2024 Outlander PHEV is big bucks for small bang
In October 2016, Nissan took majority ownership in Mitsubishi North America. With this, the rollout of a new flagship was appropriate and the Mitsubishi Outlander was created.
In 2024, a new position exists for Mitsubishi and it’s the Outlander PHEV. With Nissan funding the efforts, the Outlander is not surprisingly a Nissan Rogue in disguise and with the PHEV we recognize additional chrome characteristics.
But in Grasso’s Garage it’s all about price, comfort and appearance, and the 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV comes knocking at our door with a $46,295 base price. Yikes! That seems excessive for the Nissan-partnership brand, and with Infiniti also under the Nissan umbrella, this is very surprising. Even with a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty similar to Kia, this price tag seems slightly excessive.
The four-door, five-seat, all-wheel drive SUV was shown off in traditional Mitsubishi Red Diamond with a black-accented roof and black interior. Talk about having Nissan Rogue written all over it!
Powering the 2024 Outlander PHEV was a 2.4-liter DOHC inline 4-cylinder engine, with a single-speed gear box that was very loud and noticeable on both the exterior and interior.
The twin electric motors provided nice torque and quick get-up-and-go when in multiple drive modes. LED lighting, automatic seats, heated and power mirrors, as well as 20-inch two-tone alloy wheels, made the Mitsubishi very appealing near and far.
Additional options included the exterior color for $995, the SEL Premium package inclusive or a panoramic sunroof, heated steering wheel, BOSE stereo and 10.8-inch head-up display.
Mitsubishi boasts only a small fleet and uncharted territory in the U.S. auto market. With the release of the 2024 Outlander PHEV, clearly the focus shifts toward the hybrid market and eventually full EV, which we can expect in the future.
Although nice looking and roomy, comfort was not exceptional and price was seriously inflated. I
MSRP: $46,295/$51,835 as tested
MPG: 64 MPGE/ 26 gas only/27.1 as tested
was expecting this vehicle to be in the high $30K to $40k range, but our tester exceeded $50K, which in my opinion puts it into the luxury category, which this is not. Loaded to the hilt, the Outlander and the Mitsubishi brand are certainly giving it their all, but I think they have some more work to do if they expect profitable results in 2024.