Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV review after 23000 - still good!?

PLEASE NOTE: I made a mistake and said that this car has a CVT. It doesn't however the driving experience when the engine is on can feel a lot like a CVT car. Sorry about the mistake!

So what is a plug in hybrid or PHEV? This is a video review of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, a car that I have owned and driven for over 23000 miles. It's a big, solid, well-built practical family car designed to save fuel and to help the environment but without any of the range anxiety often suffered by drivers of pure electric cars.

If you are new to the world of EV driving then this video explains the concept of a plug in hybrid electric car. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is one of the world's most successful plug in hybrid cars featuring a small battery and a petrol engine.

But, is it still relevant and a good concept in 2020 several years after the original version was released!? We will find out in this video!

0:00 Intro
1:38 What is a PHEV
4:03 How does it work?
5:46 Fuel and electrical economy
9:20 How to charge the Outlander PHEV
11:22 Good and bad points
14:28 Conclusion

[dannymartino]

Totally brilliant review everything I wanted to know explained clearly thanks so much

[Defiantsynthetics]

If you buy used:
1.Change the generator fluid (it's cvt j4 fluid but this vehicle does not have a cvt)
2. Change the front and rear differential fluid (SP-3 transmission fluid)
3.Change the oil every 3k (I don't care what the book says, do it every 3k with full synthetic)
4.Have a qualified mechanic check your ground wires for corrosion.
I'm a ASE master tech that has 2 outlanders, these are my suggestions.

[TheSilk]

I bought a second hand 2014 Outlander PHV in 2018. I absolutely love the car and the amount of money it saves me. No road tax and all my journeys are short so I only fill it with petrol once every 3 months. I only get 20 miles on electric charge on the 2014 model so now looking to upgrade to a newer model with a larger battery. It's a lovely car to drive and plenty of room for our 4 dogs.

[lynnfisher]

Very fair summation of the Mitsubishi Phev. We have had one for 18 months and our findings are identical. It’s quiet, well made and we love how quiet and free of rattles it is. Our experience is that we do get 30 miles on a full charge in summer mixed motoring 18-20 in the winter. We try wherever possible to use electric mode around town and have had the mpg up in the high 90-98 mpg. Fully ICE mode on a long motorway trip saw 39mpg, usually it hovers in the mid to high 40’s. Our previous diesel averaged 48mpg so the electric boost shows how close the performance over the petrol PHEV is to that.

We live in rural Lincolnshire with few charging points, we too want to go fully electric and that will happen when the infrastructure is there to support full EV use. For now the PHEV is a good compromise especially as we use it in electric mode whenever possible, aided by our solar panels and judicious use of Octopus Go and the cheap 5p rate.

PHEV’s do have a place in weaning people from ICE to full electric and whilst we appreciate that some question the need for a car with two kinds of propulsion and say it’s wasteful, for us we have proved that we have lessened our harmful emissions and also paid out less in fuel fees. Others may not do that, it depends on how far you travel using the ICE engine and how often you charge. It’s an option though to try an electric car without range anxiety.

[robbarron]

What an excellently made review, a real change from the sales pitch reviews from secondhand car salesman that are rife on YT. This gives plus points and minus points and all the information is given in a clear and understandable way. Thank you.

[btnled]

Got my 2nd hand 2017 2.0 Outlander a month ago. Love it. Yes - i do like to keep it running on electric .. You say the engine is noisy but to be fair - its still quieter than my Honda CRV. It does feel a little different once the engine kicks in, may be not quite as smooth as electric mode but again, not a great deal of difference. If I didnt keep looking at the energy flow screen, Id probably not even notice. In fact the only time i notice engine noise is when Im accelerating up a hill and the engine kicks in trying to generate more electric (not running direct to the wheels) All in all it was well worth the switch to hybrid from full fuel and as I only do about 25 miles a day to and from work, it hardly ever needs to drive directly using petrol. Pre heating the car while its still plugged in at home before setting off in the morning and not over using the heater while driving really helps with the driving range.

[mozhovyi]

Thank you for such a detailed story and pleasant voice.

[peterbeadle]

We just bought a 2022 PHEV and are finding our way through all the details.Really enjoyed your clear and concise explanation. Thank you.

[amaralapati]

One of best review I came across for this car, nicely explained to realistic use rather than company figures
Good work

[ColinCarFan]

As an owner of a 2016 model for 5 years I will say that this is probably the best review I've seen/read for this car. Mine does not benefit from the slightly more efficient engine and larger battery of the 2018 model but the majority of comments are exactly the same. I wish I had the Pure EV switch too as it is annoying when it chooses to switch on the engine if I apply just a little too much acceleration and it is incredibly frustrating when below 10C the engine kicks in if the heater is switched on.
I also fully understand that the engine seems loud when it kicks in but that is partly because it is unusually quiet in general and especially when in EV mode so more noticeable.
It has been a great car and I am happy to keep it for a few more years.

[ConfusedSoul]

Superb review! You give great insight in how it is to live with this car.

I'm considering this vehicle for my very short commute (10Km total) most of the year and the occasional travel, which I wouldn't mind paying for as a regular gas vehicle.

[brianheard]

Excellent take on things! A no bullshit review, real world. Thanks for that!

[michaelggriffiths]

Brilliant review!
I'm taking delivery of mine in a couple of weeks (lockdown permitting)
This review really helped.
Thanks

[Secretlyanothername]

We easily get 1.6L/100km in ours, including driving between cities (200km each time). This includes using the AC all the time, as it's hot in the Australian summer. This is a very comfortable car to own, in every sense.

[halvardarntzen]

Great review, no nonsense and giving a balanced account of the pros and cons of the car. Very useful for someone considering to buy one. For future videos, I might suggest leaving out the background music that was present in some parts; for me it was just slightly distracting.

[bethdavies]

Great review, i thoroughly enjoy my Outlander - A great family car!

[DisturbedNZ]

thank you so much, going to buy tomorrow, because of this video.,

[MrG.]

Excellent honest review. Thanks for taking the time and effort, to make this video.
I am now looking for a review from somebody who tows a caravan with this car.

[benjaminpettibone]

If anyone on this post has some real world questions on how well (or not) the PHEV Mitsubishi does in both warm and very cold climates, please feel free to ask away. My wife drives one 2019 Mitsubishi PHEV and I drive an identical one (same year but different color) since new. These are both leased vehicles and our first real world tests, particularly in cold weather. We live in Minnesota if that tells you anything. One vehicle has just over 11, 000 miles on it and the second one has over 15, 000 miles on it. The first year we kept both in a heated garage for both warm and cold weather testing. The second year, both vehicles stayed outside for both warm and cold weather testing. I needed to know this information myself personally to learn if electric cars (with a back up generator) was the way to go or not for our very cold state. Our consensus is in.

We love the recharge capabilities of the limited ranged PHEV’s. Works fine in warm weather trips to town (roughly 15 miles round trip) for local errands on the charged lithium batteries. Cold weather is a game changer however. With lights on, heaters, electric seats and blowers running and sometimes the windshield wipers, the cold weather puts a heavy load on the batteries (as we expected). They don’t last long. Even if we had a much larger capable battery, I can see this climate limits battery use. Thank goodness for the gasoline backup generator that keeps us going or we would be sitting at the side of the road like a Tesla owner running around showing off his fast sprints ahead that uses lots of power in any climate.

Basically in a nutshell, fossil fuels along with a battery combination is a must need in the colder climates, just as I suspected all along if you want to drive an electric car. We have plenty of miles on both short and long trips to prove our shared analysis with you. But all in all, we are happy with the Mitsubishi PHEV’s. Now in just less than two years, we have to make the two decisions to hand the keys to the dealer or purchase them.

By the way, if anyone is wondering how they pull trailers, they work just fine for that. We had the dealer install hitches on both. Again, this was a real world test for us personally to see how they handle and run.