Not so long ago, we tested the classic diesel Outlander in the editorial office, with mostly positive results that highlighted its multi-purpose, practicality and interior spaciousness. But now we have its greener sibling, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, i.e. a vehicle with Plug-In-Hybrid specification and a vehicle that boasts the title of the best-selling plug-in-hybrid in Europe .
The Mitsubishi Outlander and its current generation is quite a compact and handsome vehicle. In addition, the car we tested had the highest equipment and the limited edition "100 years", and it must be said that the combination is really very elegant.
This original SUV is powered by a pair of electric motors driving the front and rear axles (each with a power of 60 kW), then a four-cylinder two-liter gasoline engine with a maximum power of 89 kW with a generator that converts the power of the internal combustion engine into electricity that recharges the battery or assists the electric motors. As a result, the total output of this hybrid system is 149 kW (203 hp).
The powertrain has different types of driving modes. From the purely electric drive EV MODE with a stated range of 54 km, through the SERIES HYBRID MODE mode, when both electric motors take care of the drive again, together with the participation of the internal combustion engine, which, however, drives the generator, which subsequently produces electricity for the batteries and electric motors. The presence of the generator contributes to the efficiency itself, where the engine does not drive any gearbox etc. and is thus more efficient. The third mode is PARALLEL HYBRID MODE, which occurs during sharp acceleration or at speeds above 120 km/h. In this mode, the internal combustion engine drives the front wheels directly, the wheels are also driven by electric motors, so you have the already mentioned total power of 149 kW at your disposal.
The CHRG, SAVE, EV, 4WD buttons are also available for the drive mode selector. So let's shed some light on what the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is actually about.
The first two buttons mentioned allow you to predict your driving and possibly influence its future style. CHRG (CHARGE) button, here the vehicle tries to recharge the batteries as soon as possible while driving using the internal combustion engine and generator. Useful if, for example, you know that you will drive the last part of the journey through the city. After that, you can easily drive (jump through the columns) purely on electricity, without using an internal combustion engine. For a change, the SAVE button will maintain the current state of the batteries, which was at the time of activation of this function, so the internal combustion engine is mainly used for propulsion. When the EV mode is activated, a purely electric drive occurs. 4WD mode makes the Outlander a permanent four-wheel drive with a 50:50 torque distribution.
The 4WD drive is quite logically handled by both electric motors, thanks to this solution the vehicle lacks any drive shaft to the rear axle. Off-road driving in this mode with purely electric drive becomes an original and unusual experience.
But it is also a matter of course to drive in Eco mode, when the car's performance is quite logically reduced. To top it all off, the paddles under the steering wheel, which the car is equipped with, serve to recuperate electrical energy (for recharging). There are six pre-set levels of recuperation that you select with the aforementioned paddles. In fact, it is most reminiscent of a kind of "engine brake", but during which it is recharged.
That's all about controlling the car, at first it may seem rather complicated and overcombined, but believe me, you will get used to controlling the car really quickly.
The Outlander PHEV can be charged either from a standard 230 V household socket, where, according to the manufacturer, it takes approx. 5 hours to fully charge, or from a public fast charging station. Here you can get to full capacity in about 1 hour of charging (80% in about 20 minutes, the rest of the capacity is a little slower).
The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is an interesting and good choice in the given segment. Personally, I appreciate the power of its electric drive. The pair of electric motors with a power of 2 x 60 kW is easy to recognize and in the case of charging, the need for help from the internal combustion engine is very small. Outlander PHEV consumption depends on the environment in which you move and how you are able to charge the vehicle. The basis of success is, of course, frequent recharging and more urban traffic. Here, you can also save some kilometers as part of energy recovery. After the weekly test, we spent around 57% of the time driving on electric power with an average consumption of around 5.5 liters of petrol per 100km. However, we have to include a 400km long trip, including a large percentage of highways. Simply put, we were very impressed with the Mitsubishi Outlender PHEV. The price policy of the brand has been quite favorable for a long time, and the same applies to this model. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is offered for 1,179,900 CZK as part of the INTENSE+ equipment and the current promotional price, incl. VAT.
