2012 Infiniti M35h

Speedy and opulent, the 2012 Infiniti M35h (Base MSRP: $53,700) is the opposite of boring, experts say. Although plenty of upscale hybrids promise V8 power with four-cylinder fuel-scrimping, testers say the Infiniti is one of the few that actually makes good on that promise.

"If you're thinking cake-and-have-it, you're not alone," writes Jason Kavanagh at Edmunds Inside Line, where the Infiniti hybrid "absolutely manhandled" the Mercedes-Benz E350 Bluetec (a diesel sedan) in a straight-line race.

"Quick-witted reflexes and yikes! acceleration aren't ingredients typically found in the hybrid recipe book," writes Warren Clarke at Edmunds.com, "but the M Hybrid is part of a new breed that promises to change the way we experience these fuel-minded machines."

Lavish and curvaceous, inside and out

The M35h shares its bulging body with the 2012 Infiniti M37 (Base MSRP: $47,700) and 2012 Infiniti M56 (Base MSRP: $58,450) -- both acclaimed luxury sedans in their own right.

While Cadillac and Mercedes sport sharp creases, the Infiniti M bucks that trend with "the fullest curves this side of a plus-sized lingerie catalog," says Michael Karesh at TheTruthAboutCars.com. "Think Jaguar with more brawn and less grace, as if to prove that organic forms don't have to be feminine." Edmunds.com's Warren Clarke thinks the M looks more like "a gym rat's flexed bicep: bulging and intimidating."

The equally curvy cabin swaddles occupants in standard leather and Japanese ash wood -- although press cars tend to treat testers to the even-more-lavish quilted seats and silver-dusted wood trim.

"The M35h's interior has a delightful touch of lurid boudoir going on," says Kim Reynolds at Motor Trend. "Its undulating dash and door sculpting is shaped like a dozing anaconda cast in high-gloss wood and puffed leather upholstery. This would be the car in which to take your future mother-in-law to lunch and watch in the rearview mirror as she caresses its backseat surfaces. 'My, what a fancy carrr...'"

"Audi might offer stylish interiors, but they're never this warm and intimate," Karesh says. He likes the cabin's "traditional charm," and says even the silver dust "tastefully dazzles ... Of my 50+ press cars, this one has been my wife's clear favorite."

You'll see very little hybrid badging, inside or out.

"There are no blue back-lit hybrid badges, EV mode buttons, or displays with growing leaves to be found," says Alex Dykes at TheTruthAboutCars.com. "This is the sleeper hybrid if there ever was one."

Luxurious features and options

Two 6-footers can sit one behind the other in the Infiniti M35h, reports Clarke at Edmunds.com. "The backseat is comfortable for two, but three passengers would make for an unpleasantly tight squeeze," at least partly thanks to a big hump in the floor. The hybrid battery pack gobbles some trunk space, leaving a shallow 11.3 cubic feet -- enough for two suitcases and a duffel bag, one source says. Clarke fits in a couple of golf bags and a suitcase. The backseat doesn't fold.

Little details like the M35h's felt-lined center console and glovebox make Clarke feel cosseted.

"A touch like this connotes luxury, as do some of the car's thoughtful features," he writes. "There's a light in the door handle that automatically illuminates at night to allow easy entrance." He also likes the Forest Air system that filters the air over grape-seed polyphenols and wafts it around the cabin like a gentle breeze -- but that's part of a $3,900 options package.

Standard feature highlights on the Infiniti M35h include a sunroof, leather seats (eight-way power heated in front with driver memory), rearview camera, automatic wipers, heated power-folding mirrors, dual-zone automatic climate control, 7-inch screen and multifunction control knob for the cabin technology (including six-speaker CD stereo, auxiliary audio/visual jack, iPod interface and satellite radio). Options like navigation, voice commands, a heated steering wheel and ventilated front seats come in packages.

'Eat my hybrid dust'

The Infiniti M hybrid is fast. It sprints to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds on Edmunds.com's test track, tying the V8-powered Infiniti M56. TheTruthAboutCars.com's Dykes makes it in 5.03 seconds.

"Eat my hybrid dust," says Kavanagh at Inside Line, after smoking the Mercedes-Benz E350 Bluetec by more than two seconds on the way to 60 mph. "The M35h's big, beefy wad of torque might reshape your perceptions of what a hybrid can do."

Unfortunately, it's not always smooth. A couple of sources complain that the car often shudders or hesitates when switching between its 3.5-liter V6 engine and electric motor. Its "jolty acceleration and puzzling episodes of seeming lost in its gear changes" irritate Motor Trend's Reynolds.

A seven-speed automatic transmission delivers the Infiniti's 360 horsepower to its rear wheels -- and you can choose how aggressively. A dial on the dash lets you switch between Normal, Eco, Sport and Snow modes. "The car's reflexes are painfully dull in 'Eco' mode; this is a setting for only the most die-hard hypermilers," says Clarke at Edmunds.com. "Response is sharp in 'Normal' and even better in 'Sport,'" although "Sport" takes a toll on gas mileage (see below).

The hybrid Infiniti feels nimble in day-to-day driving, critics agree -- but push it hard, and heavy "ponderousness" starts to rear its head, says Kavanagh at Inside Line. Plus, the extra weight of the hybrid battery can make the rear slide out, a couple of testers report. TheTruthAboutCars.com's Michael Karesh is one of them, but he has fun driving it anyway: "Unlike with the typical hybrid or even far too many performance luxury sedans, there's never a dull moment where the car seems to be doing all the work and you're just along for the ride."

Payoff at the pump

So does it really pay (as in, gas-pump savings) to spring for the hybrid? It depends on what you're comparing it with.

Compared with the Infiniti M37, no. Even though the hybrid gets 8 mpg more, gas would have to cost more than $9 a gallon before you would recoup the hybrid's steeper sticker in five years of typical driving, ConsumerReports.org calculates -- and yes, that's taking everything into account (depreciation, taxes, etc). 

But compared with the more expensive Infiniti M56, absolutely. "Recall that the hybrid accelerates more like the M56, and the V8-powered car costs about $2,000 more" -- not to mention it gets 10 mpg less than the hybrid, says Michael Karesh at TheTruthAboutCars.com.

Edmunds.com's Clarke agrees. "Here you get a car that holds its own performance-wise with the M56, while being less expensive and more fuel efficient. The M Hybrid also looks like a value proposition next to its most direct rival in the tiny hybrid luxury sedan segment, the Lexus GS 450h, offering sharper handling, quicker acceleration, superior fuel economy and a lower price tag."

In an 820-mile mixed-driving test at TheTruthAboutCars.com, the Infiniti M35h does achieve its EPA-estimated 29 mpg. But another source manages just 25 mpg.

"Keep in mind that while 'Sport' mode offers the most fun, you'll pay a cost when it comes to mileage," Clarke warns. "Our test car was almost always in this setting and achieved fuel economy of just 21 mpg combined."

You can get a luxury car that's much more frugal, Clarke points out -- "like the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid (Base MSRP: $34,755), which gets 41 mpg city/36 mpg highway" -- but stingier cars won't even come close to blurring the scenery like the Infiniti.

EPA Fuel Economy Estimates

• City: 27 mpg

• Highway: 32 mpg

• Combined: 29 mpg

A slew of safety options

Because it drives silently on electricity at low speeds, the M35h generates a sound to alert pedestrians outside of the car. It includes the usual standard safety features -- antilock brakes, traction and stability control and front, front-side and curtain airbags.

An optional $3,050 Technology Package includes a number of features designed to help you avoid a crash. Intelligent Cruise Control slows the car if traffic slows, and -- if your foot is on the gas -- the car will push back against the gas pedal and brake automatically, to stop you from hitting the car in front of you. Blind Spot Warning will alert you if there's a vehicle in your blind spot, and Lane Departure Warning if you start to drift out of your lane -- and if you ignore the warning, the car will brake on the opposite side, nudging you back toward the center of your own lane. To get this package, you have to buy the $3,450 Premium Package first, with navigation, voice recognition and more.

We found no reliability predictions for this new model. The Infiniti M35h does carry four-year/60,000-mile basic and six-year/70,000-mile powertrain warranties.

NHTSA Safety Ratings

• Front Impact: 4 stars

• Side Impact: 5 stars

• Rollover Resistance: 4 stars

• Overall: 4 stars

IIHS Safety Ratings

• Front Offset Impact: Good

• Side Impact: Good

• Rear Impact: Good

• Roof Strength: Good

• Named 2012 Top Safety Pick