mark than the four-cylinder Toyota Corolla, but it also boasts well over twice as much horsepower. The compact Corolla corrals just 132 ponies under its hood, while the mid-size M hybrid can unleash a combined 360 hp combined from its 3.5-liter V6 and 50-kW electric motor – the latter of which certainly handy during the MPG Marathon.
In fact, the M35h covered almost 175 miles of the event on electric power alone.
“We drove as normal and the car did all the hard economy work for us,” said one of the drivers, British motoring journalist Bob Murray. “The Eco Pedal and economy warning light were invaluable aids, while the dashboard graphic showing the V6/electric power delivery made it easy to make the most of the electric motor. We were often cruising along on battery power at over 100 km/h [62 mph].”
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