Living with the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

• Things we like
• Not so much
• Things we like
• Not so much
• 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV long-term review
• JUMP AHEAD
• Ed note: this is part two of our extended review of the Mitsubishi Outlander. Read our in-depth review of the petrol Exceed here.
• The basics
• “What’s the range like?” “Isn’t it heavy?” “What happens when you run out of electricity?” “How fast does the battery degrade?”

8.1/10Score

Things we like

• Powertrain is smooth, powerful and refined
• Efficiency gains over petrol equivalent
• Flagship trim adds desirable creature comforts

Not so much

• Price jump over equivalent petrol version
• Boot loses a few useful storage areas
• No spare tyre

8.1/10Score

Things we like

• Powertrain is smooth, powerful and refined
• Efficiency gains over petrol equivalent
• Flagship trim adds desirable creature comforts

Not so much

• Price jump over equivalent petrol version
• Boot loses a few useful storage areas
• No spare tyre

2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV long-term review

JUMP AHEAD

• The basics

Ed note: this is part two of our extended review of the Mitsubishi Outlander. Read our in-depth review of the petrol Exceed here.

The basics

Is there a powertrain that generates more furrowed brows and curious expressions than a plug-in hybrid? I’ve been in possession of this white Outlander PHEV for a few weeks now and the questions have been coming thick and fast.

“What’s the range like?” “Isn’t it heavy?” “What happens when you run out of electricity?” “How fast does the battery degrade?”

These are just warm up fodder, though. The thing most people really want to know comes later when they learn this particular Outlander PHEV, which is the flagship Exceed Tourer, costs $68,490 before on-road costs.

“Oh,” they say with a polite tilt of the head. “Wouldn’t you be better off with an SUV that’s fully electric?”

It’s an intriguing thought. You can slip into our reigning Car of the Year, the Kia EV6 for just $4000 more, and much to Mitsubishi’s ire, plug-ins also aren’t eligible for the increasing number of EV incentives offered around the country.

So in a world where pure EV sales and infrastructure are quickly growing, does a plug-in still offer a logical stepping stone from ICE? Or is it a compromised middle ground? That’s what I’m hoping to answer at the end of this six month loan.

More immediately, the attraction to our particular Outlander plug-in is obvious. This is the second-generation Outlander PHEV and Mitsubishi has made some big improvements. The battery is now 50 percent larger at 20kWh and the claimed EV range has jumped to an impressive 84km.

I’m yet to scientifically test how that translates into the real world but early signs are positive, given I’m averaging around 21kWh/100km. Most of the benefits of an EV on your daily commute without the range anxiety? Welcome to PHEV ownership.

Mitsubishi has also worked hard to ensure this PHEV sidesteps the compromises of the model it replaces, too. The braked tow rating, for example, is identical to a petrol-powered Outlander at 1600kg. And because the rear motor and control unit are now 50 percent smaller, the PHEV doesn’t skimp on boot space.

Regardless of powertrain, every model in the Outlander range now has 485L of luggage capacity. And don’t fixate on the $68,490 sticker price of our particular tester. You can slip into an Outlander Aspire PHEV for $54,490.

That’s still $16,000 more than an equivalent petrol-powered Outlander, however, so that’s question two this long-term loan needs to answer: is the PHEV powertrain worth the circa-$16K price premium over the atmo 2.5-litre?

I am enjoying the creature comforts of this flagship Exceed Tourer, though. I’ve just spent six months in a petrol-powered Outlander Exceed and all of the foundations that made that car such a convincing family SUV (vastly improved exterior design, richly equipped cabin and tidy handling) are still present and accounted for.

But for a $2500 premium, the Exceed Tourer adds a black roof, higher grade leather upholstery and massage seats for both front passengers.

The massage seats are a touch lame and don’t deliver the same effect offered by other manufacturers, but the softer leather is something I appreciate every time I slip behind the wheel (even the leather on the steering wheel itself is of a higher quality) and I like how the black roof offsets the White Diamond exterior paint.

I questioned the value of the Tourer trim during my time in the petrol-powered Exceed given the pair share 99 percent of their spec but now I can see why someone would spend the extra.

More importantly, the PHEV feels like a more luxurious and premium SUV to drive. Petrol-powered Outlanders use a Nissan-sourced 2.5-litre four pot and while it’s an adequate unit, it can sound and feel breathless. Propulsion in the PHEV, by comparison, is silky smooth and effortless.

There’s an electric motor on each axle and although the 2.0-litre petrol engine (Mitsubishi’s own unit this time) can directly drive the front axle in certain situations, the system favours electricity to turn the wheels wherever possible.

It’s proving to be more economical too, which is obviously a huge part of a PHEV’s appeal. Where our petrol Outlander was drinking between 8-10L/100km, the PHEV is so far returning 6.7L/100km, which is bang on Mitsubishi’s claim.

And that’s without regularly plugging it in due to a hectic schedule and limited access to a plug. Expect that figure to drop once I settle into a rhythm of regular recharging.

So far so good, then, but I’ve already noted a few misses. The boot might technically be the same litreage as other Outlanders, for example, but you lose a deep storage cubby on either side of the floor which we previously used to house loose items like dog leads and nappies. There’s no spare tyre, either, just a can of goop, and the AC and DC charging cables take up a surprising amount of boot space when packaged into their black carry cases.

Still, it’s an intriguing thing this new Outlander PHEV. Not just for the complexity of its powertrain and how it drives its axles but for the broader questions it asks about the value and place of plug-ins in 2022. I feel like we’re only just starting to scratch the surface…

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