That one of Easily at home for purely electric shopping can drive, I already described in an article a few weeks ago. If you then use the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid as a family SUV as in our test, then the possibility of charging at the home socket and the electric drive does not change much. Park at home, plug in. Finished. Connecting the SUV to the socket quickly becomes a habit, as does the unplugging of the power cable before departure. You don't have to worry about pulling the cable annoyed and losing a lot of time as a result. Rather, plugging in and unplugging the plug-in quickly becomes a matter of course, just like operating Keyless-Go and other modern features. So not much changes. At least nothing negative.
But one thing does change. However positive.
It is the feeling with which you are traveling. Just drive over to the bakery by car? This has long been frowned upon socially, nobody would admit anything like that today. But where else do the warm and, above all, fresh rolls come from on Sunday morning? In the plug-in hybrid SUV, just like with pure electric cars, I simply no longer feel guilty. Our charging current comes from 100% regenerative sources. If the Plug-In Hybrid Outlander hangs on the power socket and draws fresh electrons, then he fills his battery with the power of sun, wind and hydropower. It just feels good. Emissions? Can the others produce?
At the same time, the Outlander Plug-In Hybrid does not require any compromises. This reinforces the positive basic feeling on an additional and a safe level. Owners of pure electric cars may not misunderstand me. I like to drive in an electric car. Actually, an electric car would be just the right car for us. But unfortunately only as a second car. And this is exactly where the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid takes over. Even after three months of endurance testing and a few thousand kilometers of driving, his concept is simply brilliant.
On the one hand, the Outlander offers the space you need to use it as a full family car. On the other hand, it does exactly what an electric car is supposed to do in short-haul transport. However, it can do the whole thing a little better, if you disregard the pure e-range. Or does anyone know an electric vehicle that can accommodate four adults, a child seat and a large pram in the trunk? Just.
Yes - but you don't drive more than 50 kilometers electrically. But hey, honestly. Free. Our daily test with the Plug-In Hybrid Outlander just showed: We drive much further anyway only once or twice a week. And then it would be 200 kilometers more. It will be difficult again with an electric car.
The advantage of the SUV
The first snowfall has also shown that a fully-fledged family car can have all-wheel drive. The Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid is then unique. Okay, there is a Porsche SUV that offers something similar - but it is almost twice as expensive. And there we are back to the point: “Family car” - for many families, the Porsche is likely to fall out for this simple reason. At this point another fact becomes clear:
While many plug-in hybrid vehicles currently have no SUV qualities, e-cars nibble on the range problem and other manufacturers offer their plug-in technology in pure premium vehicles far beyond a wide target audience, there is only one manufacturer with a family SUV that is really intended for practical use. This is the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid. And nobody has to be afraid that the switch to plug-in hybrid technology would overwhelm him - using the plug-in technology of the Outlander quickly became a habit for us.
A habit with positive side effects: For example, driving 5 kilometers on Sundays without a guilty conscience ...
The next week will be hard facts again!