PHEV Diary: Month three - Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

Shade of genius
The latest batch of sales figures from the UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that Mitsubishi has registered 21,053 Outlander PHEVs here in two years. The model also accounts for 36.2 per cent of the registered 58,186 grant-eligible vehicles since the Plug-in Car Grant was introduced five years ago. All of which points to the fact that launching the plug-in hybrid technology in an SUV first had a shade of genius about it...

Wherever it’s seen and whatever colour it may be in, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has striking looks. WV65 YUO cuts quite a presence in the company car park, where its Atlantic Grey paintwork and gloss black and chrome ‘Dynamic Shield’ front end elevate it above other premium and not‑so‑premium and older rival SUVs. And now there’s an Outlander PHEV that cuts even more of a dash – Mitsubishi UK introduced the range‑topping GX5h and GX5hs trims just after our car was confirmed for delivery to us earlier this year (see panel). The newcomer not only looks even more stylish, but also adds welcome doses of practicality, which wasn’t exactly something the standard car was lacking in the first place.

Very quiet, very comfortable
Just as in the last report, day-to-day life with the Outlander PHEV hasn’t been taxing. We’ve covered more miles than any other month since we’ve had the car this month, and are happy to report that the grey SUV is very comfortable in all situations, and also very quiet on the motorway – my commute takes in a lot of M25 miles – in both EV and hybrid modes.

I’m still driving the car in ‘Eco’ mode all the time as I still maintain if you were buying a car of this type, you’d be after all eco and cost savings you could amass. It’s imperative to charge whenever the opportunity presents itself, too, otherwise you just end up with a 35mpg petrol-powered SUV. This is especially when out of urban areas if you want to achieve impressive mpg figures. If you use the car purely for urban use, then its less of an issue as the predominantly electric mode will be the one the car uses. On the subject of charging, the car seems to charge faster than I thought, with a full charge from a domestic socket coming up in around 3 hours 45 minutes, when the quoted time is five hours.
The Outlander’s natural elevated ride height affords it great qualities on wet and flooded minor roads, too, as I recently experienced – and benefitted from – on a trip home from the office recently.

Five stages of regenerative braking
The five stages of regenerative braking work well and are one of my favourite features of the powertrain. I have found, though, that they seem slower and not as severe when the car is in ‘Charge’ or ’Save’ modes. I’m also finding that the ‘power source’ instrument display graphic is easier to see at a glance what’s going on with power sources than the MMCS infotainment system diagram. I’ve yet to find out if there is a way of scrolling through the various options/reading displays faster or just selecting the information you need.

On the subject of the car’s Mitsubishi Multi Communication System (MMCS), I’ve found the audio functionality to be the most disappointing aspect of the car. I connect a seventh-generation Apple iPod Nano to WV65 YUO whenever I drive a notable distance and the system takes at least five minutes to index all the tracks (with numbers as well as text), playing whichever track is first alphabetically by song title. Every time. Once the indexing has been done it’s fine, and although a niggle, as I love my music it maybe is more of a sticking point than it should be. The MMCS does impart a lot of information, though – you almost need a class in how to use it...

Positive public charging experience
Following the last update’s reporting on the downsides of the public charging infrastructure, I have since used Ecotricity’s ‘Electric Highway’ rapid charging bays with no ill effects – a much more positive charging (pardon the pun) experience. I’ve also heard from both Source London and NCP re the dual use of the charging bays at Loughton Underground station. Source London referred me directly to NCP, who commented:  “All electric charging points were put in by Transport for London, and when they were installed a decision was made at the time that they would be dual use for both electric and non‑electric vehicles.” 

Is it just me or is that not helpful as it defeats the point of pushing the take-up of electric and alternatively‑fuelled vehicles? Source London also said it thought it ‘can be particularly inconvenient for customers wishing to use the charge points’. 

As I’d hoped, the economy of the big Mitsubishi has improved, rising to an average of 126.8mpg through a handful of high‑yielding urban-based runs. Looking at the figures, this month the car has even run in EV mode for 69.9 per cent of the time, which has dipped slightly since last month. Average electricity ‘economy’ has been higher than the last report, coming in at 3.50 miles per kWh, while the fuel costs since issue 62 have been £38.62.

I’ve worked out since WV65 YUO arrived in February, I’ve spent £110.30 on fuel, which I don’t think is too excessive over an 1,800-mile period, given the car’s average usage cycle. Yes it’s not been driven every day in those two-and-a-half months, but if I was running my petrol car – which I know isn’t directly comparable – over the same period, I’d be filling up with around £38.00-worth of fuel a week…

I’ve also had my first consumable this month, when the car reported a low screen wash level at just over 6,600 miles.

As is customary, I had some in the garage so no cost was involved.

Don’t forget, if you’re an Outlander PHEV owner or driver, I’d love to hear your plug-in hybrid experiences, good and bad. 

If you’d like to get in touch, email richard.gooding@psigroupltd.co.uk or ping me a message on Twitter at @richgoodingcom.