2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

The Mitsubishi Outlander was one of the first small, affordable plug-in hybrid SUVs, yet it lost ground in recent years with the introduction of strong offerings from Toyota, Ford, Hyundai and Kia. The main reason was that the regular Outlander wasn’t especially competitive, so once the PHEV finally had company, there was nowhere to go but down. Well, there’s an all-new and dramatically improved Outlander now, and finally, its plug-in hybrid version is here to make up that lost ground. Like the gas-only version, the new 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV impresses with a stylish, spacious and suitably modern interior, and generally comfortable and quiet demeanor. The plug-in hybrid goes significant further, though, with more power and refinement, plus a strong electric range. There are a couple weak points that keep it from being best-in-class (like the gas-only version), but depending on your needs, the Outlander PHEV could still be the green compact SUV for you. The Outlander PHEV has a powertrain that's extremely similar to its predecessor. A naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder now makes 134 horsepower rather than the previous model's 148 horsepower. While it can provide direct power to the wheels, it’s most often employed as a motor generator for the front and rear electric motors (much as a Honda hybrid operates). Both of those motors are also more potent than before. The front motor picked up 20 horsepower and 88 pound-feet of torque to make 114 ponies and 188 lb-ft. The rear makes 40 more horsepower for 134, though torque remains the same at 144 pound-feet. The result is a grand total of 248 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. That's more than the Ford Escape PHEV, and more torque than the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage plug-ins. The Toyota RAV4 Prime's 302 horsepower bests them all. In addition to more power, the Outlander PHEV can now go 38 miles on a charge –14 more than before thanks to a pack that has grown from 13.8 kilowatt-hours to 20 kWh. Once again, that’s more range than Ford, Hyundai and Kia, though less than the Toyota. Mitsubishi also offers an unusual feature not available on those competitors: DC fast charging. We’re not sure how necessary a DC fast charger is on a vehicle that can run on gas in a pinch, but if you’d like a topped-up battery and don’t want to wait overnight to get it from the plug in your garage, why not? The only catch is that it utilizes the older CHAdeMO connector that’s become the HD DVD (remember those?) player of EV charger options. DC fast charging is also only available on the SEL trim and above, which also goes for the handy 1,500-watt auxiliary power port that lets you use the battery to power household appliances. Despite all these improvements, the Outlander PHEV has nevertheless gotten worse in one key spec: overall efficiency. Combined fuel economy is 64 miles per gallon-equivalent or 10 mpg-e worse than the old model. That's also a major deficit …
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