0-100:Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
Mitsubishi’s new Outlander Plug-in Hybrid Electric is a big step up in class over its predecessor, with a larger battery and more electric range.
If you ask the average person in the street ‘What was the first electric vehicle (EV) in Australia?’, chances are they’ll respond ‘Tesla’, or perhaps ‘Nissan’. Both would be wrong because the real EV pioneer was the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, a tiny, expensive and impractical bubble car that beat everyone to the punch when it landed here in 2010. The i-MiEV didn’t hang around long though, bowing out in 2013, leaving Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) to rue an opportunity missed. The tri-diamond brand didn’t entirely squander its EV lead, however, launching one of the earliest plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) with the 2013 Outlander SUV. Fast forward to today, and the Japanese car maker has just launched the second-generation Outlander PHEV. Bigger and more substantial looking than its predecessor, the fourth-generation Outlander is also notably more premium and built on a shared Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance architecture. The four PHEV variants start with the Outlander ES priced from $54,590, stepping through Aspire, Exceed and on to the flagship Exceed Tourer costing $68,490.
The top model is handsomely trimmed and generously equipped with heated diamond quilt pattern leather seats, leather steering wheel and shift knob, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 10.8-inch head up display, a 9-inch central audio display featuring embedded navigation, and wireless Apple CarPlay. The new powertrain combines a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine with dual electric motors front and rear providing sure-footed all-wheel drive capability. A 20.0kWh lithium-ion battery enables an electric-only range of 84km, plus there’s a petrol engine. The sophisticated drivetrain shifts seamlessly between electric, series hybrid and parallel hybrid modes without the driver needing to do anything, although EV mode can be specifically selected, and you can also store battery charge to use wherever you choose in a journey.
Steering wheel-mounted paddles access the six levels of regenerative braking, with a console switch to select maximum regeneration for one-pedal driving. If arriving home in near-silent EV mode isn’t enough to impress your neighbours, then wait for the next power blackout to show off the Outlander’s Vehicle-to-Load feature, with its two onboard 240V AC three-pin power points providing up to 1500W of electricity from the battery to power a range of camping equipment or domestic appliances.
The specs
Retail price: $68,490 (MRLP)
Body style: Medium SUV
Seating: 5+2
Fuel consumption: (Combined): 1.5L/100km (38g/km CO2)
ANCAP Safety Rating: 5 Star (2022)
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder (98kW/195Nm)
Drive type: Permanent AWD
Motors: Dual electric 85kW (f)/100kW (r)
Combined output: 185kW/450Nm
For more visit: mitsubishi-motors.com.au