Showing posts with label Hybrid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hybrid. Show all posts

Monday, November 22, 2010

2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid Pics

With the M35h, Infiniti duplicated Lexus' brainstorm of planning a hybrid framework for representation as opposed to hard and fast fuel economy. Thusly, the hybrid utilizes Infiniti's 3. 5 liter V 6 coupled to an electric engine to generate a joined together 360 horsepower. For what Infiniti calls a hybrid appearance sedan, fuel economy isn't horrible either at a gauged 25/30/27 mpg (city/hwy/combined).

The hybrid framework utilizes a lone, 50 kW (67 horsepower) electric engine powered by a lithium ion electric storage device to convey motive capacity straightforwardly to the seven speed programmed transmission.


2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid
2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid



2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid
2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid
As a result of the engine's in a split second unoccupied 199 pound feet of torque, it can be clutched in without kicking the motor on to propel the M35h for up to 1. 2 miles at speeds up to 62 mph. Doubtlessly the engine can do something greater than propel the auto also, becoming a generator when decelerating to charge the electric cell.
2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid
2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid

2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid
2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid

2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid
2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid

2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid
2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid



2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid
2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid

2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid
2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid

2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid
2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid

2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid
2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid

2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid
2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid

2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid
2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid

2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid
2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid


2011 Kia Optima Hybrid info

The Optima hybrid lands in showrooms in right on time 2011, with a cost looked for to be roughly $26,000 significance the Optima hybrid might go in as the most reduced estimated mid size gas electric sedan on the financial sector (the restrained openness Nissan Altima hybrid begins at $27,530, while the Ford Fusion hybrid costs $28,990). That situations the hybrid close the top of the Optima's go, with costs for the routinely powered poses stretching from $19,690 to $26,690.



2011 Kia Optima Hybrid
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

Kia and Hyundai can offer their hybrid poses at such easy costs, to a limited extent, on the grounds that their full parallel hybrid framework utilizes a modular go at, piggybacking the hybrid hardware onto existing motors and powertrains in this case, a 2. 4 liter four barrel motor, modified with Atkinson cycle operation for preferable effectiveness, and an off the ledge six speed mechanical. Consolidated output from the gas electric framework is 206 hp and 195 lb ft of torque.

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid


Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Cadillac Escalade Hybrid Review



The temptation was huge to simply let the picture above be the review: A Cadillac Escalade, the ultimate Sumo-class luxury SUV, with the word "H Y B R I D" emblazoned on it.

That would be the easy way out, though. The Cadillac Escalade Hybrid deserves...heck, demands...some serious discussion. After all, the mass perception of hybrids revolves around cars like the Toyota Prius...small fuel-sipping machines that, while luxurious by the standards of even a decade ago, make a show of shunning wretched excess.

Sure, the movement has been to larger hybrid vehicles of late...from the Ford Escape Hybrid to the Nissan Altima Hybrid, but those haven't fully penetrated the public consciousness yet.

And yes, the Lexus LH600 L hybrid sedan, at $105,000 plus, is somewhat more of an apparent contradiction than the Escalade Hybrid, but it's largely invisible...looking like its gasoline-powered variant, the LS460, it slips through traffic unnoticed.

Not the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid. There are NINE...count them...NINE exterior badges proclaiming the word "H Y B R I D", prompting the inevitable questions from fellow motorists, who then have to deal with the answers:

A base price of $72,865.

A curb weight of 5,717 pounds.

403 horsepower from a 6.2 liter V8 gasoline engine.

0 to 60 in 6.8 seconds.

So what could the payoff possibly be? Where's the hybrid come in here? With an EPA estimated 20 miles per gallon city, 21 highway.

Now those aren't earth-shaking numbers, certainly not compared to misers like the Prius (which gets 48 city/45 highway). It misses the TireKicker Top Ten Fuel Saver list. But it is a 50% improvement in mileage compared to the gasoline-powered Escalade, which beats the 38% improvement GM's engineers got with the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid (although the Chevy's raw mpg numbers are higher).

So, if you have to have a Cadillac Escalade, the Hybrid has its upside in gas savings. Which leaves the question: Do you? Have to have one, I mean?

Well, "have to" is a loaded phrase. As I walked around the Escalade Hybrid when it arrived, looking over the GM PR materials, I was thinking about what a tough sell this particular vehicle was likely to be.

Then I spent a week driving it.


Lord help me, I want one. If GM wants a "yes" vote on bailout money, they just need to send 100 of these to the Senate wing of the United States Capitol with notes saying "Return whenever...or not." The Escalade is luxury and refinement taken to a degree where I'd argue that it's the best car to wear a Cadillac badge in at least 40 years. It imparts a sense that you're not just driving any old thing...you're driving a Cadillac. And covering 150 miles while barely seeing the fuel gague needle move off "F" is a bonus.

Getting 20 miles per gallon in the city out of a three-ton, 400-plus horsepower SUV is something that I would have classified as "the dog riding the bicycle". It doesn't matter how well he does it, it's just that it can be done at all. But the Escalade blows that away by being a really great car that makes you want it. And if that's not proof that American car-building ingenuity is alive and well, then I don't know what is.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Nissan Altima Hybrid Review



In the past decade or so, I've probably driven 20 or more hybrids...ten of them Toyota Priuses. But the Nissan Altima Hybrid is the only one where someone stopped me...in traffic...wanting to talk about it.

We were at a stoplight and he and his wife motioned furiously for me to roll down the window. I thought maybe I had a flat...or a fire. Nope. They noticed the rather discreet "hybrid" badge on the trunk. It was a short red light, so a short conversation.

Until the next red light...when he had more questions. It took two more stoplights (by then I'd just left the window down) for him to get to the big question:

"What kinda mileage you getting?"

I blew his mind. I told him the truth. 35 in the city.

I think he may have driven straight to the nearest Nissan dealer. If I were in the market, I might do the same thing. The Altima Hybrid is the lowest-hype, least-gimmicky hybrid out there. If there wasn't a badge on the trunk and a discreet energy management display, you'd think you were driving a regular Altima sedan.

The window sticker showed an EPA estimated 35 city/33 highway. So I figured I might get 30 or 32 if I babied it. And then, because the car is so...normal...I drove it like any other car (yes, I play a Prius like a video game, trying to squeeze the mpg number ever higher).

Son of a gun. It got 35. And I wasn't being careful.

For most people, an Altima is about the right size for a sedan...so the hybrid option makes a ton of sense...improving the gasoline version's mileage by 35%...and at a reasonable price.

The sticker starts at $25,070. Loaded with leather, heated power seats, Bluetooth, A Bose 9-speaker AM/FM/XM/6-CD/mp3 audio system, rear passenger air conditioning vents and more, the bottom line was $30,375.

Yes, it's more expensive than the gasoline version comparably equipped...but not a lot more. And it's in line with prices for a well-equipped sedan. And you can spend that much on a loaded Prius, which is a much smaller car. Nissan's hit a serious bulls-eye here. Let's hope people (like that guy in traffic) notice.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Toyota Prius Review



Once strange, the shape of the second-generation Toyota Prius hybrid is now instantly familiar...the Beetle of the new milennium. Given how many have been sold and are on the street, it's hard to remember that Toyota was taking a big chance a few years ago with a radical design. In fact, they were. In 2004, they sold 54,000 of them. Last year, it was 181,000...with 190,000 expected to leave dealer lots in calendar 2008.

Sales figures aren't the only thing that has grown on the Prius...so have sales prices. The 2004 model was a loss leader at $20,000 base...and most buyers kept it simple. The Prius we drove recently started at $23,770 and got the $5,925 Touring package. That's leather-trimmed seats and steering wheel, voice activated DVD GPS navigation, a 9-speaker JBL audio system with AM, FM and a 6-CD changer with mp3 and WMA capability, satellite radio capability (though not an actual XM subscription), Bluetooth hands-free phone capability (again, it's prep, not the actual system), vehicle stability control, backup camera and more.

Bottom line: (insert drum roll here): $30,554. Now, that was helped by an Extra Value Package discount of $1,750...dropping the final price to $28,804, but there's still an element of sticker shock in knowing that this car can now break 30 grand.

Beyond that, it's the same as it ever was...roomy beyond its exterior dimensions, extremely safe (four-star frontal, rollover and rear seat side crash ratings, five stars for front-seat side crashes), and very economical. The EPA's new methodology for estimating fuel economy gets the Prius down from its original pie-in-the-sky 60 MPG to a much more achievable 48 city/45 highway.

If you like this Prius, now's the time to buy. The third-generation arrives sometime next year as a 2010 model. Early photos suggest it will look the same, but different...and price creep is inevitable.