The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has a lot of reliability on the front of the bonnet. He quietly brings the passengers from A to B and at the gas station, he always provides for conversation. "Does he also have electricity?" Or "Yes and what does he need of gas?" Come as a question. Through the endurance test you can answer these and other questions without further ado. Where it pinches and tweaks? We know it. How it looks in winter on snow and ice and in the cold temperatures? Such a battery also suffers. No problem. Our knowledge of the PHEV is almost limitless. Especially when it comes to consumption and this question is still the most important.
The Outlander Plug-In Hybrid works wonderfully as a family carriage. It's big enough. Strollers and luggage find their place and after the usual loading in the garage at home, it is now also possible to travel. To Nuremberg, for example. Thanks to its gasoline engine, the route doesn't matter. More than the daily 40 kilometers? Nothing, as soon as the gas tank is empty, the hybrid can be filled at any gas station. But with kids on board, the length of the journey should be rather manageable, so that all passengers arrive at their destination relaxed. Especially the nerves of the parents 😉 - 200 kilometers are absolutely sufficient.
If you've drained the battery, you don't need to worry. The plug-in hybrid switches imperceptibly between battery and petrol drive. On the motorway, thanks to cruise control and distance radar, 120 km/h on the speedometer is the norm. Here he showed again and again - and still to my surprise - his thrifty side. 6,5 liter consumption on average. Not bad, because the Outlander Plug-In Hybrid alone weighs almost 1.9 tons. If you then add the holiday load. You can't tell from the fuel needle that 2.2 tons are driving through the country. Thanks to the sophisticated drive train, the petrol engine can work in the most efficient mode from speeds of 65 km/h and whenever the petrol engine's power is not needed, it continues on quietly. When decelerating, the momentum energy is fed into the batteries to then relieve the load on the gasoline engine. With a driving distance of almost 250 kilometers and a battery charge of 52 kilometers, which is true to the “NEDC standard”, almost 50% of purely electric driving time is possible. Purely electric driving time also includes the “engine-OFF” time of the plug-in hybrid. Because it sails excellently and, if you sail with foresight, it makes maximum use of its kinetic energy.
On the way back, the PHEV SUV had to swallow a bit more. Since the hotel offered no charging socket, we had to change completely to gasoline here. At steady pace 140 or 160, of course, the consumption shot up accordingly. Despite additional traffic jams the on-board computer showed only 8,6 liters in the end. Extremely efficient, right? Even if the exact consumption values are likely to be corrected a little more upwards.
Thus it turns out that the Outlander PHEV is a perfect companion for the holidays as well. If you drive sensibly and take a little time, you can easily keep the consumption in combination with a current load below 8 liter. And that despite the large space and its weight. Well, the next holiday can definitely come.
How are you? Tell us about your experiences.