...not, as you'd likely think, the Porsche Panamera Hybrid, but rather the 2012 Infiniti M35h. At least, that's what the people at Infiniti, backed up by "AMCI Certified Testing" have to say. But we knew this. They teamed with CAR magazine back in September to get Guinness-certified numbers. Let's take a closer look anyway shall we?
The 2012 Porsche Panamera Hybrid has a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 and a 75 amp, 288-volt NiMiH battery. The Porsche makes 380 horsepower @ 5500 rpm, 428 pound-feet of torque at only 1,000 rpm and has an 8-speed automatic transmission. To save weight and increase awesome, it is rear-wheel drive, the last time we tested one it weighed in at 4,492 pounds. Pricing starts at $95K.
In the other corner is the Infiniti M35h. It starts at $53,700, makes 360 horsepower thanks to a 3.5-liter V6 and a 346 volt lithium-ion battery and has a seven-speed automatic. Like the Porsche, it's rear-wheel drive. Last time we had it on the scales a 2012 M35h recorded a weight of 4,199 pounds.
The fine print in the video says that it is a dramatization and that in this AMCI-certified testing a 2012 Infiniti M35h ran the quarter mile in 13.41 seconds (faster than they ran for Guinness) and a 0-100 time of 11.54 seconds. They fail to give times for the Porsche, so we will.
2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid 2012 Infiniti M35h
0-60: 5.2 5.5
0-60 w rollout: 4.9 5.1
0-75: 7.5 8.0
1/4 mile: 13.5 @ 103.0 13.8 @ 100.8
Now, these aren't certified numbers, but we do take measures to ensure that our data is comparable across test dates. Which ones do you believe?
half_ton says:
08:33 AM, 01/24/12
I'll take the Porsche for $95.
greenpony says:
10:04 AM, 01/24/12
"Now, these aren't certified numbers, but we do take measures to ensure that our data is comparable across test dates. Which ones do you believe?"
Honestly, I'd put more stock in the testing lab's numbers than in Edmunds.com's.
"The 2012 Porsche Panamera Hybrid.... Pricing starts at $95."
I'll take three hundred of them, but I'll need a bigger garage.
church123 says:
11:06 AM, 01/24/12
Well, IL does not correct their times for weather conditions. So right there you could be off by a couple percent depending on the conditions for each test. Additionally, AMCI does almost all of its testing at the old El Toro MCS which is at less than 400 ft of elevation. Compared to the 1100 ft elevation of Fontana where IL does its testing, that will improve times. Furthermore, the supercharged engine in the Porsche will suffer less going up in elevation than the NA V6 in the Infiniti.
So, it's entirely possible that the Infiniti was quicker than the Panamera on a same day test at low elevation. And it is possible (probable I think) that the Panamera might be quicker as you go up in elevation.
It's all marketing stuff anyways and the title will soon be taken by someone else as more hybrids come onto the market.
Mike Magrath replied to comment from church123
11:33 AM, 01/24/12
We absolutely do correct for weather, Church. http://www.insideline.com/features/how-we-test-cars-and-trucks.html See the section: Corrected Data.
-mm
wjtinatl says:
12:15 PM, 01/24/12
I'll take a Prius for economy and a Boss 302 for fun. I'll save the 30k over the Panamera for 8000 gallons of premium for the Boss!
12rings says:
01:16 PM, 01/24/12
Here we go again basing a cars performance soley on acceleration numbers. Put both of those cars on a track, any track, and see which one makes a lap the fastest. My money is on the Panamera.
cjasis says:
02:01 PM, 01/24/12
Fastest or quickest? Isn't fastest measured by top speed where quickest measures acceleration?
explorerx4 says:
06:18 PM, 01/24/12
Try the 'Ring and see what happens. I really don't know which one would win.
A drag race? Lame.
church123 says:
07:10 PM, 01/24/12
Is that still the case MM? I seem to recall JKav posting that you guys don't do atmospheric corrections.
transpower says:
06:53 AM, 01/25/12
This is the kind of competition we need. The vehicle which gets to the destination in the fastest time with the least cost wins.
cr_driver says:
07:39 AM, 01/25/12
Way cheaper, quicker and way more fuel efficient as well. Ding ding ding, we have a winner here.