Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Infiniti teases M hybrid drag race against Porsche Panamera S Hybrid

Infiniti has started throwing stones at the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid. The Japanese luxury brand aims to pit its M Hybrid against the electrified German five-door in a fight for the title of the world's fastest-accelerating production full hybrid. How's that for a mouthful? The Porsche Panamera S Hybrid dishes out 380 horsepower and is good for a 0-60 mph time of around 5.7 seconds, all while returning up to 30 mpg highway. Of course, you'll be asked to pay for the privilege of ownership. The Panamera S Hybrid commands an MSRP of $95,000.

The Infiniti M Hybrid, meanwhile, is good for 360 horsepower from a 3.5-liter V6 engine and a potent electric motor. Infiniti hasn't outright said how quickly the M Hybrid can do the 0-60 mph dash, but we can say from experience that the vehicle is no pushover. All told, the M Hybrid can deliver up to 32 mpg highway, but is it quicker than the Porsche?

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=3o0CY59mFP4

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/22/i...panamera-s-hy/

rkyat

Finally seen the vid. Congrats to the winner!

KillaIS250

iTrader: (1)

Very nice win

GiantsFan

iTrader: (9)

Lexus should have pushed higher performance in the GS450h!!!

I hope they have a F version coming ... (EVen if its a hybrid!)

jwong77

Very interesting marketing. Its the first time I ever thought of Porsche Panamera and Infiniti M at the same time.

L3XOTIC

The Panamera is such a gorgeous vehicle. I dont know if the M can be thrown in that mix...

madmax2k1

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Followup: Infiniti M35h is world's "fastest" hybrid

We don't imagine that many new-car buyers are cross-shopping their local Infiniti and Porsche dealerships, but there's at least one segment of the automotive industry where the two automakers both play ball: high-performance hybrid luxury sedans, which may be the single most conflicted niche of the automotive sphere in the known universe.

In any case, here we are with the Infiniti M35h and Porsche Panamera S Hybrid. Each one is marketed as both a somewhat greener luxury vehicle and a performance sedan. We'd guess it's the performance side of the equation that would be most interesting to the majority of buyers, leaving fuel efficiency a welcome bonus.

So, which one is faster? That's an interesting question. Usually, we equate that term with top speed, as "fast" connotes velocity. When acceleration is being contested, we generally ask which machine is quickest. And, if it's quickness you're after, Infiniti wants you to know that its M35h will out-accelerate its competitor from Germany. How quick is it? According to Motor Trend, the hybrid M goes from 0-60 in 5.1 seconds, but that's not the stat Infiniti is claiming. According to the post-jump press release, the M35h is "faster" than the hybrid Panamera from 0-100 (11.54 seconds) and in the quarter mile (13.41 seconds).

As for the rest of the relevant statistics, the EPA estimates that the M35h will manage 27 miles per gallon in the city and 32 on the highway, for a combined rating of 29. The Porsche Panamera S Hybrid is rated at 22 city, 30 highway and 25 combined. Seems the M hybrid takes both the acceleration and economy awards.

Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=0TDYrTGyRfw

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/24/f...astest-hybrid/

Justin2JZ

What the hell is this? Did you see how they launched the Porsche? That was not fair, if they would've used the launch control, the Porsche would've won. Anyway, I bet the folks at Porsche didn't give a damn.