Worth the discount rush

The Mitsubishi Outlander is arguably the model that has introduced more New Zealanders to plug-in motoring over the past decade than any other — not least because it packages EV technology in a practical family SUV package, at mainstream prices.

I drove the new Outlander PHEV VRX from Ingham Mitsubishi — just weeks out from the end of the clean car discount — to see if it was worth the rush. And yes it is.

The current model has a claimed 84km range on battery alone, and that was an easy drive around town and puts it near the top of the PHEV market for EV capability.

It also has the provision of seven seats — so in terms of versatility it is hard to beat.

Power and torque comes from a 2.4 litre petrol engine, making a fairly modest 98kW and 195Nm — but electric motors provide front wheel power and torque of 85kW/255Nm and another 100kW/195Nm to the rear. Claimed fuel use is 1.6l/100km.

With an AWD system, a host of advanced safety features and an advanced brake system, excellent suspension and a meaty set of rubber on 20” wheels, the

Outlander provides a superb ride. Cost for all this is $75,990.

Mitsubishi have also cleverly taken all this PHEV knowledge and experience and put it into the smaller Eclipse Cross to create a best seller.

I drove the Sport model with the same petrol engine, which delivers 94kW/199Nm and electricity, which adds 60kW/ 137Nm to the front and 70kW/ 195Nm to the rear for a healthy dose of power.

A smaller batter results in about 55km of electric only motoring and therefore 2.1l/100km.

The all wheel drive system, safety features and tech produces an excellent smaller SUV option, currently selling for $55,990.