2024 Mitsubishi Outlander GT PHEV – Road Test

In North America – certainly Canada, Mitsubishi vehicles are largely ignored for some reason that we can’t fathom. We’ve owned several and have never been disappointed with our decision to purchase one. Granted, they aren’t always the prettiest vehicle on the road and the company has made some strange decisions over the years such as putting 14” tires on a car while all other cars are sporting 15″ and 16” tires. Based on reliability and a terrific warranty Mitsubishi should always be on your shopping list when comparing vehicles. If you’re scared of going all-in fully electric in your next vehicle, then the Outlander GT PHEV should be right at the top of your road test list – electric for most of your driving needs and gas powered for your range anxiety…oh, and it’s a damn good SUV too!

What Is It?
• Mid-sized plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) SUV
• All-electric, with the bonus of the gas engine for extended drives – NO range anxiety
• The PHEV system automatically and seamlessly switches between electric and gas – based on the driving situation and the battery status
• 2.4L gas engine
• CVT Transmission
• Hybrid Electric + ICE Total Range – 687 kms
• Range: up to 61 kms (38 miles) on electric power alone is actually quite good
• 7-Passenger (no option for 5-passenger even in the ICE version)
• Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) – it only comes as an AWD – most PHEV’s are RWD or FWD!
• 5 Models available: ES, LE, SEL, GT and GT Premium
• We’re driving the GT Premium and as-such many features are only available on this trim level
• Prices start at a reasonable $48,198, approximately +$10k over the ICE models
• 3rd row seats ideal for stuffed animals only

How Does It Look?
• It looks like… a Mitsubishi SUV – we love the look of it
• We’ve seen videos and pictures of the Outlander and that front end was ugly, but in the flesh it’s actually very nice and well proportioned
• The colour is White Diamond (pearl) and it came with the optional Black Roof
• We really liked the great looking 20” aluminum rims

What’s It Like Inside?
• Driver’s position and visibility is perfect and there’s plenty of adjustments to make it so
• The driver gets a very nice 12.3” Digital Driver Display that is almost identical to Nissan’s version – the rotating dials are exactly the same – I love it, but my wife found spinning dials very distracting
• Interior colour is called Black with Semi-Aniline (fake) Leather seats – it’s the only interior with the Black Roof selection
• 10.8” full-colour Head-Up Display was on the test vehicle, someone previously had switched it off, but it was easy enough to switch back on using a button on the lower left dashboard
• The shifter is also very similar to Nissan (and a couple of other manufacturers) – you pull the shifter back to get D. To reverse you push the shifter forward and to park you press the button
• The seats are quite firm, but they are very comfortable
• The 8-way powered front seats are heated (not cooled even though the pleather is perforated), including a power 4-way lumbar adjustment for driver and front passenger – what?!! The front passenger gets coddled too?
• The HVAC is way out of whack. In the middle of summer – the entire vehicle turns into an icebox in about 5 minutes. We had the temp up to 28°C to feel my legs after just 10 minutes!! If the heater works this well in winter, there will be zero complains from anyone!
• But wait… there’s MORE: both front seats have a massage feature and…
both the driver and front passenger get a 2-person memory
• The centre armrest is comfortably placed and has a decent sized storage area
• In front of the gear shifter there’s a wireless phone charger, 1 USB and 1 USB-C input as well as a 12-V power outlet under the HVAC, along with the wireless phone charger plus there’s also 2 more in the rear
• Thanks to the open-and-tilt panorama moon roof there’s plenty of light in the cabin – the front opens for ventilation
• Rear passengers have plenty of knee, foot and elbow room as well as an almost completely flat floor
• The rear doors open nice and wide making it very easy to get in/out
• The rear seat folds 40-20-40 instead of the more traditional 60/40
• Rear occupants also get bum warmers and their own temperature control
• The cargo floor is quite high and about as small as anticipated – thanks to the 3 rows of seating
• Folding the 3rd row seat is very easy and opens up a huge amount of cargo room – just think how much more room there would be without it!
• Getting into the 3rd row is a contortionists nightmare – leave it to little kids about 2 feet tall
• Getting back out is outright dangerous. You have no concept of how far from the ground you are as you come out backwards. I was rewarded with a huge chunk of skin being removed from my shin as I almost fell out
• IF YOU NEED 3 ROWS OF SEATING GET A VAN!!
• Under the floor is a reasonable sized storage area for the plug-in cable and other bits ‘n bobs
• One of the two 110V plugs is located in the rear cargo compartment, the other is up front in the dash
• Cargo Volume (Behind 3rd Row): 12.8 cu-ft (362 Litres) / Maximum Capacity: 64.7 cu-ft (1,832 Litres)
• Towing Capacity: 680 kg / 1,500 lbs
• Curb Weight: 4,607 – 4,685 lbs

Infotainment System etc.
• Located high up on the centre console is the 9-inch Infotainment display, giving you easy access to navigation, media, phone and app controls (competitors Kia/Hyundai have 10.2” and Ford has a 13.2” displays). To be honest I didn’t notice that it was smaller until I did a comparison check
• Navigation is embedded in the Outlander PHEV – NOT a subscription-based unit. Sweet! That’s the way it should always be
• Navigation is powered by TOMTOM, with voice activation
• Connecting my phone was easy and within seconds I was listening to my music via Bluetooth
• Bose® premium audio system – 9 high-quality speakers, including a subwoofer was a per usual – superb
• HD radio… the sound quality is MUCH better and noticeable when at a full stop. While driving it noticeably degrades! Weird.
• The Infotainment interface is easy to navigate and is very responsive
• Android Auto and Wireless Apple CarPlay
• Mitsubishi Connect – You can easily check battery level, schedule charging, pre-heat or pre-cool your vehicle, or even locate it in a parking lot – all from your smartphone (24 month free trial)
• Comes with a 1,500-W power supply that powers two common 120V household outlets… that’s enough juice to use a kettle or coffee maker

Outlander EV Features:
• 2.4 Litre Engine + 20 kWh battery
• Electric only range: up to 61 kms (38 miles)
• Single-speed Transmission
• Twin-Electric Motors All-Wheel Drive
• The smart regenerative braking system uses energy recaptured from the twin electric motor braking to recharge the battery
• The level of regeneration can be quickly and conveniently adjusted using the paddle shifters
• Press the Innovative Pedal button (to the right of the shifter) and you to accelerate and decelerate with a single pedal driving using regenerative braking. The downside is that every time you get out and come back into the Outlander you have to re-set this button!! It’s 2023/2024, why can’t this be programmed to stay engaged until you undo it?
• Setting the schedule was very easy and several different schedules can be programmed into the system
Charge Times:
• @ 120V – 16 hours / @ 240V – 6.5 hours
• 50kW DC fast charge 10-80% – 38 minutes

EV Button – multi-use button for EV Modes
Normal – delivers optimal efficiency automatically
You can also take full control over your vehicle with three driver-selectable EV power management modes…
• EV Priority – prioritizes electric-only driving with zero fuel consumption
• Charge – recharges the drive battery using the gas engine as a generator when the battery state of charge is low
• Save – prioritizes the use of the gas engine to save your drive battery’s charge for city driving

Innovative Pedal Button: lets you control speeding up and slowing down with the accelerator pedal alone. It applies both regenerative brakes and friction brakes in order to recharge the drive battery to help maintain or extend your EV driving range. This worked perfectly, bringing the Outlander to a complete stop
Paddle Shifters (+/-): According to Mitsubishi “the paddle shifters let you adjust the level of regenerative braking”… except they don’t. Whenever I used them they downshifted/upshifted the transmission!! They had ZERO effect on the brakes

EV and Safety Features are described in detail after What’s The Verdict? At the end of this review

So How Quick Is It & How Does It Handle?
• Initial throttle input in Normal mode is…. lethargic. Seriously, stomping on the gas pedal was very underwhelming. That was my initial experience, but once I set the various do-dads the way the Outlander was supposed to be set up – everything changed. It became far more responsive and a lot more fun to drive! I have no idea who set it up before I got it, but the difference was night and day. It went from oh oh to. ..oh yes this is brisk off the line. In full EV mode it has a lot more giddy up
• The steering is perfectly weighted and the thick sporty leather-wrapped heated steering wheel is welcome
• The sound of CVT is definitely noticeable, but muted – it sounds like you’re strangling the transmission
• If you are NOT in EV and using one pedal drive it always lurches forward after stopping – you could easily rear-end someone if you aren’t paying attention. In EV with one pedal it works perfectly
• The brakes are very touchy around town/driving slow. On the highway they were much easier to modulate
• One pedal driving is perfectly set up and takes no time at all to get used to, but it should be a default setting
• Seven unique driver-selectable modes – Power (Sport), Eco, Normal (Default), Tarmac (enhanced agility and heightened performance when travelling on dry, paved roads), Gravel (maximum traction on coarser roads), Snow (for light-to-medium snow-covered or slippery roads), Mud (for driving through muddy or deep snow, especially when accelerating and/or turning from a stopped position)

Horsepower Engine Only: 131 @ 4,500 rpm
Torque Engine Only: 143 lb-ft. @ 4,500 rpm
Combined Net Horsepower (Hybrid System + Engine): 248
Combined Net Torque (Hybrid System + Engine) (lb-ft.): 332
Battery: 20 kWh Lithium-ion
Top Speed (est.): 193 km/h / 120 mph
0 – 60 mph (secs): 8.2

What Does It Cost?
For up-to-date pricing and options in your region visit: Mitsubishi Canada – USA

To Buy…
Base Price: $48,198
As Tested: $60,698
Options:
Colour: White Diamond with Black Roof – $900
Premium Package: Semi-Aniline Leather Appointed Seats & Massage Seats (Front) – $700
* Destination charge is hundreds of dollar LESS than similar SUV’s – only $1,650 Cdn

To Operate…
• Rated at (L/100 km): City – 9.2 / Highway – 8.7 / Combined – 9.0
• Electricity & Gasoline Rated at (Le/100 km): 3.6
• We averaged a combined 8.5 L/100 km and around town we got 8.4 L/100 km
• In town, we used electric 100% of the time
• 32.1 Kwh/100 km (the lower this number, the more “fuel efficient” the vehicle is)
• Transport Canada Annual fuel cost: $ 1,389 [20,000 km / ave. fuel price $1.25 /litre + $0.15 kWh electricity]
• The 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV qualities for the full $5,000 Canadian rebate
• Depending on where you live, various tax incentives EV’s could make the Outlander PHEV more affordable
• EV Incentives in Quebec are (up to $8,000) and B.C gets $3,000, on top of the $5,000 Federal Grants
• For vehicles that do qualify click HERE

Warranty
• Basic: 5 Years / 100,000 kms
• Powertrain: 5 Years / 160,000
• Battery and Powertrain: 10 Years / 160,000 kms
• Hybrid Electrical Components: 10 Years / 100,000 kms
• Traction Battery Warranty: 10 Years / 100,000 kms
Roadside Assistance: 5 years / Unlimited

The Competition (PHEV)
Ford Escape, Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Kia Niro, Toyota RAV4 Prime

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
• The Good: It’s a Mitsubishi – these things just last and last with minimal things going wrong
• More Good: 1500-watt Power Inverter
• The Bad: Three row seating, you’re dragging around excess weight – a killer for EV’s
• The Ugly: “official” Fuel economy numbers aren’t all that spectacular. Our real world numbers were much better

What’s The Verdict?
We just loved the Outback PHEV. It’s good looking, it’s a perfect size, there’s plenty of useful safety features. Also standing out is the extremely good price, considering the content that’s stuffed into it, it’s bordering on luxury. The warranty is just about the best one out there. It drives well and is comfortable inside.

We would definitely consider this SUV except for a couple of irritating things:
1) Three row seating is the only option, you can’t get a 5-passenger version so you’re dragging around the weight of a couple of bodies all the time… for a seat that might never get used!
2) And it’s under-powered for such a biggish SUV hauling around dead bodies – and unfortunately it’s very noticeable even with only the driver in the vehicle when you stomp on the gas.
3) Fuel economy is much worse than the completion – probably ‘cause it’s hauling around all that extra weight from the 3rdrow seat!! For example (combined, L/100 km): Kia Sorento – 6.9 / Hyundai Santa Fe – 7.2 / Ford Escape – 6.0 … Outlander – 9.0.
4) The Innovative Pedal Button has to be engaged EVERY time you drive this vehicle – that kinda negates the usefulness of it

So… based on the week we spent with it – one thing would change this SUV considerably (including 0-60 times) and it’s scary how simple the multiple problems listed above would all be fixed!

Test vehicle was a 2023 MY with updates for 2024 added…

Outlander – Safety Features
The 2024 Outlander PHEV is equipped with a number of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) such as MI-PILOT Assist system – a suite of advanced driver assist systems that includes Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Stop & Go, Lane Keep Assist (LKA) and Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR).
Active Blind Spot Assist – adds to the blind spot warning system by detecting other vehicles in the surrounding lanes. After an initial warning, the system will gently apply the brakes, potentially avoiding collisions
Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) – will alert you with flashing warning lights on both side mirrors, a buzzer that sounds in the cabin and a warning message that appears in the instrument cluster
Rear Automatic Emergency Braking – gives an audible warning and attempts to stop the vehicle
360° camera – With four cameras providing a 360° view and flank sensors
Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM) with Intelligent Brake Assist + Pedestrian Detection – uses both laser radar and camera technology to determine if a frontal collision is imminent. If so, it warns you with audio and visual signals, and automatically applies moderate to emergency braking
Active Lane Departure Prevention (LDP) – a subtle vibration through the steering wheel and help steer you back to the centre if you unintentionally start to drift out of your lane
Lane Change Assist (LCA) – Blind Spot Warning
Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) + displays the speed limit on the digital dash
Autonomous Cruise Control – Lane Keep Assist (LKA) hands-on
Pedestrian Detection – warning
Driver Attention Alert (DAA) – helps detect a lapse in driver concentration and display a warning message – that would pretty much cover every driver in Ontario 24/7!!
Parking Sensors – Front and rear
Active Stability Control (ASC)
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Stop & Go uses radar technology to automatically adjust your vehicle’s cruising speed to maintain a set distance between you and the vehicle in front – even in stop-and-go traffic