With a brand new physique and cabin as superior because the powertrain, the 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is a delight that occurs to have a plug — not a plug-in you purchase regardless of the remainder of the automobile.
It’s straightforward to neglect that Mitusbishi was the primary automaker to supply a plug-in crossover within the U.S. The Outlander PHEV arrived in 2017 and quietly began racking up gross sales. Worldwide, it grew to become the highest-selling PHEV in 2018 and has held onto that cumulative gross sales title ever since.
The classes realized from that mannequin are why this second-generation providing doesn’t really feel like one thing experimental. It feels prefer it was a part of the Outlander mission from the very begin.
I’m in Vancouver, British Columbia, for the primary drive of the 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Normally it’s a spot you’ll be able to depend on for gentle temperatures and solar, even in the beginning of December. But this 12 months wasn’t regular. A blizzard rolled within the day earlier than our drive, bringing the mercury under 32 levels Fahrenheit and coating the roads with crusty snow and loads of ice.
In some other PHEV mannequin, I might have been dreading the circumstances. The Ford Escape PHEV, for instance, is front-drive solely. The Toyota RAV4 Prime has only a small 53 horsepower motor driving the rear wheels, leaving it not at all times as much as the problem when issues get actually slick.
In quick: Mitsubishi’s newest fuel Outlander is a contender for greatest at school. Adding a plug-in driveline to create the 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV simply makes the expertise higher whereas utilizing much less gasoline.
2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Review: A Chassis That Lives Up to the Driveline
To go along with its new chassis and physique, Mitsubishi has given the Outlander PHEV newer and extra highly effective motors. The motor within the entrance places out 114 horsepower and 188 pound-feet of torque. The one within the rear: 134 and 144. That’s much more energy to show the rear tires when the fronts don’t have grip, however there’s extra to Mitusbishi’s system than elevated energy.
Mitsubishi touts its Super-All Wheel Control AWD system (S-AWC), however what does that basically imply? All-wheel management is only a fancy title for all-wheel drive, which the Outlander will get because of the twin motors.
The Super a part of the equation is system integration. S-AWC hyperlinks AWD, Active Yaw Control, stability management, and ABS into one system, letting the completely different parts work collectively for a greater consequence.
Twin-motor AWD lets Mitusbishi dole out extra energy to the entrance or rear motor based mostly on wheel slip. With the newest system, Mitusbishi says it acts extra shortly than earlier than. It’s not restricted by clutches or mechanical techniques in the best way a regular center-differential AWD system can be.
Active Yaw Control screens steering enter and a couple of dozen different circumstances, then makes use of the brakes to manage forces left and proper throughout the automobile. In the final era, it solely managed the entrance brakes.
This time it controls all 4 wheels. It can gently brake a spinning tire to ship extra energy to the wheel with grip like a limited-slip operate, or it might probably tug on an inside wheel to cut back understeer in a nook.
Stability management and ABS do the identical factor as in each different automobile. The first tries to forestall you from shedding management; the latter stops you from locking the tires whenever you hit the brakes.
S-AWC More Stable on Road, More Fun Off
The impact is a automobile that may do some candy donuts within the snow. More related in regular driving, the system catches you when unhealthy issues occur, like once we hit a patch of ice with a entrance tire and fast braking on the rear introduced the nostril again round. That stored the Outlander out of the guardrail and unclenched our … effectively, you understand.
Using the brakes like this, the system additionally reduces how a lot your passengers are tossed round on twisty roads, which Mitusbishi says helps cut back automobile illness.
Winding up and down the mountains north of town, we weren’t certain it was working till we handed one other automobile whose passenger was hanging on for expensive life within the turns whereas our passenger sat comfortably.
2.4L Gas Engine, No Transmission
There is a fuel engine right here too. A 2.4L four-cylinder that makes 131 horsepower and 144 pound-feet of torque. What’s lacking is a transmission. While some PHEVs use a CVT and others a extra typical automated, Mitusbishi simply left that half out.
In most driving conditions that require the fuel engine to run, its solely operate is to run the generator that sends energy to the 2 motors and the battery. It can, in sure freeway circumstances, drive the entrance wheels instantly by means of a single-speed transaxle. Why the weird association? Mitsubishi says the system is extra environment friendly this fashion.
38 Miles of Electric Range
With a 20 kWh lithium-ion battery pack underneath the seats, the Outlander PHEV can provide you as much as 38 miles of vary on a cost. That’s greater than some other three-row plug-in you should buy right now. It’s additionally the one three-row PHEV you should buy right now, however that’s one other level for Mitsubishi not towards it.
The vary is 4 miles wanting the RAV4 Prime and 7 greater than the Hyundai Santa Fe PHEV provides.
Even although the Outlander PHEV has a mixed 248 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, it might probably solely handle 60 miles per hour within the 9-second vary. Turn the dial to “Power,” the place the fuel engine runs on a regular basis and you may drop that to about seven and a half.
We wouldn’t name the Outlander PHEV sluggish with these numbers, nevertheless it’s actually not fast. Or even brisk.
It’s received sufficient stand up and go for freeway merging and fast passes. The Outlander simply doesn’t really feel prefer it has all the energy and torque the numbers recommend. It undoubtedly doesn’t have the off-the-line shove we count on from an electrical drive.
Engine Setup for Quiet Driving
The engine is quiet. The PHEV expertise is normally one in all loud engine droning when you’ve run down the battery, particularly on the freeway. Because the Outlander’s fuel energy is barely attempting to show the wheels when it’s at low RPM, you don’t get that noise. Or the unusual feeling that goes with it.
Even when in cost mode, Mitsubishi has the engine pc set to maintain the revs (and quantity) down.
The loudest noises are varied high-pitched sounds coming from the electronics. To a few of us, the sounds have been irritating. Others couldn’t hear them in any respect. This could be associated to the ages and ranges of listening to loss among the many group of journalists current, making this one thing you’ll should expertise for your self earlier than shopping for.
Once the battery runs flat, the fuel engine stays on and the gasoline consumption will increase. The official determine is 26 miles per gallon mixed. We noticed figures above 30 on a brief city take a look at part. Electric consumption is estimated at 2.2 miles per kilowatt-hour. We noticed a way more spectacular 3.7 per the sprint show.
Level 3 Fast-Charging Available
The Outlander PHEV will cost on a regular Level 1 AC plug at dwelling, providing you with a full battery in a single day. Its 240V Level 2 charging occurs at 3.5 kilowatts and takes round 6.5 hours.
Opt for SEL trim and up, and also you get Level 3 quick charging identical to a full EV. The Outlander makes use of the marginally less-common CHAdeMO plug, however it’ll take 50 kilowatts and cost to 80% in round 38 minutes.
Solid Cabin Adds to Experience
Inside, the Outlander PHEV advantages from the identical cabin as the newest gas-only mannequin. Built on an structure shared with the Nissan Rogue, this could be the nicest automobile Mitsu has ever offered. Certainly the nicest it has provided in North America.
The Outlander physique feels impressively strong with no rattles or creaks. The automaker describes the inside supplies used as being “class-above.” Everything actually feels and appears prime quality with fantastic detailing, just like the quilted stitching provided on prime trims.
If you’ve skilled the first-generation Outlander PHEV, the distinction right here is evening and day. It seems like a automobile a number of generations newer, not only a single era.
Third Row Seating This Time Around
While the last-generation PHEV lacked the third row provided with the fuel mannequin, this time round it doesn’t. Mitsubishi mentioned this Outlander was designed to have electrical energy from the beginning and that’s helped make the area.
Better packaging and smaller electronics permit a decrease ground and do the remainder of the work to make the seats match.
It’s a 3rd row greatest used very sometimes or for small children. With the center row slid again, the seat cushions contact. With the center row ahead, there’s nonetheless little or no room for toes or knees again there.
The odd-looking ultra-tall headrests don’t assist the picture that this isn’t anticipated for use by adults. Still, a 3rd row of any dimension is a really fascinating function, and we’ve actually seen worse than this one.
The second row, not less than, is rather more spacious. The Outlander’s wheelbase is about an inch and a half longer than earlier than and the roof is about the identical quantity larger — each of which assist. The width is up by 2 inches, giving everybody slightly extra shoulder area.
Thanks to the effectively that holds the third row when folded, cargo area isn’t as compromised as you may count on. Outlander PHEV will maintain 12.8 cubic toes when all of the seats are in use. Fold row three and also you get 30.8. With all of the seats folded, it has as much as 66.2 cubic toes of storage.
Price Undercuts 2-Row Competition
Outlander PHEV begins with the $39,845 ES mannequin. Every Outlander has a 12.3-inch digital sprint with energy and regen gauges. There’s loads of data to throw on the driver and a few completely different interfaces to select from. The ES has an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with SE and up getting a 9.0-inch unit.
Both get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, however the huge display will get wi-fi CarPlay. The larger display provides navigation from TomTom as effectively.
The infotainment system appears to have fast sufficient {hardware} behind it to function easily and shortly. But the interface itself is much from intuitive, and after too many minutes of preliminary frustration, we bailed on it. We caught with CarPlay to get us round as a substitute.
At least there are bodily controls for many capabilities, so that you’re not counting on the contact interface more often than not.
We have been driving the loaded-up SEL Premium trim which sits above the SEL Touring and plain outdated SEL. For a nice shock of $48,145, it has semi-aniline leather-based seats and therapeutic massage. All of the SEL grades get pretty quilted seats and adaptive cruise with Mi-Pilot steering help.
2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Review: Summary
The unique Outlander PHEV was the one choice for a purchaser who wished a PHEV crossover. It spent a number of years as the one alternative, and that was its largest function. It was one of the best as a result of it had no competitors.
Today, the 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander is the one PHEV with a 3rd row. But quite than buying and selling totally on that one function, mentioned function is simply an added perk. The Outlander has a aggressive driveline, good specs, and a stellar cabin. It additionally manages to ship these options at a very aggressive value.
This isn’t a automobile you purchase as a result of it’s a PHEV. It’s one you purchase as a result of it’s an excellent automobile that occurs to be a PHEV.
