The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is the world’s bestselling plug-in hybrid SUV to date.
Over 300,000 have been delivered since it first went on sale in 2013, but not many in the U.S.
The first-generation model didn’t arrive until 2018. And only a couple thousand have been sold annually since then. The more recently introduced Toyota Rav4 Prime and Jeep Wrangler 4xe have shot to the top of the charts with tens of thousands sold.
But the Outlander PHEV is all new for 2023 with more power and range than before.
The compact SUV, which is built on the same platform as the Nissan Rogue, has starting prices of $41,190 to $50,880 across four grades. Since it’s made in Japan, it doesn’t qualify for any federal electric car purchase tax credits, but it’s possible that Mitsubishi may roll them into a lease.
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The Outlander PHEV comes standard with an all-wheel-drive hybrid powertrain rated at 248 horsepower, up from 181 horsepower in the old model. Its 20 kilowatt-hour battery pack provides a similarly impressive increase in the all-electric driving range from 24 miles to 38 miles per charge, according to the EPA.
After the battery is drained, it operates as a conventional hybrid that’s rated at 26 MPG combined, which is similar to the non-hybrid Outlander models. For comparison, the similarly sized and priced Toyota Rav4 Prime has a 42-mile electric range and gets 38 MPG in hybrid mode.
Uncommon among plug-in hybrids, the Outlander PHEV is compatible with public fast charging stations that can refill the battery to 80% in 38 minutes rather than the four hours it takes on a 240-volt charger.
The plug type is the less common CHAdeMO style that the Nissan Leaf also uses. They're harder to find than the CCS used by most plug-in vehicles on sale today — aside from Teslas, which have their own proprietary system. Using a charger away from home kind of defeats the purpose of a plug-in hybrid, however, which is to avoid having to stop and plug in at all on long trips.
But the Outlander PHEV is suited to taking them. It’s front two rows are roomy and well appointed with high-end leather and massaging front seats on top models. A fold-down third row is standard but barely big enough for small children to use and better for short drives.
All but the entry-level trim come with the MI-Pilot advanced driver assist system, which has a robust lane-centering adaptive cruise control system that requires you to keep your hands on the wheel but doesn’t need them to do much when its in operation. It also comes with automatic emergency brakes, and a 360-degree parking camera is available.
The driver is able to choose when the battery power is used. The vehicle can be locked in EV mode or left in a hybrid setting. You can also set it to save the battery for later or switch to a mode that’s supposed to charge it up from the engine while you drive. But, over a couple of hundred highway miles, I didn’t see it have any effect. Even in all-EV mode, it will kick the internal combustion engine in if you need full power, but it rarely does.
The Outlander PHEV also has several levels of regenerative braking, which uses the electric motors to slow the vehicle when you lift off the accelerator, sending the captured energy to the battery pack. It can be adjusted using paddles behind the steering wheel and a button on the center console that puts it in the maximum setting.
The problem is that, unlike in a lot of electrified cars with the feature, it won’t bring it to a complete stop. It lets up when you get down to single-digit speeds, sometimes abruptly, requiring you to hit the brake pedal. The pedal also depresses itself out of position during regenerative braking, which can catch you off guard until you get used to it.
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The suspension is on the cushy side, which is nice when you’re cruising along, but allows for a bit too much head bobbing in stop-and-go traffic with the regenerative braking engaged, which doesn’t allow for any smooth freewheeling when you let up on the accelerator.
With or without it turned on, the 38-mile range is accurate if not pessimistic. I made it 42 miles on a mixed drive that included a lot of high-speed driving, which is farther than most people drive in a typical day. That puts it pretty much on par with the Rav4 Prime and is almost double what the Wrangler 4xe delivers for about $10,000 more. Most of the other mainstream PHEV SUVs on sale are in the 20s and 30s range.
The Outlander isn’t necessarily outstanding but could fit the bill for a certain driver with certain needs, including a couple of kids that can make use of that third row of seats.
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2023 Mitsubishi Outlander
Base price: $41,190
As tested: $50,880
Type: 7-passenger, 4-door all-wheel-drive SUV
Engine: 2.4-liter four-cylinder with electric motor assist
Power: 248 horsepower
Transmission: 1-speed automatic
EV Range: 38 miles
MPG: 26 MPG combined
