The new one Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) was sold through the ditch in New Zealand, providing us with guidance on what to expect when it arrives in Australia in the second quarter.
Drive-by pricing on the NZ website shows PHEVs offering a 30 to 35 per cent premium over the equivalent petrol four-wheel drive (AWD) model across three spec grades.
Using Australian door-to-door pricing as a guide and applying the same premium rates, you’ll have a PHEV range starting at over $50,000 for the fleet-focused five-seat Outlander ES, for a total of $70,000 for the Exceed or Outcomes Tourer PHEV seven-seat flagship.
After checking with our Mitsubishi sources, this construction is what you should expect. We also expect some spec variants to be offered, though it’s unclear whether there will be PHEV versions of all petrol specs: ES, LS, Aspire, Exceed, and Exceed Tourer. are not.
In NZ, the Outlander PHEV is eligible for a $5750 discount. In Australia there is no such generous policy, and indeed in Victoria it will attract a controversial passerby tax 2c per kilometer driven, designed to combat lost fuel consumption.
Mechanically, Mitsubishi is touting an all-electric 84km range for the new Outlander PHEV (up 54%), although in our experience this 81/02 ADR test is generally too optimistic for a ride. real world driving around 20% – better reflected in the WLTP figures.
Combined cycle fuel consumption is listed at 1.6L/100km, although as always this figure is only relevant if you go with a full charge and don’t exceed 100km. When exhausted, the PHEV system reverts back to the same as a normal hybrid system, only heavier.
Mechanically, the new Outlander PHEV runs on a 2.4-litre petrol engine 98kW and 195Nm and two electric drive motors producing 85kW and 255Nm (front) and 100kW and 195Nm (rear), powered by a lithium-ion battery- ion capacity is quite large 20kWh and 350V packed.
In contrast, the outgoing PHEV uses a 94kW/199Nm 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine, a 60kW/137Nm electric motor to the front wheels and a 70kW/195Nm electric motor to the rear axle.
The use of two motors provides electric AWD using Mitsubishi’s intelligent S-AWC system with active yaw control. There also appears to be a model-specific Power drive mode selectable via the transmission tunnel’s spinning wheel.
The AC charging socket is Type 2, while DC charging seems to be accessible via CHADeMO but not CCS. The gasoline engine runs on 91 RON contained in a 56L tank. Mitsubishi lists the weight restriction from 2015kg to 2110kg, 400kg more than the equivalent AWD petrol.
The Outlander PHEV battery is covered by an eight-year/160,000 km warranty.
Top variants of the range come with two 1500W power outlets to run different devices – a feature We are also looking forward to see in Eclipse Cross PHEV smaller from this year.
While the Outlander first kicks off the PHEV segment in Australia, it will have more competition this time around – not plug-in hybrid sales. Still nothing to write home about.
Rivals will include the MG HS Plus EV, Ford Escape PHEV, Lexus NX450h+, Volvo XC40/XC60 Recharge, Kia Sorento PHEV and Peugeot 3008 GT Sport PHEV. Mazda will soon enter the race with the CX-60 PHEV.
The big deal will be with supplies, which is still a constantly moving party both here and around the world.
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