Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV long-term review: should you buy this hybrid SUV?

We tested this Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid for six months. Here are the good points, the bad points and what to be aware of if you’re considering buying this SUV.

Our Mitsubishi Outlander Aspire Plug-In Hybrid put in six months and more than 10,000km of service with Chasing Cars digital production specialist Tom Place and his family.

Here’s how this Tesla Model Y, Toyota RAV4 and Kia Sorento rival performed with us.

Time codes:
0:00 - 11,000km test
0:22 - In this video
0:38 - Fuel economy test
2:05 - Pricing and rivals
2:32 - Commuting
3:00 - Safety
4:30 - Power
5:00 - AWD system
5:30 - Handling
6:30 - Body control
7:00 - Ride quality
8:38 - Road trips
9:15 - Boot space
9:27 - Interior
9:55 - No rattles
10:25 - Warranty
10:55 - Seats
11:40 - Autonomy
12:00 - Verdict

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[drewiliffe]

If you do not have access to charging at home then a PHEV is not the right option for you. Having a fully charged battery for your commute is the reason you buy a PHEV.

[thejedaru]

I have an Exceed Tourer PHEV last February in Sydney and I love it. Luxurious 7 seaters ride with a very fuel efficient usage. I used it 80% of the time on EV mode and charge it every other night. My average fuel consumption is 1.6L/100km😮

[adampoll]

I think it's a pretty fair review, with the caveats about the inability of the reviewer to charge at home declared up front. Mitsubishi did not design this car to be a super economical hybrid, but a very sophisticated, powerful, and flexible drive-train with decent mild off-road ability (and yes, I've taken mine more places than the advertisements do and clearances are about the only thing limiting its ability - traction and low speed torque are extraordinary).

My use case is working from home and being able to charge with roof-top solar, and I rarely do more than 60km on an average weekday. The only time I use fuel is for longer drives or the monthly camping/road-trips (800-900km per tank/charge is not out of the question) - or for a bit of fun in Tarmac mode. Being able to pick and choose when to top up (petrol price cycles and all that) is great, and I rarely see a petrol pump more than once every 2 months. I'm glad the cornering performance was mentioned (many reviewers miss this bit) with the S-AWC - it's NO gimmick for sure, and you can find yourself getting a bit cocky at times and need to restrain yourself to prevent the passengers screaming 😆 - it corners like no heavy SUV has any right to.

Other great practical features worth mentioning on the Aspire are the 240v AC power on hand (I have an induction hob and pod-coffee machine in the back of mine), and the adaptive high beams that selectively dip the appropriate lights for oncoming traffic and even for highly reflective signs. The 360 camera is great for both parking and offroad, and the HUD is really cool as well. I've been nothing but thrilled with mine - puts a smile on my face with every drive, is hugely practical for my purposes (with room to sleep in the back), and continues to impress.

[robertduclayan]

PHEV was meant ideally to be charge at home everyday or depending on how you daily drive. And if you didn't practice that then this long term review does not show the real efficiency of this PHEV SUV.

[dylanberenger]

The fbt exemption for novated leasing this phev is an attractive option, rather than paying cash upfront for this vehicle

[russellchristison]

I’m still waiting for a review of a plug in hybrid where it’s charged every day at home, personally I have done between 25 and 50 kilometres i per day for the last 3 days so I would have used no petrol for these 3 days.

[paulblackwood]

Yep, just plug in each night as you do your cell phone.
It's designed to be charged.
My average fuel use is 1L/100

[Rewopoast]

Interesting review of the car without fully utilising the EV features.

If the EV features were used, the L/km would go down drastically.

Essentially a review of the vehicle operating as a hybrid without the battery capacity

[nickyates_music]

Pretty weird to have someone who wasn’t able to plug in their PHEV at home do a long term review of a PHEV. The clue is in the name, plug-in hybrid. I don’t think anyone without a powerpoint in their carport/garage is buying this car, and if they are, they’re getting a power point put in

[ivanb]

interesting review.
we have an MY19 PHEV Exceed which we acquired 1 yr old in 2020 for $43k.
Our lifetime fuel consumption average is 4 litres/100km, and it does about 7 on trips where we can't charge.
The MY19 model has a smaller battery than the one reviewed so our "EV" distance is more like 40kms (or 50km doing the optimal test).
The engine is also smaller, so you do notice it working harder on steep hills. The EV traction system is brilliant.
Overall it is a very easy car for town and highway cruising. I have never noted any issues with raised in the review on ride.
We have the benefit of charging at home most days from solar panels, which is a key to overall economy.

I found it interesting the reviewer was still mostly positive even not exploiting the plug-in capability.

[pincus]

Your the first review that didn’t have some sort of baging of a nice car, so I bought one, it should be my forever car as I am 76 and ten years warranty should see me out. Thank you for your review.

[mindfreeze]

Dude, respectfully, putting adaptive dampeners on this would significantly increase the price on what is already and expensive vehicle. On that price versus getting a Tesla or a Kia EV6 base model, both of those cars are different propositions, the Outlander has 7 seats(as crappy as those last 2 seats are and beleive me they are the worst). The other big difference is the jump to full electric, those long journeys you did would need alot more precision planning with those EV's plus you wouldnt get as much out out a single charge vs single tank of fuel. Thirdly, the base model of both those EV's isnt as nice as the Outlander in the Apire trim, plus, no one really likes the base model, even for something that bloody expensive.

[AB-jktw]

Here in Canada, broken chargers and owners “parking” their EVs at chargers are sadly common as well.

[Mububban]

Given you had the "worst case scenario" for PHEV ownership and lack of easy charging, 6.9L/100km in mixed driving is not bad for a big square family SUV. . It's what we average out a 2L 4cyl hatchback with 6 speed manual. Mind you the hatch does near 5.0L/100km on the highway, but is also not a 7 seater and/or have a near 500L boot.
For a long term test, with no ability to recharge at home, you should have included detailed info about fuel efficiency when the car is in self charging mode.
Real world owners who can charge up when required report fuel use around/under 4.5L/100km. Some would be even better than that if almost exclusively on electric driving.

[stephenberry]

My brother love his X Trail E Force... Quiet, responsive, well equipped and finished, economical and never has to be plugged in.

[BrendanDiacono]

Has anyone towed a caravan with the Aspire? I'd be interested in mileage achieved.

[argentk]

But if you are complaining about public charging infrastructure as you did at the beginning of the video, how can you recommend (despite being excellent cars) getting a Tesla Model 3/Y or Kia EV6? That would have exacerbated the charging problem! However with the Outlander PHEV, you can at least have the petrol engine to help charge (even if it is supremely inefficient at urban driving speeds).

[RallyLife]

Diesel turbo for the win. Both with towing and fuel economy on long trips. Its pretty good in town too.

[rustykilt]

When you see the price difference between the Top line PHEV as against the top line PETROL, there is a gap of some $18, 000.00. It would take years to recoup the cost saving in fuel usage. Unless you prefer the PHEV setup, I fail to see what the advantage is with PHEV when buying simply to save on fuel cost understanding the greater upfront purchase price.

[samisyd]

Good review, but doesnt do justice to the car if you are not charging ... its meant to be a plug-in, not just a hybrid.