COVER STORY

Mitsubishi’s trio of Outlanders

says the PHEV will achieve a

7.2L/100km economy rate when driving on its petrol engine alone, but that number falls to a skint overall 1.7L/100km when the electric motors are percolating (at a claimed rate of 13.4kWh/100km). Compare that to the petrol’s

7.2L/100km and the diesel’s

6.2L/100km economy figures. Both impressive in isolation for this class, but much more vast than the fuel-sipping PHEV.

On top of Mitsubishi’s claims, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) supplies annual cost-to-run fuel figures (based on 14,000km of driving) of $2020 and $2210 respectively for the petrol and diesel. The hybrid, meanwhile, cruises in with an annual cost of just $280 — barely more than what a few evenings out with friends would set you back.

But, there’s only so much one can learn from numbers on spec sheets and data approximations. We wanted to test these figures in reality. To do that, we measured economy figures on my work run over two weeks; a 45-minute realworld drive each way split almost perfectly down the middle between suburban roads and motorways.

The test started with the 2.4-litre petrol Outlander, a vehicle that was surprisingly able to match its claimed 7.2L/100km number — despite the best efforts of Auckland’s lousy traffic.

As an experience, the petrol Outlander served up the sort of smooth familiarity that buyers crave. It was relatively quiet and predictable, with more than enough performance for the school run, the getaway or just the daily grind.

The 2.4 is a considerable improvement on Mitsubishi’s base-level 2-litre petrol, and well worth the additional $1000 outlay.

The diesel had a tougher time recreating Mitsubishi’s claimed

6.2L/100km, instead averaging a still-impressive 7.5L/100km.

Of course, diesel powertrains come with their own sets of pros and cons relative to petrol counterparts. The big positive is torque, with the tested Outlander diesel packing an extra 142Nm compared to the petrol.

This gives the engine a punchier response, particularly in low revs, making them a popular choice for lifestyle buyers wanting a tow vehicle. Indeed, the Outlander diesel has an extra 400kg of towing capacity thanks to its engine.

Historically, the counterpoint for this extra performance has been a louder, more agricultural experience behind the wheel.

Thankfully, diesel tech has gradually improved, with the Outlander diesel feeling reasonably muted to occupant ears (although, it’s much louder than the petrol from the outside).

And lastly, there’s the PHEV. Fully charged, it shows an indicated electric range of 54km on the dashboard — enough to theoretically perform my drive to and from work with a charge overnight.

On a standard plug, it’ll charge from flat to full in around 6.5 hours, with a DC fastcharger getting it to 80 per cent in around 25 minutes.

In reality, we figure that we were getting around 30km of pure EV travel from each full charge. Less than the claimed numbers, sure, but enough to make a significant difference at the pump and to give us less than 4.5L/100km in returns.

Nailing down an economy figure here is more challenging than the diesel or petrol, since there are more factors at play; such as regenerative braking. This is a traditional element in hybrid cars, whereby batteries get a kick of charge when the driver lets off the throttle or presses the brake pedal. Kinetic energy from the slowing vehicle gets diverted in stored in the batteries for use later.

Apart from being hear-a-pindrop silent, the regenerative braking is perhaps the biggest difference to the PHEV’s driving experience.

The regenerative braking functionality means that every time one releases the throttle, the car defaults to slight braking. So, even if you enter a journey with no electric charge, you’ll accrue tidbits of it over time.

In layman’s terms; you’re always either being propelled forwards, or slowing to a stop — there’s no real in-between.

It can be a slightly disconcerting feeling at first, but after an hour of driving most will either be used to the sensation or will have rightfoot muscle memory smoothing the process.

We began this little test with the hope of emphasising differences, but ended up emphasising the similarities. Although a fully electric car may be a superior environmental choice, the Outlander PHEV is a great way to transition to the next generation of technologies.

Hybrid and diesel motoring have both closed the gap in refinement and accessibility to faithful petrol, with little separating Mitsubishi’s trio of Outlanders.

The technology may still be developing but — right now — there are no wrong answers.