PHEV Diary: Month one – Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is the most popular plug-in electric hybrid in the UK. Our first of six months with the big SUV has been a period of reacquaintance…

Say ‘Konnichiwa’ to the new GreenFleet long‑term test car, the 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Impressed with the big Japanese car’s abilities both times we’ve road tested it, and a past winner of a GreenFleet award, it only seems right that we spend some quality time with the part-electric SUV and get to know it a little more intimately.

Luxurious features
‘Our’ car is a GX4hs model, which used to sit at the top of the Outlander PHEV tree, before Mitsubishi recently realigned the range and installed the GX5hs as the head member of the Outlander PHEV family.

The Outlander PHEV we road tested back in November (GreenFleet, issue 90) was a GX4h, so WV65 YUO has a few more luxurious features over that car. The GX4h already enjoys a DAB radio, heated leather steering wheel, leather seats (powered operation on driver’s side), LED headlamps with auto-levelling function, a powered tailgate, reversing camera (in lieu of rear parking sensors), and SD satellite navigation as part of the high-definition seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system. To this, the GX4hs adds adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and enough safety/crash systems to prevent an accident happening in the first place (which to be fair is their job). Step forward Forward Collision Mitigation system, Lane Departure Warning system and (inhale of breath), the Unintended Acceleration Mitigation System.

The only option is the Atlantic Grey metallic paint at £500. And while the designer in me umm-ed and ahh-ed about choosing the new‑for-2016 Orient Red for purely photographic purposes, the sheer size and bulk of the Outlander PHEV’s shape spoke differently. I just think it's too large a car to carry off that bold a colour. Any of the white shades would show the dirt too quickly thanks to my 60-mile round daily commute, so the grey seemed a natural compromise. It also adds a very smart look into the bargain.

Major part of ownership
New owners of any pure electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle will readily accept that charging will play a very major part in the ownership of the car. While the GreenFleet offices in deepest Essex are well-served by major transport routes and options, charging infrastructure is one area which could do with being addressing.

The only option local to the GreenFleet office is the domestic-rated socket which sits just behind the office warehouse door. Simple, you might think. Slow perhaps, but simple. Simple to use, yes, but that’s not the full story.

To park in front of the warehouse door, the Outlander PHEV needs to sit in a hatched loading bay area, which, although I readily accept is not ideal, is the only option open to charging it locally. Even with the parking permit displayed in the windscreen and my mobile number displayed clearly on a piece of paper, its already attracted a few complaints. Some delivery drivers use common sense and call me to move it, which I gladly do, but others complain without even contacting me. So already, we’re finding that EV infrastructure could be an issue. 

I find it much easier to charge at home. A 7kW POD Point (https://pod‑point.com/) fast charger now proudly sits on the side of the garage, and has rapidly been put into action. The Outlander PHEV comes with a three-pin domestic EVSE cable which gives a five-hour charge. Connect a car to the POD Point charger, though, and it’s done in just under four, sometimes just over three depending on battery charge level.

The Outlander PHEV uses a 'Type 1' socket for connection to the car (as well as a CHAdeMO DC rapid charger socket – more of which in another report), whereas the POD Point rapid charger has a 'Type 2 Mennekes’ socket, so a 32A Type 1 > Type 2 cable was sourced from online retailer EV One Stop (www.evonestop.co.uk) for £120. For futureproofing, a 32A cable was selected even though the Outlander PHEV only charges at 16A. It was a similar story with the wall box: an untethered (minus an attached charging cable) version will hopefully prove adaptable for the future.

Five modes of regen braking Enough of the charging technicalities –what about the car itself? It's been fun getting to know the Outlander PHEV again and adapting my driving style to suit the car. For the most part of this month's 600 miles, I've put the car in 'Eco Hybrid' mode (as I would assume most owners would with a car of this type) and let it take care of the powetrain shuffling. The theoretical 32.5‑mile range should just see me from home to the office, but so far it’s only topped out at 31 miles, and I’ve never travelled that far on EV power alone. Around 22-24 miles is more a realistic range, but we have just taken delivery in what is arguably the coldest part of the year. I fully expect that range to improve.

I’ve also been enjoying regenerative braking again. The Outlander PHEV has five modes of regen available and I have mostly been driving in ‘B5’, the most severe setting, which also illuminates the brakes lights. This must drive other road users around the proverbial bend, but again, if you’re in the market for an EV or PHEV, I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to make the most out of it.

So far, average fuel economy has been 82.7mpg, which is short of Mitsubishi’s claimed 156, but not too disheartening either. Average electricity consumption has been 3.28 mile/kWh, while the car has been driven in EV mode for 63 per cent of the time this month.

If you are one of the 16,000 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV owners in the UK, I’d love to hear your experiences, good and bad.

If you’d like to get in touch, email richard.gooding@psigroupltd.co.uk

LOGBOOK: MONTH ONE
2016 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER PHEV GX4HS
Engine: 1,998cc four-cylinder petrol with 2 x 60kW electric motors and 12kWh battery
CO2: 42g/km
Range: 32.5 miles (electric only), 541 miles (hybrid mode)
Price (OTR): £35,999 (inc VAT, after government PiCG grant, £36,499 as tested)
Date acquired: February 2016
Miles this month: 600
Our MPG: 82.7
Official MPG: 156
Our electricity consumption: 3.28 mile/kWh
Fuel costs this month: £38.18
Costs this month: £120 (charging cables)