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Infiniti M35h sets Guinness record as the fastest-accelerating full hybrid

Look out, Prius! The 2012 Infiniti M35h is the fastest full hybrid on the block.

Antuan Goodwin Reviews Editor / Cars
Antuan Goodwin gained his automotive knowledge the old fashioned way, by turning wrenches in a driveway and picking up speeding tickets. From drivetrain tech and electrification to car audio installs and cabin tech, if it's on wheels, Antuan is knowledgeable.
Expertise Reviewing cars and car technology since 2008 focusing on electrification, driver assistance and infotainment Credentials
  • North American Car, Truck and SUV of the Year (NACTOY) Awards Juror
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Antuan Goodwin
2 min read
Infiniti

2012 Infiniti M35h
Look out, Prius! The 2012 M35h is the fastest full hybrid on the block. Infiniti

Infiniti's M35h (which we tested earlier this year) has broken into the Guinness record books as the fastest accelerating full hybrid on the road today.

The 360-horsepower M Hybrid made full use of its gasoline engine's maximum 258 pound-feet of torque and the instant-on 199 pound-feet of torque supplied by its electric engine to stop the clock at an average quarter-mile time of 13.9031 seconds. (Times for Guinness speed records are the average of two runs in opposite directions to negate the influence of head or tailwinds.)

The "full hybrid" designation applies to vehicles that can operate under full electric power, full gasoline power, or a combination of both. Other notable full hybrids include the Toyota Prius, the Ford Fusion Hybrid, and the beastly Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid. Mild hybrid models such as the BMW ActiveHybrid7 and the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid fall into a different category.

The M35h's official time is fractions of a second faster than the nonhybrid Infiniti M37S, which does the quarter in just over 14 seconds. The Cayenne S Hybrid runs a similar mid-14s quarter-mile, but Porsche could potentially steal Infiniti's thunder with its Panamera S Hybrid, which unofficially runs a 13.8 second quarter-mile time.

When it's not ripping off record-breaking runs, the M35h sips fuel at an EPA estimated rate of 27 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. Meanwhile, the 50 mpg Toyota Prius may be the greenest and best-selling hybrid of all time, but it's unofficial 17+ second quarter mile time can't hold a candle to the Infiniti.

Would you rather have the hybrid that goes faster or the one that goes farther between fill-ups? Sound off in the comments.