Spacious, sporty, hybrid and compelling
SOME drivers smile when their pocket rocket takes a favourite corner at breakneck speed.
For others, a satisfying life on wheels comes more calmly, when they check their salary at the end of the month. Outlander PHEV users are numbered among these people.
Mitsubishi’s chunky SUV is the bestselling plug-in hybrid in the UK and has recently appeared in mildly modified form with a new, bigger but easiergoing petrol engine and larger-capacity battery to power newly uprated electric motors.
The result is a spacious five-seater with all-wheel drive and the ability to travel (officially) up to 28 miles on battery power alone and post an extraordinary (official) 139mpg average in new and tougher worldwide economy tests.
Add in an official 46g/km of CO2 emissions for a lowly 13% BIK rate and the Outlander PHEV is a great big savings machine for a business user on the higher rate of income tax, as most will be.
Compared with a rival like a BMW X3 the Outlander driver will save a not insignificant £12,000-plus over three years’ use. That’s a large lump off the mortgage, or several cracking family hols. If you’ve spotted the use of the word ‘official’ several times already, there’s a good reason. In the real world the Outlander won’t perform in the way the official stats say, you may not be surprised to hear.
Setting off fully charged on a cold day with heating and lights on you’ll be lucky to see 22 miles before the petrol engine chimes in. Without any battery support you’ll be happy to see 40mpg on the dash readout.
Not unreasonable for a car as big and heavy as the Outlander and, perhaps crucially these days, from a car powered by petrol not newly noxious diesel. Neither figure will much bother a typical user, though.
The latest Outlanders have mildly changed looks, while suspension is modified to improve the ride.
The result is a car that rides better roads with quiet aplomb but still fidgets on rougher stuff. Best ignore the sport button that simply makes this nonsporting machine a bit more responsive to throttle and steering.
You’ll search in vain for a satnav, dropped in the upgrades on the assumption most of us will use our mobiles anyway (Apple Carplay and Android Auto are catered for), and the new switches and instrument cluster can’t hide the hard plastics that do little for interior ambience.
Even so, the case for this electrically assisted Outlander remains compelling for the sort of business users who can benefit from those official figures.