The Vehicles Earth

In the current December 2011 issue of CAR magazine I've extolled the virtues of our M35h hybrid as an airport commuter vehicle par excellence. And having just racked up nearly 10 hours driving in just 36 hours - ending up at Heathrow again - I can confirm the M's status as motorway king.

It's a wonderfully relaxing environment in here. The seats don't adjust quite as much as my old 530d's, but they leave me remarkably fresh after long stints at the wheel. The hybrid comes only in top spec, so the hide-bound pews are ventilated and warmed as standard. No massage function, mind.

The centre console helps create that relaxing vibe. Where all current German executives are a bit straight, a teensy bit joyless inside, the Infiniti feels warm and friendly. That silver-flecked wood trim from grand piano maker Yamaha helps no end and the buttons are simply labelled and large. There aren't too many of them either (Panamera, take note).

I reckon they've judged the - terrible mumbo-jumbo alert - human machine interface really well. You can use the central scroll button or the touchscreen to input most commands. Or the voice control, which I've not yet dared use. Sceptics will call this a posh Nissan, but three months in and I'm converted to the interior. Materials are plush, build first-rate and it's quite a refreshing change from the establishment.

The Nissan Connect multimedia system makes an appearance and I'm a big fan. Synching with iPods is seamless, the sat-nav takes full six- and seven-digit postcodes and the hierarchy of menus is logical. The only bit of kit I miss is a DAB digital radio, owing to the dire local stations like Peterboghorror FM around these parts.

I've previously mentioned the joyful 'sailing' function at a cruise. Even if you back off at 70mph, the petrol engine shuts down and you glide silently down the road, a smug halo rising overhead. It helps you chill out and I find myself triggering it on purpose if I'm cruising downhill.

I've also been experimenting with the radar cruise control. Like most of these systems, it works well enough but I find the juddering deceleration annoying when it picks up a car in a different lane on M-way corners. These systems are still no match for a human mind.

Our next update? We plan a deep look at the M35h's economy figures. Stay tuned.

By Tim Pollard