#m35h

Hybrid does not have to mean boring, and the Infiniti M35h proves it outright. With 360 hp on tap, this cruiser makes a strong case in the luxury hybrid segment against the likes of the BMW 5 Series ActiveHybrid. And with a starting MSRP of $54,750, it undercuts BMW’s hybrid cruiser by about $7,000, and even Lexus’ GS hybrid by about $4,000. 

Infiniti announced today that the M35h GT, a cheaper version of its high-end hybrid sedan, will be available in U.K. showrooms this month.

Infiniti focused on improving the M35h’s fuel economy and CO2 emissions for its 2012 model year, considering the performance aspect of the M35h are  fine.

Late last month, Infiniti released a video showing off what was crowned the World’s Fastest Full Hybrid, the M35h. In that video, Infiniti pitted the M35h against the Porsche Panamera Hybrid in order to show off its acceleration skills.

Even though the clip that was released back in January was barely over a minute and a half long, it’s amazing all the preparation work, setup, and equipment that was involved in filming what seems to be a fairly simple video. Infiniti has now released a behind-the-scenes clip showing off just what it took to make the video of a Guiness World Records setting car.

The Infiniti M35h hits 100-mph in 11.54 seconds and can run the quarter mile in 13.41 seconds.

And yes, that is a Mercedes-Benz ML carrying the gear. It’s pretty common to see outside advertising agencies that film these ads to use camouflaged MLs to carry the gear. There was one that was used at the Scion FR-S commercial too, that was recently shot in Northern California.

Check out the behind-the-scenes video below:

Consumer Reports recently compared four luxury sedans in the January issue of the magazine, pitting the Audi A6 against the Infiniti M35h, Mercedes-Benz E350 BlueTec and Saab 9-5, with the refreshed A6 receiving an overall test score of 93, tying Infiniti’s M37 at the top of the charts. The previous generation A6 had scored a disappointing 79.